The actress made an impact on the series beginning in Season 8.
Chicago P.D. fans will never forget when Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) first met Samantha Miller (Nicole Ari Parker).
On December 22, the official One Chicago Instagram account shared a clip from the Chicago P.D. Season 8 premiere, “Fighting Ghosts,” that shows how explosive the relationship between the two characters was from day one.
“Voight has met his match with guest star Nicole Ari Parker. 📺: Season 8, Episode 1 of Chicago PD is streaming on Peacock,” the caption read.
“Met his match” is an understatement. Deputy Superintendent Miller was brought to life with such intensity by Parker, who continued in her guest-star role on the series for eight episodes total, through Season 9’s “Closure.”
Miller was introduced to the series to usher in progressive change within the force, a reflection of the real-life events taking shape across the United States, including Black Lives Matter, calls for police reform, and other civil rights movements. To say Voight is reluctant to change is an understatement — no matter how noble the cause may be — and the interactions between the two characters were some of the highlights of Parker’s eight-episode arc.
When the characters met for the first time, Miller put things bluntly:
“If you keep running your unit the way you’ve been doing for the past seven years, you’re gonna be out of a job by Christmas,” she warned Voight. Her words served as a punch to the gut for the longtime sergeant as he grappled with more eyes being on the force than ever before.
In other words, Miller forced Voight to “play by the rules,” something he had never done before, ushering in a new era on the show.
Nicole Ari Parker discusses her character’s significance on Chicago P.D.
In 2021, shortly after her debut in Season 8, Parker spoke about the significance of a Black, progressive character joining the world of Chicago P.D. — especially when it comes to going head-to-head with the hard-headed Sergeant Voight.
“There’s a lot of issues in the country and a lot of ways to come at them creatively through the show,” she explained in an interview with Blavity. “There’s the white, male-dominated scenario and adding in this Black female character who’s the highest-ranking officer that you can become. The next person above me is the Mayor. You’ll see how difficult affecting change really is, not just administratively, but also emotionally.”
The 55-year-old star — who recently had a recurring role in the Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That… — explained that no storyline will be perfect, but any “movement” is considered a net positive, especially in the current climate of high-profile social issues affecting so many lives in the real world.
“Good drama isn’t perfect, it can get a little messy but I also hope that there is some kind of progress,” Parker continued. “If you’re going to bring a character like this up against a force like Voight, that there should be some movement, just so there’s some hope and some trust put back into the men and women who protect and serve us.”
Fans can watch all of Parker’s Chicago P.D. episodes on Peacock. And don’t forget, Windy City Wednesdays return with all-new One Chicago episodes on January 7, 2026 — only on NBC.
