Chicago PD's winter premiere promo has fans worried about Dante Torres

Chicago PD has never quite known what to do with Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar). He's not a rookie anymore, but he's also less vital to the appeal of the show that the characters who've been around for years. He didn't even get to appear in the season 10 finale, for crying out loud.

Things seemed to change in the season 12 fall finale, though. Torres was the focal point of the tense episode, due to his romantic entanglement with a former informant. It was a circle back to the best Torres arc from season 11, and it resulted in some of the character's best screen moments to date.

Torres doesn't appear in the new PD promo

Then the promo for the winter premiere aired. Chicago PD always teases what's to come, even if it will be weeks before fans get to see a new episode. The winter premiere, which is scheduled to air on Jan. 8, features brief glimpses of all the characters we've come to know and love. Except for Torres.

The officer is nowhere to be found in the promo, despite leading the charge in the last episode, and fans are worried that this means the character will be missing in action. There's a justifiable cause for concern. As we previously stated, PD has a habit of foregrounding Torres, only to sideline him again until another storyline comes up.

There's lot of evidence to suggest this won't be the case in January, though. For one, there have been lots of promos that fail to include all of the characters who appear in a given episode. The general rule of thumb is that a promo will focus on the characters who are leading the main story.

Benjamin Levy Aguilar has already discussed Torres' future

PD likes to move around in terms of narrative focus, so it makes sense that Torres would take a step back and let peers like Voight (Jason Beghe) or Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) take center stage. It is also worth noting that Benjamin Levy Aguilar, the man who plays Torres, has spoken at length about the ways in which the character will change throughout season 12.

The actor told TV Line that he's enjoyed the relationship that's developed between his character and newcomer Kiana Cook (Toya Turner), and even hinted at more stories spotlighting their dynamic in the future. "There’s an instinct, this intuition, this true love beyond romance," Aguilar posited. "It’s a true love of partnership. At least, that’s how I saw it, and I hope they keep exploring that. I think they work so well together."

This continued partnership, of course, would only be possible if Torres stuck around. Fear not, PD faithful, the odds are in your favor that the character will return.