As a child, Chicago P.D.‘s Detective Hailey Upton would work the register in her father’s diner after school. One day, a man robbed them, breaking her father’s eye socket and stealing $272.57. Sergeant Trudy Platt, then a patrol officer, was part of the responding team, and when Hailey recounted the event for Trudy during Season 4, Episode 21, “Fagin,” she said, “I was so scared through all that, worried if my dad was gonna make it, but you made me feel safe.” Trudy smiled, and the next thing Hailey said surprised her: “I became a cop because of you.” The moment reminds viewers of how strong the show’s female characters can be — when given the opportunity.
Chicago P.D. has never shied away from strong characters, regardless of gender. Protagonists like former detectives Erin Lindsay and Antonio Dawson have made their mark as members of the elite Intelligence Unit. But the show’s three female main characters have seemingly disappeared into their personal lives or, in the case of Platt, just disappeared. Dick Wolf and his showrunners know how to write female police officers outside romantic relationships; Law & Order: SVU‘s Olivia Benson has been single most of her tenure on the show, despite fans wanting Benson to have a happy ending — so it’s not impossible for the women of Chicago P.D. to have more. Here’s what the show ought to have done with its female leads and what really happened.
Updated by Christopher Raley on June 23, 2024: Chicago P.D. has made a name for itself as the gritty police procedural side of the One Chicago franchise. Its complex characters help make it the show that it is as they endure traumatic crime scenes and go through personal challenges.
What Chicago P.D. Season 11 Could Have Done
Hailey Upton Is More Than Upstead
Chicago P.D. Season 10 wasn’t just a poor ending for Jay Halstead, it was a shock to the Intelligence team — especially his wife Hailey Upton. Hailey’s proposal to Jay in Season 8, Episode 16, “The Other Side,” and their wedding ceremony in Season 9, Episode 9, “A Way Out,” were iconic moments; however, Upstead took a quick turn for the worse to prepare for Jay’s abrupt departure, leaving Hailey spinning out. Season 10, Episode 5, “Pink Cloud,” wasn’t just about the pink cloud that the missing girl in the episode was rumored to be in, but the pink cloud that Hailey had put herself in. If she pretended everything was fine — if she never went home — then everything was fine.
Season 11 needs to bring new challenges for Hailey that are well beyond Jay. While their relationship should be further addressed, Hailey’s next steps forward will have to focus on who she is on her own. Hailey celebrated being part of the police department for 10 years (and some of the best seasons of the show) in Season 9, Episode 13, “Still Water.” She is a talented detective whose skills as a leader could be sharpened. Jay’s departure makes her the only remaining detective in Intelligence and, after Voight, the team member with the most number of years on the force. Learning how to lead would allow Hailey to grow in a way that other members of the team cannot.
- Hailey Upton was raised by an abusive father, something that, along with the incident mentioned above, played an important role in Hailey’s wanting to be a cop.
- Hailey was also kidnapped along with Burgess when an undercover operation went wrong, resulting in Hailey being beaten and nearly raped.
Hailey also has a close relationship with Voight, which has proven to be both valuable and tough to navigate. Chicago P.D. could head in one of two directions with their relationship. It can either strengthen that dynamic by having them lead together, as Voight did by leaning on Alvin Olinsky in the early seasons or continue to put them at odds by making Voight the villain again. Either way, Hailey will need to spend some time rebuilding her connections with people other than Jay in Season 11.
Kim Burgess Should Become a Detective
When Chicago P.D. premiered in 2014, Kim Burgess was a patrol officer still getting her feet under her. But she proved to be a talented officer who built a strong partnership with Kevin Atwater and even trained and mentored other cops. Kim was initially passed over for Intelligence because of her budding relationship with Adam Ruzek, but finally joined the team full-time in Season 4, Episode 9, “Don’t Bury This Case.” Since then, she has continued to show the team that she is smart, strong, and resilient. With Hailey the only remaining detective in Intelligence, having Kim take the exam would give Chicago P.D. two female detectives for the first time since Hailey temporarily worked alongside Lindsay.
- Kim’s instincts for detective work are shown in “I Was Here” from season 7, when she discovers a sex trafficking ring after receiving a 911 call from a young girl while on light duty.
- After a miscarriage in season 7, Kim meets Makayla in season 8 and eventually adopts her after her father is arrested for murder.
Kim’s mental health continues to be an ongoing plot thread as well. Chicago P.D.‘s 200th episode, “Trapped,” focused primarily on Kim’s PTSD from her kidnapping and near death in the Season 8 finale — and Burgess has dealt with far more than anyone else in Intelligence. Her story arc presents an incredible opportunity to discuss how PTSD impacts people, especially women. While Season 10’s cliffhanger with Ruzek will obviously have an effect on Kim, there’s a lot more story to explore with her and her adopted daughter Makayla, too. Like Upton, she shouldn’t be solely defined by her romantic relationship. She still has far more growth to achieve.
