How 'Chicago P.D.' Is Preparing for Fan-Favorite's Exit

Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey Upton in 'Chicago P.D.'

Chicago P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan is shedding new light on how he plans to wrap Tracy Spiridakos's time on the show, revealing to TVLine that Season 11 is “a big season of growth and change for [her character] Hailey Upton.”

“We find her at the start of this season in a precarious place; wanting to move her life forward after finally taking off her ring, finding that it’s more difficult than she’d like,” he said. “There’s a lot she still has to confront in herself and doesn’t necessarily know how to do so.”

News of Spiridakos's exit broke in October and came as a blow to Chi-Hards, who only recently saw another original squad member—Upton's husband, Senior Detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer)—depart for a new job with the Army.

Related: All About 'Chicago P.D.' Season 11

Spiridakos has been with the show since its fourth season, first as a recurring character then as a series regular from Season 5 on. It's unclear how much of a role she'll play in Season 11 or when she'll officially exit the series.

It's possible Soffer will return for a Season 11 cameo to help close out Upton's arc (as things stand, Halstead effectively abandoned her). “Never say never," Soffer previously said when asked if he'd ever return to the show. "I feel so bad for the fans that are like, ‘Is he going to come back?’ ‘What’s he going to do?’ ‘What’s going on with him and Hailey?' I like to think—and I hope the fans think this too—that he’s just in another country right now, doing what he does best and making the world a safer place."

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For now, all fans really know is that Upton's final stretch is going to be anything but easy. The season premiere, titled "Unpacking," will see her working with a crisis prevention team and coming to terms with "personal struggles," per the episode's synopsis. A first look image from TVLine shows her character appearing stoic.

Chicago P.D. Season 11 premieres Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

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