Jason Beggi and Benjamin Levi Aguilar
Parish Lewis/NBC (2)After a season of change, The Chicago Police Department is gearing up for even more drama, romance and crime-solving in the latter half of Season 12.
“We have a long way to go with our new alternate protagonist, Sean Hatosiis Reed,” Chicago Police showrunner Gwen Seagan exclusively speaking Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 7. “We saw in the midseason finale, he kind of made this statement to Voight like, ‘We’re going to be friends,’ but it’s obviously a friendship of ownership and, like, leverage.”
Seagan said it was “really fun to write” the face-off between Deputy Chief Charlie Reed (Hatosi), who joined the cast this season, and Intelligence Division leader Hank Voight (Jason Baggy).
She teased that the pair’s leadership styles “change the dynamic quite a bit in the department” going forward.
Seagan noted that the second half of the season will finally feature Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) get married after their third engagement in season 11.
The showrunner said us that Dante Torres (Benjamin Levi Aguilar) will continue to have an “existential crisis and a crisis of faith” in the upcoming episode, adding that Kevin Atwater (Laroyce Hawkins) will get “a little romance” again.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Sigan said. “Things will certainly continue to change and evolve for the department.”
Scroll down for everything us learned from Chicago Policeshowrunner of . for the rest of season 12:
Cook’s story will come out
After joining the scouting department earlier this season, fans will finally get a better picture of who Kiana Cook is (Toya Turner) is and where it comes from.
“Episode 9 is a Cook episode,” Seagan said usconsidering the midseason premiere, which airs on Wednesday, January 8. “You actually get to meet a lot of her family members in this episode, which is fun. And you will learn about her past and her origins and the different worlds she belongs to and how very different they are from each other.”
Sigan said Cook’s past will reveal why she is so focused on being present and doing “the job well.” She teased that the show’s return is “action-packed” for Cook and the rest of the season will give more “backstory to her and who she is and why she’s really unique to the team.”
Chief Reed confronts Voight
Throughout Season 12, Reed was aware of everything Voight’s team was doing—the good and the bad—and looked the other way. However, Seagan said us that his choice not to make a remark to the team will come at a cost.
“He’s a character who plays so many of his cards so close to the vest. And it’s hard for Voight to really read him,” the showrunner said of Reed, noting, “We’ve always seen Voight as kind of a know-it-all. So being someone else is really fun.”
She called Reed “a fun house mirror of Voight”, meaning that the boss “works in a way that Voight is used to” but is “enhanced and exaggerated”.
“We’re going to learn more and more about him and his motivations throughout the season,” Seagan teased. “But it’s definitely a game of cat and mouse and … it’s certainly a friendship that has a lot of ties.”
Burgess does it her way
In Season 12 Episode 6, Burgess became a detectiveand viewers will see her in action in the second half of the season.
“There’s a really easy transition of her just taking on this leadership role, like she’s the one kind of leading the charge,” Sigan explained. “You’re going to see her giving commands more often, and she’s certainly going to be a little bit, maybe, overwhelmed or surprised by how much (stuff and) more responsibility (she has).”
Although Burgess will have a lot to juggle, she is finding her “groove” and leadership style, which Cigan said is “so different” from previous detectives Hayley Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Sofer).
“It feels like her own thing, which is much more, “I’m still your peer, but now I’m going to give you orders. Now I’m going to direct a little bit more,” Seagan continued. “I think everyone is so supportive and they fall into those roles as well.”
Torres is not great
During the midseason finale, which aired in November 2024Torres’ past affair with informant Gloria Perez (Yara Martinez) came to light when he was found to be running a drug business in Chicago. Gloria died after helping the intelligence department, and much to his surprise, Torres was not reprimanded by the boss for his bad behavior.
However, Torres is not doing “great” when the show returns. “It triggered a lot for him,” Seagan said of the affair and Gloria’s death, noting that Torres’ past will continue to be explored.
“(We reveal) why he was ever attracted to this woman and why he got involved in this affair and kind of a trauma that goes all the way back to his childhood,” she said us. “And also how current events are causing a bit of a crisis of faith.”
Atwater’s love story isn’t over
Atwater agreed no strings attached with Valeria “Val” Soto (Natalie Lynes) during Season 12, Episode 3, and according to Sigan, that arrangement may change when Val returns in future episodes.
“The good thing about this relationship was that the way it started was almost like, ‘We’re going to do something for both of us that’s just for us,'” she said. “But then, obviously, over time, how has that changed and grown?”
Seasoned Chicago police detectives are the heart of the show, but the complicated romance between Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek is what keeps many fans coming back. Viewers first saw sparks fly between Burgess (Marina Squerciatti) and Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) during Season 1, Episode 8, when Ruzek was in another relationship. “This is complete (…)
The showrunner explained that Atwater will have to “decide if this is just a random thing that we both obviously need in our lives, or is it something more?”
Sigan added: “We have to explore the reasons behind it for both of them and maybe why they don’t want something very serious. Is that a defense mechanism or is it because of the way they’ve built their lives?” She hinted that the dynamic will become “more emotional and deeper.”
Burzek will be hooked
Squerciati said earlier us that she wants”the white dress moment” for Burgess when she finally married Ruzek. However, Flueger said us that he thinks their style is a more “court” wedding.
Seagan revealed that the on-screen wedding was a “middle ground” between the two. “It’s been so long and they have this family — they have (daughter) Mikayla (and) she wants to have her say and I think she wants a party,” Sigan said us on Tuesday. “So for me, it’s going to be kind of a middle ground of finding what works for both of them, other than a courthouse wedding, that they can have everyone they love there.”
She noted that it should also be a “simple” and “grounded affair,” but the scenes have yet to be shot. “I don’t know all the details,” Cigan admitted, adding that he “can see” Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) refereeing.
Chicago Police. airs on NBC Wednesdays at 10pm ET.
