In a twist that no one saw coming, a character departure from NBC’s Chicago P.D. didn’t just shake up the Intelligence Unit — it served as creative fuel for a whole new supernatural TV project. According to sources close to the development process, Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles found unexpected inspiration for his next major series after witnessing the emotional fallout from a key character exit on Chicago P.D..
Rather than being killed off or fading into the background, Halstead chose to leave the unit and the city behind to take a job with the military in Bolivia, seeking moral clarity and purpose after years of being caught in ethically gray areas. The departure wasn’t violent or scandalous — it was deeply human and emotionally raw. It was that humanity — the inner torment, the need for redemption, and the emotional wreckage left behind — that reportedly inspired Jensen Ackles to revisit themes he’d long explored in Supernatural, but from a new, more grounded perspective.
The developing project — which remains untitled for now — is said to center on a former detective who disappears from the force under mysterious circumstances, only to return years later with secrets and scars… and an inexplicable connection to supernatural events plaguing his hometown. Sound familiar? The parallels to Halstead’s arc are unmistakable: a good man overwhelmed by the moral compromise of his job, choosing exile over confrontation, only to return changed. According to early insiders, it was Halstead’s silent pain and need for personal redemption that planted the seed for Ackles’ twist on a similar story.
Ackles has hinted that his new series will be less about weekly monster hunts and more about emotional hauntings — grief, guilt, trauma — with supernatural elements as metaphors. Think True Detective meets The Sixth Sense. The character at the center will reportedly share a lot in common with Chicago P.D.’s Halstead: a quiet brooder, defined by loss, loyalty, and a desire to do the right thing, even when the system feels broken. But instead of Intelligence Unit politics, he’ll be battling visions, apparitions, and a past that won’t stay buried.
The idea of fusing procedural storytelling with supernatural themes isn’t new — shows like The X-Files and Fringe paved the way — but Ackles’ approach promises to be more introspective, drawing inspiration from the emotional weight that made Chicago P.D.’s character exits resonate so deeply with fans. “Watching a character like Halstead walk away not because of some huge twist, but because of his own emotional limits — that hit me,” Ackles reportedly said in a private interview. “What happens to someone like that when the world they try to escape keeps calling them back? That’s where this story starts.”
While Chicago P.D. continues to evolve without Jesse Lee Soffer, his impact on the franchise — and now, beyond it — is undeniable. His character’s decision to step away, to leave behind the city, the badge, and even his partner in the name of morality, has become more than just a plot twist. It’s sparked something new. Ackles’ upcoming series promises to explore the same themes — duty vs. personal ethics, redemption, emotional isolation — but with a supernatural lens that gives them a new dimension. Fans of both Chicago P.D. and Supernatural may find themselves united in their anticipation for a show that blends the best of both worlds.
It’s rare to see one TV show directly inspire another — especially across genres — but this connection between Chicago P.D. and Jensen Ackles’ new supernatural series is proof that storytelling transcends format. One emotionally charged departure has the power to echo into a completely different world. As Ackles prepares to step into this new universe — haunted by personal demons, perhaps even literal ones — he brings with him the legacy of a Chicago detective who walked away not in flames or glory, but in silence. And sometimes, silence speaks loudest of all.
