Why One Chicago's Adam Ruzek Looks So Familiar
The "One Chicago" franchise is a vast, ever-sprawling entity. For nearly a decade at this point, characters from one show have crossed over into another, showcasing how all emergency services rely on one another to get their jobs done. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the character of Adam Ruzek, as played by Patrick John Flueger.
Adam was first introduced to audiences in the pilot episode for "Chicago P.D." He's still in the academy at that point until he's hand-selected by Detective Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas) for a special undercover assignment. He proved his dedication and loyalty to the force in that instance and has gone on to save numerous lives and solve an abundance of cases, all while appearing in "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago Med," too.
Much of Flueger's resume consists of "One Chicago" over the last few years, but the actor has plenty of other credits to his name. Here's where else you may have seen him before.
He broke out on The 4400
Patrick John Flueger got his start in the early 2000s, making one-off appearances in various TV shows, including "Judging Amy," "CSI: Miami," and "Boston Public." However, he finally got his big break when he landed a recurring role on the USA show, "The 4400."
The show follows a group of 4,400 people who mysteriously disappeared when a ball of light appeared at various points in time. They reappear sometime after that with no changes to their physical aesthetic and slowly begin developing supernatural powers. Shawn Farrell (Flueger) is a noteworthy member of the group seeing how he wasn't intended to be abducted. His brother was supposed to be the one taken by the light, but Shawn pushes him out of the way at the last second, taking his place and developing powers once he returns.
Flueger spoke with Pop Gurls about his favorite part of playing the character: "He really represents the best of the situation that they're in. The crazy situation of the 4400, he's trying to find the best outcome." Flueger's time on the show ended in 2007, but he quickly jumped back in the saddle with a cacophony of roles.
Flueger showed up in 2011's Footloose
Remakes are nothing new in the modern entertainment landscape. So it should've come as no surprise in 2011 when a remake of the classic 1984 film, "Footloose," came to fruition. The dancing may be upgraded, but the basic beats are all still there of a bunch of kids who just want to cut loose and dance, despite the reservations held by all of the adults in town.
Getting in on the fun this time around was Patrick John Flueger, who played Chuck. He's the mean, abusive boyfriend to Ariel Moore (Julianne Hough), who ends up finding a much better partner to dance with later in the film. He may be a bad guy in the flick, but he couldn't have been more complimentary of his costars. On the red carpet promoting "Footloose," Flueger had this to say about Hough, "Julianne is lovely. She works really hard. I actually, to be perfectly honest, I was kind of inspired by her."
He had a memorable part on Criminal Minds
With 15 seasons and over 300 episodes, "Criminal Minds" more than left its mark on the television landscape. The central team solved hundreds of cases over the years, often leading to noteworthy cameos. One of these came in the form of a Season 8 appearance from Patrick John Flueger on the episode "Broken." He plays Paul Westin, a serial killer who seeks out individuals to have sex with before killing them. His signature move becomes placing a watch on his victims' wrists and setting the time to 6:22.
Paul Westin is noteworthy for being one of the few serial killers depicted on the show to have successfully killed all of their targets. Normally with serial killers on the show, there's at least one survivor. Surely, his time on "Criminal Minds" primed in for another procedural in the form of "Chicago P.D.," except this time, he's on the right side of the law.