Tracy Spiridakos will be leaving Chicago PD at the end of season 11, showrunner Gwen Sigan tells HELLO! The actress stars as Hailey Upton, and it emerged last year that she would be written out of the upcoming season, which premieres on January 17, 2024.
Now, Gwen has revealed that Tracy gave them the heads up early on that she was "ready to depart, and has been very kind in giving us a full season to do her character justice," adding: "I'm happy to share that she will be in the full season."
© NBC"I am very grateful for that," Gwen continued. "She is such a good actor – and we want to do her justice. Upton is so interesting, because she's such a unique voice and so defined as to what her past was like and why she is the way she is.
"We're really going to dig into that this season, and dig into growth and transformation – how do you get through your life not looking like what you thought it was going to look like, and realizing that there could be more out there that is maybe better for you? It will be a fun ride for her, and there are some interesting and new characters coming in for her to play against."
As for how her departure will impact the team, Gwen shares that although the whole team will be affected, Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), will struggle "a lot," adding: "I think he's got such a soft spot for her, he really loves her."
Season 11's return was delayed due to the WGA and SAG strikes in 2023, and so will only feature 13 episodes. "My goal was to make them the tightest 13 episodes we can," Gwen says of the writers' core goals for the season, "to get the most out of it that we possibly could".
However, it does mean, Gwen reveals, that "everyone gets less highlight episodes than usual sp [we knew we had to] go for it when we're in there, go crazy with all of them."
Tracy joined the NBC show during season four, and became a series regular in season five. Her character, Hailey Upton, wed Jay Halstead in season nine, but actor Jesse Lee Soffer shocked viewers when he confirmed he would be leaving in season ten. The character of Jay left to join a task force in Bolivia, but fans were devastated to see that their marriage then crumbled over the course of the season as Jay ghosted Hailey. It is unclear what their status will be as season 11 opens, or if Jay and Hailey will make their way back to each other as she departs Chicago.
