Chicago PD season 6 preview: Picking up the pieces

Chicago PD is still dealing with fallout from that death. Find out what you can expect from the new Chicago PD season in our Chicago PD season 6 preview.

Fans still upset about Chicago PD‘s decision to kill Alvin Olinsky will find cold comfort in the new season, which plays right into the anger and grief that One Chicago fans experienced after that plot twist.

Next Wednesday’s season premiere picks up right after last season’s finale, putting the characters through the same emotions as they come to grips with the absence of Olinsky (Elias Koteas).

The focus of the episode is on Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), who not only has to cope with his friend passing away, but deal with the consequences of shooting the man who ordered Olinsky’s death.

And this time, there are consequences. Chicago PD season 6 has Voight face punishment for what happened, thanks to the show’s new recurring character, Katherine Brennan (Anne Heche, who is back on NBC after the cancellation of her military series The Brave).

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Brennan is the Deputy Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, so she outranks Voight just like last season’s antagonist Denny Woods (Mykelti Williamson).

And like Woods, she’s determined to get what she wants from Voight—in this case, using him to further her career and that of her boss, who is up to become the next mayor of Chicago.

Heche, who is coming off a run of lead roles on short-lived shows (The Brave, Aftermath, Dig) is hit and miss in the role. Her Brennan goes through the same “look how tough I am and how much I can hurt you” posturing that Woods did last season.

That’s not a lot to work with, not yet, so perhaps viewers will warm up to her in later episodes—but for now, she’s not showing anything that Chicago PD fans haven’t seen before.

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What makes Chicago PD season 6 worth watching is the divide that Olinsky’s death and all that came after it creates within the Intelligence Unit. Past seasons have always depicted the team as a united front, sometimes to the point of stretching plausibility, but this time there’s real anger and infighting—in one case literal fighting.

How long will it last? Well, that’s the burning question. By the end of the season premiere, more than one character has to make a choice that will dictate how the rest of the season unfolds, and those choices have the potential to make things worse. It’s a messy premiere, but that’s what the show needs, after five seasons of Intelligence against the world.

The case of the week is nothing special—another crime involving gangs and drugs—but it’s worth the watch to see the ongoing story arc. “New Normal” also includes a fitting memorial for Olinsky that not only honors the character, but feels like a proper tribute to Elias Koteas as well.

The new pieces of the puzzle don’t quite make up for the one that’s missing, but perhaps that’s the point. The characters, and fans, need time to deal with what’s been lost before they can look toward the future. And Chicago PD will give the audience closure, recognizing that the show is never going to be the same again.

For the latest Chicago PD season 6 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.