Will Voight be forced to retire in Chicago PD season 11?
Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) has been taking names for over a decade on Chicago PD. Even longer when you consider that the cop is already an established veteran when he was first introduced in Chicago Fire. A character said that Voight has been a cop for 27 years in season 5, which means that he’s been on the force since at least 1991.
That’s quite a while. Voight is no desk-bound veteran, either. The season 10 finale saw him lead the charge on domestic terrorist subplot, wielding a gun and even getting caught in an explosion. He didn’t suffer any major injuries as a result of the latter, but it definitely slowed him down. We wonder, consequently, how much longer Voight can do the job. Is retirement in his future?
Is Voight going to leave Chicago PD in season 11?
The mandatory retirement age for CPD officers is 63, and Jason Beghe happens to be 63… There are, of course, some ways to work around this problem. The first is to play down the character’s age, and make him a few years younger than the actor playing him. It wouldn’t be the first time the show cheats its continuity to benefit the storytelling.
The second is simply ignore the mandatory retirement age, and continue to showcase Voight at the frontlines for as long as the show is on the air. Beghe appears to be in great shape, and could conceivably run around and chase bad guys for several more years.
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A third option, and perhaps the most intriguing one, is leaning into the fact that Voight is getting older, and facing retirement. The character has experienced lots of heartache and loss over the years, and having to consider putting down his badge and gun could be an interesting way of progressing his character.
Given that the show is embarking on its eleventh season, now would be as good a time as any to add dimension and unexpected reflectiveness to its main character. What would you like to see? Do you want Chicago PD to confront Voight’s age or continue to have him leading the IU charge?
Next. One Chicago characters in danger of leaving this fall. dark
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