Chicago P.D. is still a few weeks away from revealing what happens after the tense Season 9 finale, but the show already has a shocker for fans: Jesse Lee Soffer, who has played Detective Jay Halstead going all the way back to the early Chicago Fire days when P.D. hadn’t even premiered yet, is leaving in Season 10. The news is especially surprising in light of Halstead setting down firmer roots than ever last season, with his marriage to Upton and new status quo with Voight. Now, Tracy Spiridakos, who plays his on-screen wife, has shared a sweet message for her co-star.
Tracy Spiridakos has been Jesse Lee Soffer’s main scene partner going back to her first full season as a series regular, which was Soffer’s fifth. Upton and Halstead went from CPD partners to friends to lovers to then spouses, and the future for the characters seemed more likely to involve them working together as a married couple (and perhaps growing their family) than losing one of the actors. The actress took to Instagram, saying:
I guess the word is out…Jesse, what can I say, you’re the absolute best. Thank you for your kindness, your guidance and your friendship. You’re the greatest onscreen husband a girl could ask for. I’ll miss being on set with you every day. I can’t wait to see what the world has in store for you next.
She ended her message with the hashtag of #upsteadforever, which is a sentiment that a lot of Chicago P.D. fans can relate to in the wake of the reveal about Soffer’s departure. Sadly, viewers won’t even get a full final season with Soffer to see what’s up with Upstead before the two are split, as he will reportedly be written out at some point in the fall portion of Season 10.
It’s not clear just yet when the decision was made to say goodbye to Jay Halstead; Jesse Spencer’s departure from Chicago Fire last season happened with enough forewarning that the showrunners could set it up in a positive way, and find an easy way to bring him back for the Season 10 finale back in May.
Elsewhere in the Wolf Entertainment universe (which includes the three Law & Order shows and three FBI’s as well as Chicago P.D., Fire, and Med), however, news recently broke that Kelli Giddish will depart Law & Order: SVU in the fall after more than a decade as Detective Amanda Rollins. Hopefully, however Halstead’s swan song happens, it will leave the door open for a potential return.
When the actor used Twitter to confirm his upcoming departure, Soffer said that it “has been an honor” and the news is “sad but true,” so hopefully that means there’s no bad blood behind him. At the very least, my fingers are crossed that Halstead’s farewell won’t be like Jon Seda’s as Antonio Dawson, who has yet to return. For now, check out the photo that Tracy Spiridakos chose for her message to her co-star:
With the news that Jesse Lee Soffer is leaving and Halstead will be gone, the stakes are especially high heading into Season 10, even though P.D. didn’t end on a fiery cliffhanger like Chicago Med or a dire threat like the one facing Severide and Stella from the Chicago Fire finale. P.D. has already added a new series regular for Season 10, with Benjamin Levy Aguilar (who made a guest appearance in Season 9 in a big Halstead episode) coming on full-time. Soffer and Spiridakos even posted a fun BTS photo to welcome him.
Chicago P.D. returns for Season 10 on Wednesday, September 21 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. The shows will be back in a very big week of primetime premieres, so check out our 2022 TV schedule to plan ahead for September.
