Chicago P.D. Showrunner shares details about Jesse Lee Soffer’s exit

Jesse Lee Soffer
Jesse Lee Soffer, Tracy Spiridakos

Chicago P.D. Showrunner Gwen Sigan recently shared details about Jesse Lee Soffer‘s exit and how it will impact the show’s characters. 

One Chicago fans were shocked to hear that Soffer, one of the original cast members of Chicago P.D. had announced that he will be officially turning in his badge sometime during the fall season which premieres this Wednesday, September 21.

Soffer, who has played Jay Halstead in every episode since the first episode of the show in 2014, will be making season 10 his last.

Sigan told Variety, “We’re all very sad about it. Jesse’s meant so much to this show, and you couldn’t ask for a more professional and kind person to work with. So we’re all going to be so devastated. I think it’s just what he brings to the show just as a person and then his character on top of it — you’re looking at a character that has meant a lot to Voight and is married to Hailey. There’s so many things that, story wise, are going to be very interesting to write into. So it’s been emotional for sure.”

During a recent press junket, Jason Beghe, who plays Sergeant Hank Voight responded to the question of whether or not fans should worry about Voight once Soffer leaves the show, since he has the strongest moral compass out of the entire team.

Beghe was quoted in TV Insider, “I’m worried about Jason without having Jesse to pull him back. I’ve always said that we’re one organism, so it’s kind of like an amputation for all of us, and it will be a difficult adjustment. I think all of us — probably Upton the most — have to cope with this void and it’s not easy and it will be a difficult thing for all of the characters and for all of the actors.”

In the season 9 episode No Way Out, Halstead proposed that he and Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) get married instantly. After the couple engaged in a love-making session they proceeded to the courthouse, where they got married in a private ceremony.

Sigan explained how the character of Halstead leaving Chicago P.D. will affect his new bride, “It’s certainly been a challenge, but I’m really proud of where we came out of it, because I think we’ve given Upton a really interesting story this season as to how she deals with this. She’s someone that is so loyal and so attached to him. It’s not just a marriage, they also are partners and they’re partners in a job that is a pressure cooker. Their lives are at risk all the time, especially how we play it on the show,” Sigan told Variety. “To suddenly not have that second half of who you are puts you in a very vulnerable and raw place. As we know, Upton is very strong and she’s also someone who’s very guarded and likes to have control of her emotions and likes to be able to deal with things. This puts her in an interesting spot, and we definitely see how it falls out. That’s been really exciting to write and I think will be something really interesting for Tracy to play. She’s been killing it.”

Sigan also divulged to TVLine that Soffer’s exit won’t be too abrupt, “Hopefully, it all makes sense when everyone sees the episode that he’s departing in, and we did build to it, and we did have a chance to do that,” Sigan told TVLine. “We tried to keep it as grounded [as possible] and do justice to Jesse and how great he is. He puts in a very good performance in all of it. It’s going to be really impactful.”


ALSO READ: What’s in store for next season on Chicago Med, Fire, and P.D.


Soffer first made his debut on One Chicago as Jay Halstead in the Season 2 premiere of Chicago Fire which then led to the spinoff series, Chicago P.D. Soffer began his film career in 1993 at age eight in the movie Matinee. Before joining One Chicago, Soffer appeared as Bobby Brady in both The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel before spending six years as Will Munson on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns, which earned him 3 Daytime Emmy nominations in 2006, 2007, and 2008. 

Chicago P.D. is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment. Filmed at Cinespace Chicago Film Studio.

Chicago P.D. will return for the premiere episode of Season 10 on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 9 CST.


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