Chicago PD showrunner hoping to continue unexpected season 12 romantic storyline

Coming into season 12 of Chicago PD, we were hopeful that love could finally be in the air for some characters but we weren’t exactly confident it might come for the character we most hoped it would come for. We’re referring to Kevin Atwater who hasn’t exactly had the best track record when it has come to his love life in… well perhaps the entire stretch of Chicago PD’s run, but specifically the last several seasons. 

Atwater’s last relationship was doomed from the start when he opted to build the foundation on a lie by hiding his profession as a cop. Since that relationship ended, Atwater hasn’t exactly dived into a committed relationship. Enter forensic psychologist Val Soto.

We first met Val in the third episode of Chicago PD season 12. In her first scene, it looked like she was simply another face in the crowd as Atwater struck up a conversation with her at a local cop bar, opening up about his struggles juggling everything in his life. The pair hit it off immediately but quickly found themselves at odds when Val was brought in as the forensic psychologist to help the Intelligence Unit work an armed robbery case. 

Things got tense on the job, but the two patched things up as the episode came to a close when Atwater went to her house to apologize for how he behaved while working the case. She invited him in under the agreement he left his baggage at the door which he agreed to as the episode closed.  The episode seemed to hint we’d get to witness the development of their relationship, but then weeks passed by without any future appearances leaving fans to wonder if this was going to be yet another romantic story that would go nowhere for Atwater. 

Fortunately, this does not seem to be the case as there are indeed plans to bring Val back in the new year! 

“We’re hoping for that to continue,” Chicago PD showrunner Gwen Sigan assured TVLine. “It’s a great vehicle to use to tell Atwater’s story of, hopefully, finding some balance and finding something for himself and a way to also fill his own cup as he’s filling everybody else’s.”

As for when we might see Val next? Well, that remains to be seen, but it’s reassuring to know there are still plans for the couple moving forward.

Atwater deserves a bit of happiness in his life and we’d love to see him enjoy a healthy relationship! Hopefully, we just won't have to wait too long to see Val back as it was starting to feel like the show had forgotten about her after her introduction early in the season.

Chicago PD returns Jan. 8 at 10/9c on NBC, but you can stream episodes on Peacock as you wait for the show to return!