Showrunner Gwen Sigan reveals that Hailey Upton's Tracy Spiridakos' Upton decided to leave. Since then, the hunt for her Intelligence replacement has been ongoing.

Days before One Chicago returns, Sigan revealed to TV Insider that they have decided who will step into Upton's vacated position in Chicago PD season 12. Instead of bringing in an entirely new character for her replacement, Intelligence is promoting an existing member to become Voight's newest detective. Sigan doesn't reveal who it will be, but she's confident that the choice makes sense. Read her full quote below:

“Someone’s getting promoted, and it’s somebody I think who’s wanted it for a while and that it made a lot of sense for us. In the [writers’] room, we’ve talked about that storyline for so long, but how do you make it a story? How do you make it interesting? How do you make it something that really reveals something about who this person is and is not just a piece of paper?

We really leaned into the real promotion process in Chicago and just show that it actually is really hard to become a detective, and so seeing that and seeing this character and what it means as far as looking at who you want to be as a police officer and how it’s going to be affected by a promotion like this was really fun. And I think it’ll add some new dynamics to the unit.”

Why It Makes Sense For Upton’s Replacement To Already Be In Intelligence

The Transition Will Be Easier If Upton's Replacement Is An Existing Chicago PD Character

Chicago PD has a history of cast departures, but Spiridakos' exit is particularly difficult because of its impact on Intelligence. Losing Halstead was already big, but now that his ex-wife is no longer in the team, Voight doesn't have a clear deputy; there are no more existing detectives in the squad. Besides that, her departure also shrinks Intelligence to just five personnel. The silver lining is that Chicago PD season 12 is forced to promote one of its remaining veteran : Adam Ruzek, Kevin Atwater, and Kim Burgess. Sigan doesn't name who will be promoted, however.

She can call out Voight whenever the Intelligence leader is out of line more effectively than her peers. This is a vital trait for the position.

All are great in their own right and can be capable leaders in Chicago PD. But among the trio, Burgess is in the best position to be promoted at this point. While Ruzek and Atwater have been with Intelligence longer, she has had the least personal issues in the last several years. In of optics, Burgess is more suited to step up to the plate as Upton's replacement in Chicago PD season 12. She can call out Voight whenever the Intelligence leader is out of line more effectively than her peers. This is a vital trait for the position.

Our Take On Upton’s Replacement In Chicago PD Season 12

Intelligence Still Needs A New Member

Overall, it's a great move to finally promote someone in Intelligence. Since Burgess transitioned from being a patrol officer, Voight's team has become rather stagnant. Chicago PD season 10 added Dante Torres, but that didn't impact those who have been original characters in Dick Wolf's One Chicago police procedural. I prefer Burgess to be promoted, but any of the veteran officers would do great as Upton's successor. Beyond that, however, Chicago PD still needs to add another new member to beef up its roster. Perhaps they can bring in Josephine Petrovic as a regular.

Petrovic being a new member of Intelligence, but not Voight's new deputy, is the best way to go.

Briefly, there was an assumption that Petrovic could just come in and fill the void that Upton was leaving. The fact that they worked on a few cases before Spiridakos' character moved out of Chicago seemed like the perfect setup for this. This would also have been the easiest to do. That said, I'm not sure it would have been a satisfying route for long-time viewers of Chicago PD, considering Burgess, Atwater, and Ruzek are still waiting to be promoted. Petrovic being a new member of Intelligence, but not Voight's new deputy, is the best way to go.

Can Spiridakos' Upton Still Return In Chicago PD?

The Door Is Always Open For Upton

Upton's exit from Chicago PD was due to Spiridakos' decision to venture out, but within the narrative, she wanted a fresh start after Halstead just abandoned her in Chicago. Before leaving, Upton got Voight's blessing, after having gotten closer to him since her ex-husband left in Chicago PD season 10. The Intelligence leader made it clear the door is always open for her, in case she wants to come back to her old team. This makes it easier for One Chicago to reincorporate her into the procedural if Spiridakos decides to reprise her role as Upton.

For what it's worth, the Chicago PD season 11 finale was able to bring back Al Olinsky despite the character's death in season 5. Voight's best friend was brutally murdered, but he appeared before the Intelligence leader as a vision that kept him alive while Upton struggled to rescue him. Because of this, there shouldn't be any problem with Spiridakos' character potentially finding her way back to the Windy City. Additionally, One Chicago kept Upton's future fate open-ended, so she could always wind back up in the 21st District to re-team with her old squad, even for a temporary set-up.

Source: TV Insider