Tracy Spiridakos To Leave Chicago PD After Season 11
Multiple sources for Variety confirmed on October 24 that Tracy Spiridakos would exit the NBC police procedural "Chicago P.D." after Season 11. The outlet reports that it is unknown how large of a role Spiridakos — who portrayed Police Detective Hailey Upton — will have, or how many episodes she will appear in. "Chicago P.D." Season 11 will mark the actor's eighth season with the long-running Dick Wolf series, after joining in Season 4 as a recurring cast member and later getting promoted to a series regular in Season 5.
The upcoming season was confirmed in April of this year, but will likely debut in the spring of 2024 at the very earliest, pending the end of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and, subsequently, the completion of its production process. The end of the WGA strike has only recently allowed the One Chicago Universe to get back in business (though with some showrunner shakeups behind the scenes). In addition to taking place in the midst of a uniquely tense and unpredictable time in the entertainment industry, the news of Spiridakos' exit comes not long after the departure of her on-screen husband Jesse Lee Soffer.
Goodbye forever, Upstead
It's been only a little over a year since Jesse Lee Soffer announced he was leaving "Chicago P.D." after Season 10, which was also revealed via an exclusive report from Variety. His character Jay Halstead began a romantic relationship with Tracy Spiridakos' Hailey Upton at the beginning of Season 8, just two seasons before his exit. Variety speculated that he may return at least in a cameo capacity for Spiridakos' final episode after having been last seen taking a job in Bolivia tracking down drug cartels with the U.S. Army.
For the remainder of Season 10, it felt in some ways as though Hailey preserved Jay's presence in the series, or at the very least softened the blow of one of its central characters exiting after a decade in action. As such, fans will likely take her departure especially hard, as it will not only mean the end of her character development (which had continued to flourish without her on-screen hubby) but likely a definite farewell to "Upstead" storyline as a whole.