From the moment FBI: International was canceled at CBS, Chicago PD fans have been eagerly waiting to see what would come next for Jesse Lee Soffer following his one-season run on the FBI spinoff. While that question remained unanswered for longer than fans would have liked, Soffer has finally booked his next project, and it’s one that will see him reuniting with a legend in the One Chicago franchise!
Soffer is set to reunite with Matt Olmstead on the new CBS drama Strike Force, which has been put into development with Soffer playing double duty as star and executive producer. The new series will see Soffer starring as a battle-tested DEA agent who returns home to Kansas City to oversee a multi-agency strike force designed to target violent criminals looking to exploit America’s heartland.
This will be the third series Soffer and Olmstead have worked on together, beginning with Chicago PD, which Olmstead helped to co-create alongside Dick Wolf. The pair would later work together on FBI: International before the show’s untimely cancellation.
Considering that the series hails from Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios, we have a good feeling about its odds of making it to the air. Knowing that it reunites Soffer with Olmstead is another major plus.
Soffer and Olmstead have proven to be quite a duo, and Chicago PD fans should definitely be getting excited about Strike Force! Olmstead helmed several early seasons of Chicago PD, which brought about some of Soffer's character’s strongest storylines. That trend continued with Soffer’s arc in the final season of FBI: International, which allowed him to play a character who had shades of Halstead but allowed Soffer to bring levity to the character, which was a nice change of pace. While the show is in the very early stages of production, Strike Force promises to be a must-see crime drama and is the perfect vehicle for Soffer to lead—after all, we know he plays members of law enforcement incredibly well!
There is no denying that Olmstead and Soffer will bring fans a compelling character via Strike Force, and we love the idea of Soffer getting the chance to lead a project again. When he left Chicago PD, he did so with the hope of leading a show, which he got to do briefly during his one season on FBI: International. It was indeed amazing getting to see Soffer at the helm of the ship, leading the team in a way that Chicago PD did not allow for. It would be particularly fun to see Soffer get to lead a show from the start, rather than coming into an established team down the line, as was the case with FBI: International.
The nice thing about this project is that because it’s in the early stages of development, it also allows Soffer the space to make the occasional return to Chicago PD in the meantime. We know he’s already been back on set to direct an episode of season 14, and we’re hoping that he’ll find the time to pop up for another guest appearance on the show before his Strike Force role makes it a bit more difficult to appear on Chicago PD.
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