Chicago PD season 8 character preview: Kim Burgess

What should happen

Over the last few seasons, Kim Burgess has become an increasingly hard character to figure out, because of the way she’s been written. The early seasons were straightforward as she worked her tail off to be promoted to Intelligence and then adjusted to the differences between patrol and the elite unit. Now, though, she doesn’t have a clear direction.

With Vanessa Rojas (Lisseth Chavez) leaving the show, that means Burgess and Upton will be the only female characters, unless Chicago PD adds a new woman to the ensemble. Even if it does, by virtue of how things have shaken out off-screen, Burgess still has the most seniority between the female officers. What if Kim gets to step up and take more of a lead on certain cases, or in simply having her voice heard more now that she’s been a part of the team for a few years?

She could easily be the anti-Upton, in that Upton is being positioned as sort of junior Voight, and Kim has always been a very compassionate officer. We could have Upton continuing to push hard in her way and Burgess perhaps being more cautious or sympathetic, creating a tension that the show has been missing (no one ever really argues tactics anymore).

And we say this every year, but what about more Burgess and Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins)? Atwater needs allies now more than ever and the very first person who’d step up for him would be Kim. Chicago PD season 8 needs to seriously bring back their friendship that’s fallen off as the show has focused more on Burzek.