Chicago P.D. is coming back in just a few weeks — but fans may have to brace themselves for some unfamiliarity when Season 13 kicks off.
During a September 2 interview with Entertainment Weekly, longtime Chicago P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan previewed the upcoming season, which picks back up just one month after the events of the Season 12 finale. From Hank Voight’s (Jason Beghe) Intelligence Unit being disbanded by Deputy Chief Charlie Reid (Shawn Hatosy) — leading to Voight and his team working off-book — to one long-awaited wedding finally taking place, a lot happened in Season 12. But what can fans expect when Season 13 premieres on October 1?
“What we find is that Voight’s simple solution that he thought he had found was not so simple,” Sigan said. “So the team is actually disbanded and we are, in this first episode, exploring how the heck is he gonna get them back together? The bullpen has just been empty for a month, so it’s a very different feel to our start.”
There are a lot of moving pieces in Season 13, but the theme from the jump will be trying to put everything back together.
Sigan revealed that fans will follow their favorite One Chicago characters as they navigate some uncertain times.
“Nobody is thriving,” she confessed. “Some are doing better than others. Voight’s trying not to lose it. As we see through the first episode, he is trying his very best to remain calm and face his consequences and do the right thing. And we’ll see how that goes.”
But it’s not all doom and gloom as Season 13 approaches. Fans finally got the Ruzek-Burgess wedding they’ve been waiting for, and the showrunner updated everyone on the status of the newlyweds!
“They’re happy,” Sigan said of Patrick John Flueger’s Adam Ruzek and Marina Squerciati’s Kim Burgess. “They’re kind of in that honeymoon phase of still being really excited about the wedding and being happy together. Their lives are a little more complicated at the moment with work, but the two of them are very strong and happy together and that’s something we want to continue to look at: Now you’re married, you have this great family unit, but what comes next?”
Ultimately, fans should expect Season 13 to be even more character-driven than before.
“It’s been nice to do a psychological deep dive on everybody,” Sigan explained. “There’s still a lot of stories to tell, even 13 years in.”
When does Chicago P.D. come back?
Chicago P.D. returns on Wednesday, October 1, with its Season 13 premiere. Tune in at 10/9c — only on NBC.
