“We are picking up moments later, even seconds later,” CHICAGO P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan tells Give Me My Remote of the winter premiere’s resolution of the fall finale cliffhanger, which found new Intelligence officer Imani (Arienne Mandi) investigating a lead solo. “We are picking up pretty immediately, with Imani alone, having made some questionable decisions, some impulsive decisions, and definitely in danger. [It’s] sort of the ticking clock of is the unit even going to realize where she is in time?”
“It’s an adrenaline ride,” she continues of the January 7 winter premiere. “It’s a fast-paced episode. But we also learn a lot about why Imani was so impulsive with this case, and sort of Voight’s reaction to that, as well.”
Here, Sigan offers a few more teases about what’s to come in 2026…
How will this experience change Imani moving forward?
The most immediate concern for Imani will obviously be getting out of the situation, safely. But when she does, “I think there’s this really beautiful moment in the winter premiere where you see her realizing that she does not want to leave the unit,” Sigan says. “And I love that because, you know, we introduced her as such an independent person. And she was like, short-term only, right? ‘Short-term. I’m not going to get attached.’”
“Yet you kind of see her make a decision to explain to Voight why she made these choices, which I think, for her, is motivated by the fact of, ‘I don’t want you mad at me. I don’t want you to punish me. I don’t want to be fired,’” Sigan continues. “Which, you know, is a big realization. So, moving forward, I think we see a bit more of trying to control this thing that’s inside of her.”
She also continues to find a kindred spirit in Voight (Jason Beghe). “Even though I don’t think her or Voight understand what’s happening, we see that they are sort of becoming a bit more like partners throughout,” Sigan notes. “And that bond [continues] and [they get to] know each other better. We see that, and we see how it filters into the job as well, how she navigates it.”
How will Voight handle being blackmailed?
After getting suspicious packages–with photos of Voight as a child, beaten–Voight was finally able to track down who was blackmailing him: Commander Devlin (Joel Murray).
Sigan acknowledges that Voight “really doesn’t” handle people who threaten him well, and this is deeply personal. (Devlin’s note also pointed out that Voight’s abuser was his own father.)
“I loved the idea that we saw Imani being pushed, and we saw Imani’s impulses take over [and] we saw a little bit of Voight,” she notes. “But then I think in this premiere, you see more Voight, right? He’s figured out who’s doing this to him, and we know what he wants to do. We know he wants to just attack this man, just go for the jugular, attack him. But the case doesn’t really allow him to do that. And also, I think, here he is lecturing Imani, like, don’t let your impulses take over. So he is, I think, at a point where he’s trying to control it. So we see him trying to control it.”
“He definitely deals with it in a different way, I would say, than he dealt with like a Reid [last season] or Denny Woods–all these people in the past. This is blackmail. It’s such a personal attack. It’s about his family. It’s emotional. I think all of that makes Voight more upset, but also knows he needs to handle it sensitively. And how is he going to do that? So definitely it will come to a head in the winter premiere, but hopefully in an interesting, unique way.”
Which also means viewers will find out more about Voight’s past. “We find out a lot,” Sigan previews. “I mean, I think he definitely sort of confronts it head-on. And we find out a lot about his father. We find out, I think, a lot about where some of this comes from, for Voight. Where some of these personality quirks, I guess we could call them. But his capacity for doing things that most would not find moral. Where that comes from–and he does speak about it, so we do get to learn quite a bit about him.”
Though Sigan was mum about whether anyone from Intelligence would find out more about Voight’s backstory, she allows, “It certainly will affect how he handles other people in the unit moving forward. I think it’s a nice self-reflective moment for him that will have some ripple effects later in the season.”
Will Burzek move?
Patrick John Flueger, who plays Ruzek, will continue his on-screen absence when the show returns, but Sigan notes the show will address where the character is.
When Ruzek returns, “I loved the episode we did in episode 3, where we really opened up this question about, what do they want for Mak, for their daughter?” Sigan points out. “So we get back into that in the second half of the season. And we get to see the pair of them sort of independently and then together, figuring out, what do we want to do? Do we want to try and give Mak the childhood that Ruzek had in this house, and it’s so connected to his father? Or are we going to go elsewhere and take a shot…move out of Canaryville, move to a different part of Chicago, a different type of environment and school for her?”
“How do you know what’s best for your kid?” she continues. “And how do you know you’re not gonna regret it? And all of these questions. So we get really into all of that, and sort of them separately, dealing with it, and then coming together and making a decision about all of that.”
Complicating matters is Disco Bob’s illness, as Ruzek has to contend with progressively losing his father, too.
“I think what’s nice is, even if it’s not completely conscious for Ruzek, so much of this decision is tied into his dad, because this is the house he grew up in,” Sigan says. “This is the house that his dad lived in. This is the house that he would come to to spend time with Bob. Like, we’ve seen this house onscreen for 13 years; it’s such a part of Ruzek. And I think it represents his father, and it represents his childhood. So to be making a decision where you feel as if you’re giving that away, when you’re actively losing your dad at the same time, is really emotional. And I think why it’s been such a struggle for them to make this decision, and we see a lot of that on screen…it’s just a difficult, very emotional, thing for him.”
More character showcases are on their way.
“I’m so excited” about the episodes coming in 2026, Sigan gushes.
On tap? “There’s a really cool Imani episode coming where we get to learn a lot of her history, a lot of her past; we get details,” she previews. “There’s a really fun Voight episode that we’re working on right now where a character sort of returns, which I always love.”
“We’ve got a really fast-paced, adrenalized Atwater [episode], which is fun,” Sigan continues. “But also exploring a little of, like, what does Atwater want after Tasha? His romantic life, what’s next for him? So that’s a fun one.”
The series also (finally) has a Trudy-centric episode airing in January, too. “The Amy Morton episode is great,” Sigan teases. “I mean, it’s very different. It’s very emotional, it’s pretty heavy, but such a good performance from her, such a good performance from Marina [Squerciati]. I think we see them almost in these different dynamics together, which is interesting. And, yeah, there’s some beautiful scenes in it, throughout the whole thing. So I’m excited. I think fans will love to see her in a standout episode.”
CHICAGO P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC
