Chicago PD Season 12's Upton Replacement Is Already Great (Despite No One Official Yet) (2025)

After Detective Hailey Upton left the city at the end of the Chicago PD season 11 finale, discussions about who should be her replacement in the Intelligence Unit began, but the answer is quite simple and very exciting. The NBC police procedural series has experienced many cast exits over the course of its 11 aired seasons. The cast of Chicago PD season 12 looks much different from what it did during season 1. However, a handful of stars from the TV show's early days remain and have been waiting for their chance to advance in their careers.

When the NBC series premieres, the 21st District will look a little bit different because not only will Upton be gone, but a new patrol officer will join the squad. Toya Turner joined the cast of Chicago PD season 12 as a series regular. Turner is set to play Kiana Cook, a young officer, and not much is known about the new character. When Turner was first cast, some speculated that she would serve as Upton's replacement in Chicago PD season 12. However, showrunner Gwen Sigan has made it clear that someone other than Kiana will take over for Upton.

1 Chicago PD Character Will (Finally) Become A Detective

While speaking with TV Insider, showrunner Gwen Sigan teased what's to come in the upcoming episodes. Sigan revealed that one Chicago PD character will be promoted in season 12, meaning that an officer who is already a part of the Intelligence Unit will serve as Upton's replacement. Sigan said:

"Someone's getting promoted, and it's somebody I think who's wanted it for a while and that it made a lot of sense for us. In the [writers'] room, we've talked about that storyline for so long, but how do you make it a story? How do you make it interesting? How do you make it something that really reveals something about who this person is and is not just a piece of paper? We really leaned into the real promotion process in Chicago and just show that it actually is really hard to become a detective, and so seeing that and seeing this character and what it means as far as looking at who you want to be as a police officer and how it's going to be affected by a promotion like this was really fun. And I think it'll add some new dynamics to the unit."

When Sophia's Bush Detective Erin Lindsay left Chicago PD after season 4, Upton, who was already a detective at the time, stepped in to replace her at the 21st District. So, the NBC series swapped out one detective for another. Thankfully, that will not be the case when Chicago PD season 12 premieres and the team is looking around, wondering who could be Upton's successor. Instead of looking outside the Intelligence Unit, Upton's replacement will already be on the squad, and they were there for years before Tracy Spiridakos' character joined the show.

Why An Existing Intelligence Member Is The Best Upton Replacement

Bringing In A New Detective Would Be A Disservice To Ruzek, Burgess, & Atwater

Only three Chicago PD characters are seemingly in the race to be promoted and follow in Upton's footsteps in season 12 — Adam Ruzek, Kim Burgess, and Kevin Atwater. All of them have been a part of the main cast since season 1, and they have all retained their positions as officers since the beginning. Many have been begging the writers to promote Chicago PD characters Ruzek, Burgess, and Atwater to detectives for years. Now, one of them will finally get to move up in Intelligence, and that's inarguably the best scenario concerning Upton's replacement.

If the writers brought in a new detective à la Upton's introduction during the Chicago PD season 12 premiere, that would just be an insult to fans and the characters who have been around since season 1. They have been waiting for more than 10 years to get a promotion. If anyone deserves to replace Upton, it's Ruzek, Burgess, or Atwater. Plus, viewers already know and love Ruzek, Burgess, and Atwater, so, it would be hard for the NBC police procedural series to go wrong by picking any one of them to become a detective.

All 3 Characters Have Been Officers Since Season 1

Even though Ruzek, Burgess, and Atwater have all been a part of the Chicago PD cast since season 1, Atwater is undoubtedly the character who deserves a promotion. Yes, Ruzek has technically been in Intelligence the longest (although he joined the team right after graduating from the police academy), while Burgess and Atwater began the show as patrol officers. However, it's hard to argue that Ruzek (or Burgess, for that matter) should become a detective before Atwater.

Atwater is often overshadowed by the other characters. Nevertheless, he is beloved, intriguing, and worthy of gaining a more significant role in the One Chicago TV show. Atwater is a fantastic cop with great experience and is an often-overlooked member of Intelligence. Additionally, many would be over the moon if Atwater was promoted from officer to detective. If any of the Chicago PD characters deserve a win in season 12, it's Atwater, who has been lacking an exciting and major storyline in recent seasons.

Chicago P.D.

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TV-14

Crime

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A spinoff of Chicago Fire, this police procedural drama follows the detectives and the uniformed patrol officers of the Chicago Police Department as they work to crack cases and put criminals behind bars.

Cast

Jason Beghe , Marina Squerciati , Patrick John Flueger , LaRoyce Hawkins , Amy Morton , Jesse Lee Soffer , Tracy Spiridakos , Jon Seda

Release Date

January 8, 2014

Seasons

12

Network

NBC

Creator(s)

Michael Brandt , Derek Haas , Matt Olmstead

Source: TV Insider