Chicago PD has a tricky road ahead. The show has always done a good job of writing characters off the show, but Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) posed a particularly unique challenge. She has been part of the IU for nearly a decade, and she had a relationship with Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) that isn’t easily replicable.
The search is on to find a replacement for Upton, who decided to leave the Windy City and pursue a career elsewhere. The show could always bring in a newcomer, as they did they Upton replaced the departing Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush), but we thought we’d brainstorm and throw out a few names that could actually be brought back to replace Upton.
Here’s who we came up with, from least likely to most.
Sean Roman
Like we said, least likely. We have to admit it’d be fascinating, though. Sean Roman (Brian Geraghty) had a unique and tension-filled relationship with Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) during his time on the show, and he was not the best officer in the field (to put it mildly).
Bringing Roman back, especially on the cusp of Burgess getting married to Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), would throw lots of different dynamics within the show for a loop. It would definitely be an unexpected move on the part of the PD writers.
Vanessa Rojas
Remember Rojas? The character seemed like she was being set up to become a mainstay of the IU in her lone season, and yet, she was nowhere to be found when PD returned from its pandemic-related delay. There were plans to give Rojas more screen time, but she was scrapped and the actress who played her, Lisseth Chavez, was scrapped as well.
Bringing Rojas back would not only resolve one of the more bizarre resolutions (or lack thereof) on the show, but it would keep the ratio of men to women on the IU team equal. That being said, Chavez is currently playing a cop on The Rookie, so it might be tricky to pull double duty.
Antonio Dawson
The most obvious choice. Antonio Dawson was a beloved character on Chicago PD, and the actor who plays him, Jon Seda, remains friends with several of the cast members. He even joked about a crossover between PD and his subsequent show, La Brea. Dawson is alive and well (last we checked, it would be fun to see the veteran clash with younger officers like Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar).
Seda has said he’d be open to returning, and the show that was taking up his time, the aforementioned La Brea, has been canceled. The actor’s schedule is wide open, and we get the feeling it would drum up lots of attention for PD and the franchise as a whole.
