Chicago PD showrunner Gwen Sigan has promised a "very satisfying ending" for Detective Hailey Upton.
It was announced back in October that actress Tracy Spiridakos was on her way out of the US police procedural, and while recently speaking to TVLine, Sigan said she'll be leaving much deeper into season 11 than originally thought.
"[Tracy] gave us a lot of leeway, which is a very kind thing to do, so we have a full season with her. We'll have plenty of time to come up with a very satisfying ending for her character," she told the publication.
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As for Hailey and Detective Jay Halstead's up-in-the-air marriage, which was complicated by actor Jesse Lee Soffer's departure, the Chicago PD boss went on to tease: "I do think there will be closure [this season].
"I do think that we're going to see Upton deal with a lot of what happened last year with the fallout and find her way through it and find her way out to the other side — and to a better side for her character."
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Sigan also mentioned that there are "no plans" to bring Jay back, "but I never say never".
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Addressing his decision to leave the Chicago PD cast (and break the hearts of thousands in the process), Soffer admitted last February: "Let's be honest: I love the fans of our show so much, and I love my fans. I know that they're still grieving this, and to some degree, I am too.
"Eventually, you know the character so well, there's not much that can shift or transform. I really wanted to grow and expand, and we've only got this one trip. If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, 'You know what? It's time to take a risk.'"
Chicago PD airs on NBC in the US, and on Sky Witness in the UK.
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Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
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