Jay Halstead is in the running for most beloved Chicago PD character. He was a straight shooter, a police officer who tried his best to do right by victims and his peers. He was so committed to doing right, in fact, that he left the show when he determined that he no longer could.
Jesse Lee Soffer, the actor who plays Halstead, recently talked about the possibility of returning to Chicago PD. He currently stars on FBI: International, but he told TV Line that he would be more than willing to reprise Halstead for a cameo appearance on Chicago PD in the future.
Jesse Lee Soffer is open to making a PD cameo
This sounds amazing on paper. Halstead returning would drum up attention for an episode, and it would give the character a chance to interact with characters that he didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to when he left in season 10. But it would also cause some problems.
Halstead's departure, and his subsequent offscreen antics, did not endear him to fans. Many felt like he became distant after leaving the IU, especially with regard to his wife, Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). He didn't answer her phone calls, and even when her life was threatened on the job, he couldn't manage to pick up the phone and make sure she was ok.
If Halstead returned to Chicago PD like nothing happened, then it would emphasize how bizarre and uncharacteristic the writing was for his character after he left. Halstead and Upton are divorced, and the emotional fallout from said divorce contributed to Upton leaving Chicago at the end of season 11.
The writing for Halstead has been inconsistent
Halstead coming back and chumming it up with the likes of Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) would be fun, but there would be a sour taste in the mouths of many fans. It's not the fault of Soffer, but the writers basically turned Halstead into a heel in order to get Upton single again.
It's difficult to envision a Chicago PD return that didn't feel awkward, given how unresolved things were between Halstead and Upton. Especially since Upton is no longer around, and therefore isn't able to provide a sense of closure.
If Halstead were to return, Chicago PD would either have to address the Upton situation in a manner that would ultimately be unsatisfying, or it would have to ignore it in a way that would come off as disingenuous. It might be best to just leave the good old Halstead days in the past.
What do you think?