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Should Remember Trudy Platt
While Trudy Platt’s demeanor is tough, underneath is a woman who has faith in the people who work in District 21 and the Chicago Police Department. Though Platt is the Desk Sergeant, she often supports Intelligence in their cases, either by providing them with necessary patrol officers or showing up to do the work herself. That’s why it’s mystifying that the audience doesn’t know that much about her — and that she gets very little screen time in many episodes.
- Kim and her original partner, Kevin Atwater, are initial targets of Trudy’s gruff and belittling attitude.
- In addition to Hailey, Trudy knew Hank and Alvin from the beginning of their time on the force and got along with them well.
Audiences primarily know Platt through her marriage to Chicago Fire‘s Randall “Mouch” McHolland or her long working relationship with Voight, but when she’s given a chance to take center stage, she shines. Since Olinsky’s death at the end of Season 5, Voight has been responsible for everyone. There isn’t someone with this same level of experience helping him lead the team, and Platt is perfect for providing that support. Her relationships with Hailey and Kim have helped them step into their power as police officers, and Platt continues to push and support them, which is exactly what both younger women need in Season 11. The men of Intelligence have all had very different relationships with Platt, and outside of Voight, audiences haven’t seen as much of their interactions with her — which would allow for new storylines, and the chance for Trudy to escape status as a trope rather than a character.
What Chicago P.D. Season 11 Actually Did
Upton’s Decision To Leave Both Meets and Fails Hopes
When the season 11 finale was over, Upton had finished her arc in the show, leaving disappointment over the fact that a strong character was gone, but satisfaction that her arc ended better than Halstead’s. But in terms of becoming a stronger lead in the Intelligence unit, Upton fit the bill, becoming Voight’s right-hand person. Her deep dive into her career is complicated by her desire to ignore the shambles of her personal life, but it doesn’t stop her from being a leader of the team.
- Born in 1988, Tracy Spiridakos, who portrayed Hailey Upton, is of Greek descent, was born in Canada, and is a mental health advocate in the entertainment industry.
- Spiridakos says she was a fan of Chicago P.D. from the time it first aired in 2014.
Throughout the season, Hailey helps Josephine Petrovic deal with alcohol abuse, and her partnership with Voight (as well as his role in her life) gives his own compelling arc even greater significance during the serial killer investigation. However, she wants more for herself both personally and professionally and sees leaving the Intelligence Unit (and Chicago altogether) as an opportunity to find what she is looking for, ending the season on a bittersweet note after she saves Voight from the serial killer.
Burgess Is Given an Episode to Shine But Her Development Suffers in a Short Season
Kim doesn’t get promoted to detective, but she does help solve a crime because she is the only one available who speaks Spanish. Episode 3, “Safe Harbor,” is both a great and poor episode for Kim to shine in as she helps solve a shooting that happens in the 13th district. That she has volunteered time for a shift helping out with Venezuelan migrants when the shooting happens is classic Burgess, and it is great that Chicago P.D. shows her teaming up with Danny Alvarado to solve the hate crime. And yet, the show’s ham-fisted way of dealing with the immigrant crisis and its forced dramatic tension between Kim and Danny ultimately detract from the focus on her character.
- Marina Squerciati, who portrays Kim, said of the proposal from Adam, “I just think of that scene as like this boat, and it was so rocky, and they’re just in calm waters in the seas.”
- Squerciati has been with Chicago P.D. since the show’s first season when fans first see Kim as she reunites with friends from her days as a flight attendant.
Meanwhile, as Ruzek returns to duty after being shot at the end of season 10, the couple gets a chance to share a few happy moments when Ruzek proposes to her. Although fans of the couple almost certainly were happy about this, the season ended up sidelining Burgess into a marriage plot the likes of which have been seen far too much in the One Chicago franchise.
With Platt, It’s More of the Same in Season 11
In season 11, Platt was often sidelined in the character-centric episodes that dominated the first half of the season. She appeared more in the second half, mostly in service to the story arc that led to Upton’s departure from the unit. In fact, there might have been more appearances of Platt in Chicago Fire than in Chicago P.D. Whatever the case, her lack of presence in the show continues to be a big shortcoming.
- While Kim and especially Hailey both had opportunities to shine in season 11, Trudy remains underdeveloped and under-utilized.
- With Hailey now gone from the Intelligence Unit, there is ample opportunity for the show to develop Kim and Trudy in season 12.
Continuing to flesh out who Platt is would be the perfect remedy to Chicago P.D.‘s ongoing problem. The female characters are capable, strong, and loved by fans, but most of their character development is linked to — if not focused on — their personal lives. There are so many other directions they can go and so many stories that can push them further than the Burzek and Plouch of it all. While season 11 saw Upton’s departure as a strong female character, the show still has work to do for the others.