Sophia Bush, Jon Seda, and Jesse Lee Soffer are among the OG stars who’ve surrendered their badges.
After 12 seasons and more than a decade on air, Chicago P.D. continues to evolve, especially when it comes to the faces behind the badges.
While stalwarts like Jason Beghe, Patrick John Flueger, Marina Squerciati, and LaRoyce Hawkins have remained on the front lines, others, like Sophia Bush and Jon Seda, have moved on.
With season 13 gearing up for patrol, Entertainment Weekly is looking back at the show’s departed cast members — why they left and what they’ve been up to since.
Archie Kao as Sheldon Jin (season 1)
In the earliest days of Chicago P.D., Archie Kao helped lead the cast as Detective Sheldon Jin. The squad’s communications specialist, Kao’s Sheldon is murdered by Internal Affairs sergeant Edwin Stillwell (Ian Bohen) in the season 1 finale, “A Beautiful Friendship.”
According to then-showrunner Matt Olmstead, the writers wanted a jaw-dropping moment that showed “the ramifications of that police work and that unit and street level and no one’s guaranteed anything.” Sheldon’s death was meant to set the tone for just how serious things could get in the world of Chicago P.D.
Since leaving Chicago P.D., Kao appeared in Michael Mann’s Blackhat (2015) and a handful of Chinese films, including Provoking Laughter (2016) and Legend of the Ancient Sword (2017). The actor also landed leading roles on shows like My Dear Boy (2017), Rabbit Hole (2023), and Interior Chinatown (2024).
Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay (seasons 1–4)
During Chicago P.D.‘s first four seasons, Sophia Bush starred as Detective Erin Lindsay. Toward the end of season 4, Erin leaves to join the FBI in New York.
Bush discussed her exit during a 2018 appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, revealing she quit the show due to harsh working conditions and “a consistent onslaught barrage of abusive behavior.” She opened up more about her experience on set during a 2023 episode of her Drama Queens podcast, which she co-hosts with actresses Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz.
The actress said she stayed as long as she did out of loyalty to the crew but eventually had to threaten legal action to get out of her contract.
In addition to hosting Drama Queens, a One Tree Hill rewatch podcast, Bush has spent her post-P.D. years acting in projects like The Incredibles 2 (2018), Love, Victor (2020–2022), Good Sam (2022), and Grey’s Anatomy (2024–2025).
Elias Koteas as Alvin Olinsky (seasons 1–5)
Elias Koteas portrayed Detective Alvin Olinsky for the first five seasons of Chicago P.D. A close friend of Beghe’s Sergeant Hank Voight, Alvin is arrested for the murder of the man who killed Hank’s son. He’s stabbed to death by a prison inmate in the season 5 finale, but returns in the season 11 finale in a hallucination seen by Hank.
Alvin’s death wasn’t Koteas’ decision. Executive producer Rick Eid told EW that it came from wanting to “dramatize” the Voight–Olinsky storyline and give it an “honest conclusion.”
“It was an interesting way for Olinsky to exit. We kept talking about him. He’d be dying on the mantle of his own loyalty,” Eid said. “Ultimately, the final decision is just really hard because everybody loves Elias, and he’s a great actor and a great person.”
Since departing the One Chicago universe, the veteran actor has appeared on the shows Goliath (2021) and Guilty Party (2021), as well as the films The Baker (2022), Janet Planet (2023), and The Silent Planet (2024).