Chicago PD season 6 midseason report: Hailey Upton

What it means

Is Hailey Upton the new female lead of Chicago PD? When Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) left town, it prompted a discussion about which female character would assume her considerable screen time. We were sure that it would be Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) since Burgess was also an original main character, but instead, it’s Upton who’s gotten far more to do this season.

Upton and Burgess both had feature episodes, but Upton’s came out much better than Burgess’s did, and Upton now has her own personal subplot—with Burgess’s former love interest! That’s a coincidence, of course, but it’s clear that Hailey Upton has quickly become one of the most active characters on the show.

That’s great for Tracy Spiridakos, who continues to prove she was an excellent choice to join the series. Every episode she delivers, whether it’s an Upton episode or she’s in support of another actor. But at the same time, it feels like there’s still a lot to figure out about the character. While we’re seeing more Upton, is it in the best possible ways?

For example, did Upton need a relationship to be interesting? Not really. While Ruzek and Upton could have some merit if the relationship continues to develop, right now it just feels like a ship that exists so Chicago PD has a ship. Not helping is the fact that the writers haven’t explored any of the issues surrounding it.

For example, last season we learned that Upton was in love with a partner who was killed—so shouldn’t that factor into her relationship with Ruzek? They’re not directly partners, but it’s odd if she’s now totally okay with dating someone after the last time went so badly. What does she want out of the relationship? And there are still a lot of questions about her history that could be answered, too.