Will Chicago PD finally change in light of current events?

Will Chicago PD fans keep watching?

The obvious question when making major changes to any TV show is what reaction the fans will have. And while many Chicago PD fans have critiqued the series, others believe that it’s just meant to be entertainment, or say that Voight is their favorite character specifically because of his take-no-prisoners approach. People can have different opinions, and making the show too realistic risks turning some viewers off.

But let’s go back to the beginning of our discussion: this series is ripe for a creative shake-up even if you take everything current out of the equation. Chicago PD isn’t the same show it used to be a season or two ago, after losing fan favorite characters and because of the aforementioned places where the writing could be better. Any kind of change, as long as it’s done well, could be amazing for the show.

And Rick Eid and company have put themselves on the absolute perfect track for this. Chicago PD season 8 will open with Atwater having spoken out publicly about racism and having to face what appears to be major backlash from other officers within the department. There is an incredible story waiting to be told here and Atwater’s at the heart of it. The writers can be timely while still doing the story they’ve already planned to do.

Even after that, there are all kinds of plotlines that could be pursued. Let’s say that the writers decide that Voight has to be reined in a bit; they could approach that from his point of view. How will Voight adjust to policing that’s now way different from how he operates? We’ve already seen a little bit of that when he sent Upton to work with the FBI. Voight seemed to be getting more self-awareness anyway; why not chase that and see where it goes?

He can still be a favorite character; he’s still intense and intimidating when he’s not putting hands on people, and Jason Beghe could do great things with Voight as he tries to change and maybe he isn’t quite so sure of himself. What Chicago PD has needed for awhile now is someone to balance Voight out again—maybe that someone ends up being him.

Or maybe Intelligence does participate in some reforms. If the show wants to tell a powerful story, it wouldn’t be easy for this unit to decide to change their ways, but it would be something different to see on TV. And even that wouldn’t take that much away from the episodes; it wouldn’t be taking away the action, just cutting back on the scenes that are clearly out of bounds.

There are ways that Chicago PD can respond to current events without destroying the show; it’s going to be up to the writers to find that balance. But it’s absolutely possible, and the challenges that it would present line up perfectly with what the show needs to get even better. There’s no reason not to try something new in Chicago PD season 8.

For the latest Chicago PD season 8 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.