Why One Chicago's Erin Lindsay Looks So Familiar
The "One Chicago" television universe is getting to that point where it has become so sprawling and full of ramifications that it's hard to keep track of it all. Thankfully, the characters in the procedural franchise have remained compelling enough, through and through, to ensure that the different series' emotional heart is never lost amid the increasing complexity.
On that note, one of the most beloved characters among fans of the "One Chicago" shows is Detective Erin Lindsay. Initially introduced as one of the many Chicago PD detectives to appear in a recurring capacity on the firefighter drama "Chicago Fire," she was eventually upgraded to series lead status when the city's police department was given its own hit spin-off series, "Chicago P.D." The tough, no-nonsense officer was a successful enough cast breakout to be brought for guest appearances on "Chicago Med" and "Chicago Justice" — and she even made it onto a few "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" episodes, when that show crossed over with the "One Chicago" franchise.
Erin eventually left "Chicago P.D." and "One Chicago" universe, when the performer who played her made the decision to exit the franchise due to allegedly abusive work conditions (via Deadline). She's not going anywhere, though, because this actress is a TV and movie veteran who is already lining up new projects. Here are a few of the places where you might have seen her other than the Windy City.
Sophia Bush broke through as One Tree Hill's Brooke Davis
Few shows were able to capture the 2000s zeitgeist more thoroughly than "One Tree Hill," which aired on The WB between 2003 and 2006, and on its successor network, The CW, from 2006 to 2012. The hit coming of age drama started out ostensibly centered on brothers Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) and their lives in Tree Hill, North Carolina, but quickly expanded its scope to include a whole ensemble cast of young men and women.
Out of that whole ensemble, only three actors remained series regulars from beginning to end of the "One Tree Hill" run: Lafferty as Nathan, Bethany Joy Lenz as Haley James Scott, and Sophia Bush as Brooke Davis. The latter actress, a young up-and-comer at the time she joined the series, came to be known as one of its signature faces, and her arc of emotional and professional maturation from reckless party girl to successful business owner touched fans — not to mention, earned her four Teen Choice Award nominations (via IMDb).
Sophia Bush was one of the women scorned out for revenge in John Tucker Must Die
By 2006, Sophia Bush had become visible and beloved enough for her work on "One Tree Hill" to find her way into leading roles in a number of major feature films. The first of those roles was in the hit 20th Century Fox teen comedy "John Tucker Must Die."
The plot follows three very different high school girls from completely separate cliques — nerdy Carrie Schaeffer (Arielle Kebbel), cheerleader Heather Montgomery (Ashanti), and Sophia Bush's character, vegan activist Beth McIntyre — who find out that they've all been dating the same popular boy, John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe), and being kept unbeknownst to each other. To get revenge, they enlist the help of the new girl in town, Kate Spencer (Brittany Snow), and concoct a plan to have John fall in love with Kate so she can break his heart.
Although critically panned, the film was a huge box office success, grossing nearly $70 million against an $18 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). It also earned Sophia Bush her first two wins at the Teen Choice Awards, for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy and — appropriately — Choice Movie: Breakout Female (via IMDb).
Sophia Bush played one of the ill-fated young protagonists of The Hitcher
"John Tucker Must Die" wasn't the only breakout role that earned Sophia Bush plaudits at the 2007 edition of the Teen Choice Awards. The same year, she was also in contention for Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller for "The Hitcher," a film that was also included as part of her Breakout Female nomination along with "John Tucker." And, true to her status as a major 2000s teen darling, she won all three statuettes (via IMDb).
A remake of the 1986 Rutger Hauer-starring thriller classic, "The Hitcher" was a less modest success than "John Tucker Must Die," grossing "only" $25.4 million (via Box Office Mojo). But it gave Bush an even more central role. Alongside Zackary Knighton as Jim Halsey, Bush played Grace Andrews, one half of the ill-fated young couple who gets roped into a sadistic mind game by hitchhiking serial killer John Ryder (Sean Bean). After agreeing to give John a ride on a New Mexico road and then promptly kicking him out of the car when he reveals himself as violent and unhinged, Grace and Jim keep on their way, believing they're free from John — only to find themselves framed by the hitcher for his murder of a family.
Sophia Bush plays the kind would-be stepmother of Love, Victor's Mia
Much like the groundbreaking teen rom com it was derived from, Hulu's "Love, Victor" is proving to be a major hit, with two seasons already released and a third one on the way. And one actress who has been recurring throughout those seasons is Sophia Bush.
The show focuses on the life of gay Creekwood High School student Victor Salazar (Michael Cimino), as well as his circle of friends, family, and romantic interests. Before coming out of the closet, Victor dates the lovable but lonely Mia Brooks (Rachel Hilson), who appears on the show often enough that her family also plays a significant part on it. Sophia Bush, in turn, plays Veronica, the new girlfriend of Mia's father Harold (Mekhi Phifer). A successful academic who runs a worldwide pro-women nonprofit, Veronica proves herself to be a trustworthy, easygoing presence in the characters' lives, but it takes Mia a while to warm up to Veronica and stop seeing her as a poor replacement for her mom. Bush has appeared on seven episodes so far.
Sophia Bush getting a new TV starring vehicle with Good Sam
Given what a consistent, bright presence Sophia Bush has been on film and TV screens for the better part of two decades, it's only fair that she should eventually land a series built around her. Such is the case of the freshman CBS medical drama "Good Sam."
The show sees Sophia Bush play the titular Dr. Samantha "Sam" Griffith, a Cardiac Fellow heart surgeon at Lakeshore Sentinel Hospital. When her imperious father and boss, Dr. Rob Griffith (Jason Isaacs), falls into a coma, Sam is forced to take over as the hospital's interim chief of surgery. Then, just as she starts getting used to the job, her father awakens and returns to work, leading to a fraught father-daughter battle for command of the department.
The show has, so far, received typically mixed reviews for a debuting network series (via Metacritic). However, the most important thing is that Bush's work has been praised across the board, and the few episodes released so far indicate that there's plenty of room for her character to blossom in many interesting, engrossing ways as the series continues.