Chicago PD Showrunner Teases Season 12: The Burzek Wedding and more

After a period of change, Chicago PD is gearing up for more drama, romance and crime solving in the back half of season 12.

“There’s a lot more to come with our new lead actor, Shawn HatosyReid,” Chicago PD the exhibition Gwen Sigan you are only told Us Weekly Tuesday, January 7. “We saw at the end of the season, he made this statement to Voight like, ‘We’re going to be friends,’ but it’s obviously a proprietary friendship, and, like, using power.”

Sigan said it was “a lot of fun writing” the conflict between Deputy Chief Charlie Reid (Hatosy), who joined the cast this season, and Intelligence Unit leader Hank Voight (Jason Beghe).

He teased that the couple’s leadership style is “changing the dynamics of the unit a lot” going forward.

Sigan noted that the second half of the season will also feature Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) to get married after their third wedding during season 11.

Said the producer Us that Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) will continue to have “an existential crisis and a crisis of faith” in the upcoming episode, adding that Kevin Atwater (Royce Hawkins) will find “some love” again.

“We have a little bit of everything,” Sigan said. “Things will continue to change and evolve in the department for sure.”

Scroll down for everything Us studied at Chicago PD.’s showrunner for the remainder of season 12:

Cook’s Story will appear

After joining the Intelligence Unit earlier this season, fans will finally get a better picture of who Kiana Cook is (Toya Turner) where it is and where it comes from.

“Episode 9 is Cook’s episode,” Sigan said Usreferring to the midseason premiere, which airs Wednesday, January 8. “He’s going to meet a lot of his family members in this episode, which is fun. And you’re starting to learn about his past and his background and the different worlds he’s in and how they’re so different from each other.”

Sigan said Cook’s past will reveal why he is so focused on being there and doing “the job well.” He joked that the return of the show is a “journey” for Cook and the rest of the season will give “more background on him and who he is and why he’s really different from the unit.”

Chief Reid Goes Toe To Toe With Voight

Throughout season 12, Reid has been aware of everything Voight’s team is doing – good and bad – and has looked the other way. However, Sigan told Us that his choice not to command the team will come at a price.

“He is an actor who plays his cards close to the vest. And it’s hard for Voight to really read him,” the showrunner said of Reid, noting, “We’ve always seen Voight as a know-it-all. So being someone else is really fun.”

He called Reid “a funhouse mirror of Voight,” meaning the boss “works the way Voight used to” but is “improved and exaggerated.”

“We’re going to learn more about him and his motivations throughout the season,” teased Sigan. “But it’s definitely a cat-and-mouse game and … a friendship with a lot of strings attached.”

Burgess Does It His Way

In season 12, episode 6, Burgess became a detective, and viewers will see him working in the second half of the season.

“There is this simple change that he just takes that role of being a leading leader,” explained Sigan. “You’ll see him giving orders over and over again and certainly saying, maybe, he’s frustrated or surprised at how much [paperwork and] additional burden [she has].”

While Burgess will have a lot of catching up to do, she’s finding her “groove” and a leadership style that Sigan says is “very different” than former detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer).

“It sounds like his thing, more like, ‘I’m still your age, but I’m going to give you orders now. Now I’m going to direct more,’” Sigan continued. “Everyone, I think, supports me and just falls into those roles.”

Torres ‘No Greater’

During the midseason finale, which aired in November 2024, Torres’ relationship with ex-girlfriend Gloria Perez (Yara Martinez) came to light when he was found running a drug business in Chicago. Gloria died after helping the intelligence unit, and to her greatest surprise, Torres was not reprimanded by the chief for his misconduct.

Torres, however, is not doing “good” when the show returns. “He’s very upset,” Sigan said of Gloria’s death, noting that Torres’ background will continue to be investigated.

“[We reveal] why he was attracted to this woman and why he got into this relationship and the trauma that led back to his childhood,” he said. Us. “And how current events challenge faith.”

Atwater’s Love Story Is Not Over

Atwater admitted to an off-again relationship with Valeria “Val” Soto (Natalie Linez) during season 12, episode 3, and according to Sigan, that arrangement may change when Val returns in future episodes.

“What’s great about that relationship is how it starts, like, ‘We’re going to do something for both of us that’s just for us,'” she said. “But then, obviously, as time went on, how did that change and grow?”

Related: A timeline of Adam Ruzek’s romance with Chicago PD’s Kim Burgess

Chicago PD’s talented detectives are the heart of the show – but the complicated romance between Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek is what keeps fans coming back. Viewers first saw sparks fly between Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) during season 1, episode 8, when Ruzek was in another relationship. “This is perfect […]

The showrunner explained that Atwater will have to “decide if this is just a normal thing that we both need in our lives or is there something more?”

Sigan added: “We’re starting to explore why these two and why they don’t want something too serious. Is that a way to protect yourself or is it because of the way they have built their lives?” He indicated that the transition would be “emotional and profound.”

Burzek will be arrested

Scerciati told earlier Us that she wants Burgess’s “white dress moment” when she finally marries Ruzek. Flueger, however, told Us that you think their style is a “court” wedding.

Sigan stated that on-screen marriages are a “middle ground” between the two. “They have been coming for a long time and they have a family – they have [daughter] Mikayla [and] he wants to make his voice heard, and I think he wants to party,” Sigan said Us on tuesday. “So, for me, it’s going to be a middle ground to find what works for both of them that isn’t a court marriage, so they can find everyone they love there.”

He mentioned that it should also be a “lightweight” and “grounded story,” but scenes have yet to be filmed. “I don’t know all the details,” Sigan admitted, adding that he “sees” Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) in charge.

Chicago PD. airs on NBC Wednesdays at 10 pm ET.