Chicago PD showrunner teases Season 12: Burzek Wedding and More

After a season of changes, Chicago PD gearing up for even more drama, romance and crime-solving action in the latter half of season 12.

“We have quite a bit coming with our new deputy protagonist, Shawn Hatosy‘s Ride,” Chicago PD show runner Gwen Sigan just say Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 7. “We saw in the midseason finale, he makes this statement to Voight like, ‘We’re going to be friends,’ but it’s clearly an ownership friendship and, like, leverage. “

Sigan said it was “a lot of fun writing” the conflict between Deputy Chief Charlie Reid (Hatosy), who joined the cast this season, and Intelligence Unit leader Hank Voight (Jason Beghe).

She teased that the pair’s leadership styles “quite change the dynamic in the unit” going forward.

Sigan noted that the second half of the season will also finally show Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) married after their third engagement during season 11.

The show runner said Us that Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) continues to have an “existential crisis and a crisis of faith” in the upcoming episode, adding that Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) gets “some romance” once again.

“We have a little bit of everything,” Sigan said. “Things will continue to change and evolve for the unit for sure.”

Scroll down for everything Us learned from Chicago PDshow runner. for the rest of season 12:

Cook’s Story Will Come to Light

After joining the Intelligence Unit earlier this season, fans will finally get a better picture of who Kiana Cook is (Toya Turner) is and where she comes from.

“Chapter 9 is Cook’s chapter,” Sigan said Usreferring to the midseason premiere, which airs Wednesday, January 8. “You actually get to meet a lot of her family members in this episode, which is fun. And you get to learn about her past and her background and the different worlds she belongs to and how very different those are from each other.”

Sigan said Cook’s past will reveal why she is so focused on being present and doing “the job well.” She teased that the show’s return is an “action ride” for Cook and the rest of the season will give her more “background and who she is and why she’s really unique to the unit.”

Chief Reid goes toe-to-toe with Voight

Throughout season 12, Reid has been aware of everything Voight’s team is doing—the good and the bad—and has looked the other way. However, Sigan said Us his choice not to rebuke the team comes at a price.

“He’s a character who plays so many of his cards so close to the vest. And it’s hard for Voight to really read him,” the showrunner said of Reid, noting, “We’ve always seen Voight as a bit of a know-it-all. So being someone else is really fun.”

He called Reid a “fun house mirror for Voight,” meaning the chief “acts in a way that Voight used to” but is “better and exaggerated.”

“We’ll learn more and more about him and his motivations throughout the season,” Sigan teased. “But it’s definitely a cat and mouse game and … it’s certainly a friendship that has a lot of strings attached.”

Burgess Does It His Way

In season 12, episode 6, Burgess became a detectiveand viewers will see her in action in the second half of the season.

“There’s this very easy transition, that she takes on that leadership role, which is the one leading the charge,” Sigan explained. “You’ll see her giving orders more often and certainly being a little overwhelmed, maybe, or surprised by the amount of (paperwork and) more responsibility (she has).”

While Burgess will have a lot to juggle, he finds her “groove” and style of leadership that Sigan said is “so different” from Hailey Upton’s past detectives (Tracy Spiridakos) and Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer).

“It feels like its own thing, which is much more, ‘I’m still your age, but I’m going to give you orders now. I’m going to direct a little more now,’” Sigan continued. “Everyone, I think, is so supportive and falls into those roles as well.”

Torres ‘not great’

During the mid-season finale, which aired in November 2024Torres’ past relationship with informant Gloria Perez (Yara Martinez) came to light when she was found running a drug business in Chicago. Gloria died after helping the Intelligence Unit, and to his surprise, Torres was not reprimanded by the principal for his misconduct.

However, Torres is not doing “great” when the show returns. “It triggered a lot for him,” Sigan said of the relationship and Gloria’s death, noting that Torres’ background will continue to be investigated.

“(We reveal) why he was ever attracted to this woman and why he got into this relationship and the kind of trauma that leads all the way back to his childhood,” he told Us. “And then also how current events are triggering a bit of a crisis of faith.”

Atwater’s Love Story Is Not Over

Atwater agreed to a relationship with no strings attached with Valeria “Val” Soto (Natalie Linez) during season 12, episode 3, and according to Sigan, that arrangement could change when Val returns in the upcoming episodes.

“The nice thing about that relationship was the way it starts almost like this, like, ‘We’re going to do something for the pair of us that’s just for us,'” she said. “But then, obviously, as time has gone by, how has that changed and grown?”

The showrunner explained that Atwater will have to “decide if this is just a casual thing that we both obviously need in our lives or is it something more?”

Sigan added: “We get to explore the reasons behind it for the pair of them and maybe why they don’t want something really serious. Is that a defense mechanism or is that because of the way they built their lives?” He suggested that the dynamic will become “more emotional and deeper.”

Burzek Will Get Hit

Squerciati said before Us that she wants”the white dress moment” to Burgess when she finally marries Ruzek. Flueger said, however Us that he thinks their style more “court” marriage..

Sigan revealed that the on-screen marriage was a “middle ground” between the two. “It’s been such a long time coming and they have this family – they have (daughter) Mikayla (and) she wants to have her say, and I think she wants to party,” Sigan said by Us on Tuesday. “So, for me, it’s going to be a sort of middle ground of finding what works for both of them that isn’t a court marriage, that they can have everyone they want love there.”

He noted that it should also be “simple” and a “down-to-earth affair,” but the scenes have yet to be filmed. “I don’t know all the details,” Sigan admitted, adding that he could “see” Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) administration.

Chicago PD. airs on NBC Wednesdays at 10 pm ET.