One Chicago fans were in for some bad news by the end of the night on February 4, with Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med going on a mini hiatus for the rest of the month in the 2026 TV schedule. Then, the promo for the upcoming three-part crossover aired after the newest episode of the medical drama, and officially confirmed two former P.D. fan favorites who are coming back. Prepare to welcome Jay Halstead and Hailey Upton back to NBC's Windy City!
Yes, Jesse Lee Soffer is returning as Halstead for the first time since early Season 10 and Tracy Spiridakos will be back for the first time since Upton's exit at the end of Season 11. Check out the promo that already has fans talking:
I won't lie: after recently going on about how I was missing Halstead and Upton on Chicago P.D., I initially thought the promo had just cut in footage from old episodes, but I'm happy to be wrong! Kudos to the One Chicago team for keeping a lid on the news for this long; just as when Tracy Spiridakos' crossover to FBI wasn't announced way ahead of time, fans can enjoy the surprise while facing a mini hiatus.
The crossover kicks off when Chicago Fire's Firehouse 51 is called to an airfield after a passenger jet goes silent mid-air, and their discovery has consequences that could extend beyond the runway and put a lot of people in mortal danger.
The two former cops will come into the mix in a different way. Halstead left the Windy City back in the fall of 2022, abruptly rejoining the army to work a drug mission... in Bolivia. He then ghosted his wife despite their heartfelt farewell, and the closest he came to returning in the years since was Jesse Lee Soffer directing a few episodes.
As for Upton, she went through the emotional wringer from early Season 10 to the very end of Season 11, with showrunner Gwen Sigan telling CinemaBlend at the time why her exit came without hard answers about the former detective's future.
Well, now we have some answers! TVLine reports that Upton will appear in the three-part crossover as an FBI Special Agent working out of the Detroit field office, brought back to Chicago as part of a drug enforcement task force case. This will put her back in contact with Halstead, as her ex-husband has been deep undercover on a job that leads him to her drug case.
While it's much too soon to say how much screentime the duo will get and whether they'll appear in all three episodes of the crossover, fans in the Instagram comment section are buzzing about seeing Halstead and Upton again. Take a look at just a handful, including Chicago Fire series regular Jocelyn Hudon:
- @jocelynhudon: "👏👏👏👏👏👏👏"
- @eloquenceoffelicities: "Halstead and Upton return! I am seated!"
- @mr.tran_khuong: "Halstead and Upton are back and it feels so good"
- @kellbell315: "THE WAY I SCREAMED!!! IS IT MARCH 4TH YET?!"
- @ceverett1214: "Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh I spotted a Halstead brother!!!!!!!❤️"
Jesse Lee Soffer's return officially makes the second return of a Halstead brother in the 2025-2026 TV schedule, after Nick Gehlfuss reprised his role as Dr. Will Halstead early in Chicago Med's eleventh season. (You can see his arc streaming now with a Peacock subscription.) This is also his return to the small screen as an actor for the first time since the cancellation of FBI: International on CBS. As for Tracy Spiridakos, she evidently made the time for her guest appearance despite filming for her new USA series.
The crossover between Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. will hit the airwaves on Wednesday, March 4 starting at 8 p.m. ET with Fire at a special time. If all goes well, the event will be a particular treat for Upstead fans who are still bitter about how their relationship ended. In the meantime, you can revisit earlier episodes of all three shows streaming on Peacock.
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