NBC’s One Chicago franchise is a powerhouse, with all three series —Chicago Med,Chicago Fire, andChicago P.D.— consistently ranking inthe top 10for TV ratings week after week. The three complement each other yet retain different personalities that keep them from bleeding into a single entity.Chicago Medleans towards prime-time soap, a laGrey’s Anatomy.Chicago Firepeppers in legitimately funny moments in between fire-fighting action and relationships.Chicago P.D.is the gritty, hard-edged one of the bunch, rarely funny and far more tense than its kin. It’s also far more focused than the others, tending to highlight different characters in each episode as they keep secondary plots to a minimum, spending the bulk of the time investigating the case-of-the-week and the emotional toll they take. But from Seasons 1 through 4,Chicago P.D.cast a wider net, not just centering on the detectives of the 21st District’s Intelligence Unit, but on the rank and file patrol officers working with them.It made the series more interestingand allowed for subtle social commentary, like how the people of Chicago react to uniformed officers over plain-clothes detectives, for example.And for a brief moment, it looked likeChicago P.D.might return to those days withthe addition of Officer Kiana Cook(Toya Turner)… and they blew it.
‘Chicago P.D.’ Brings Out the Whole CPD in “Blood Bleeds Blue”
Chicago P.D.Season 12 picks up about a month following the events of the Season 11 finale, which saw Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) being held captive by serial killer Frank Matson (Dennis Flanagan) before being rescued by Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). The end of the finale markedthe end of Spiridakos' timeon the series, so we expected going in that Season 12 would be different.So it was a pleasant surprise to see that a new member had joined the team during that time, Detective Emily Martel (Victoria Cartagena), and she was fitting in well with the unit, especially with long-time friend Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger). The pair have a history dating back to their days in the Academy, and the team takes great joy in giving Ruzek the gears over the nickname Martel divulged she called him: “Rizzy.” The levity disperses when Voight responds to a crime scene, a drug den where a dealer was murdered. By rights, the case should fall to Narcotics, but Voight claimed it for his unit, the latest in a non-stop workload Voight takes on to take his mind off of his grief over Upton’s departure.And if Voight’s busy, the unit is busy.
The case ends on a positive note, with the Intelligence Unit tracking down a bad batch of drugs that were killing people, and Voight promising ASA Nina Chapman (Sara Bues) he’ll slow down. Ruzek and Martel leave the scene together, but hear gunshots on their way back. They pull over to investigate, telling people in the area to stay inside, when Martel is shot dead in the street, anabsolutely shocking momentthat upended assumptions about what the season would look like. “Blood Bleeds Blue” starts from there, with the whole CPD out in full force after hearing that an officer is down. Patrol officer Kiana Cook is among them, and Ruzek gets her help when the gunman drives away. The pair doggedly pursue the gunman, a father who has shot his wife, kidnapped one son and is aiming to grab the other.It’s only after saving the sons and stopping the father that they stop to take it all in, with Ruzek finally able to start dealing with his grief.
‘Chicago P.D.’ Shows Promise With “Blood Bleeds Blue”
What makes “Blood Bleeds Blue” such a great episode is thatit looked ready to reviveChicago P.D.’s long-dormant association with the rank and file. Officer Cook’s presence throughout the episode marks the first time in ages that a uniformed officer has a presence over and above being used as a means of providing exposition to the Intelligence Unit before fading back into the woodwork. It showed the entirety of the CPD mobilized in response to an officer being gunned down, putting the “P is for Police” back intoChicago P.D., which for the last 8 seasons has been a misnomer of sorts, withChicago Intelligence UnitorChicago I.U.being more appropriate. It expanded the walls beyond the upstairs floor of the 21st District to show how the two sides could work together seamlessly, combining the strengths of their roles in the department.
More importantly, it gives Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) more screen time, and it is awesome. Platt’s role in the series is so underwhelming these days, appearing only briefly at the front desk of the district office for the most part and, on occasion, being thrown a bone with something more. But here, she takes charge, quickly discerning a course of action and ordering her officers to implement it, those standing in the lobby and those on patrol by radio. Morton makes the most of the time given, delivering such a deft performance that we’re reminded of how good she is and how deeply the show misses having her more involved. She brings a different presence that fills the moment in a show thatcould be revitalized by having such a presence regularly.
‘Chicago P.D.’ Drops the Ball with “Water and Honey”
So when Cook reappears in Episode 5, “Water and Honey,” it suggests that the promise of “Blood Bleeds Blue” might just come to fruition, and, initially, it does. Officer Cook shows up at the Intelligence Unit, looking for Ruzek. She had received a distress call while on patrol from someone saying they were being followed. Cook couldn’t find the woman but did find footprints. Problem: it’s raining, and any evidence they might get from it was in danger of being washed away. Only Cook’s superior didn’t take it seriously, telling Cook to let it go, but her instincts told her to keep digging. Having developed a rapport with Ruzek, she looked to solicit his help, only he wasn’t around. Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar), however, is, and accompanies Cook to the scene where they follow the footprints to a river nearby,where they find the body of a girl floating. Looks like Cook’s superior should have taken it seriously after all!
Voight takes the case and allows Cook to work with the team on it. So far, so good with the return of the patrol cop and detective working together, just like in the good old days. It turns out that the girl is one of three friends who were working together to exact revenge on their abusers. They had already killed one’s abusive uncle by waterboarding him with honey, but an attempt to kill another’s father backfired when he got the upper hand. He killed the girl from the river and was looking to do the same with the other two, but was stopped and taken into custody by Torres and Cook before he is able to do it. With the case closed, Cook starts to head back to her duties as a patrol officer.Only Torres had been secretly assessing her the whole time and, having been impressed by her skills and instinct, stopped her, saying they needed to fill a spot in the Intelligence Unit, andCook would be a perfect fit.
‘Chicago P.D.’s Tracy Spiridakos Joins New Thriller in First Role After Leaving Series
The actress played Hailey Upton for seven seasons.
And just like that, we’re back toChicago IU. The long-running show had a chance tobring back an element that went out the door at the same time asSophia Bush’s Erin Lindsay, at the end of Season 4, and blew it. No one’s denying that Cook is a good fit for the team, but it would have been interesting to see that patrol cop/detective dynamic longer than we did, maybe see her work a few cases with the team from the patrol side before getting the thumbs up. Yes, Martel’s death left a hole, but once Voight stopped grabbing cases left, right, and center, the Intelligence Unit wasn’t as overwhelmed and could have kept things afloat until Cook proved herself an asset. It would have been great to see an Intelligence Unit that works hand-in-hand with the beat officers of the CPD, like they used to, in the days before theybecame this division within the CPD that doesn’t need outside help. Ever.But as the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.Chicago P.D.may be bending, but millions of viewers would confirm it certainly isn’t broken.Only some preventative maintenance, using parts from its past, couldn’t hurt.
Chicago P.D.is available to stream in the U.S. on Peacock, with new episodes resuming Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
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Chicago P.D.
Chicago P.D. is a gripping police procedural drama series that debuted in 2014, set against the backdrop of the city of Chicago. The show focuses on the officers and detectives of the 21st District, comprising two distinct units: the uniformed patrol officers and the Intelligence Unit that tackles major offenses.
