Chicago PD boss explains how Petrovic plays a role in Upton's exit

Chicago PD has had lots of interesting partnerships over the years. Some of them have led to romance, others have been instances of decades-long friendships. Regardless, these partnerships bring out different aspects of the characters involved, which only serve to endear them to us more.

The latest partnership to leave an impression on us is between Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and Josephine Petrovic (Bojana Novakovic). The latter was brought in as a mysterious SVU detective, and despite initially bumping heads with Upton, the two have become the focus of season 11's biggest case.

Petrovic helps Upton confront her demons

Upton was the one who discovered Petrovic's alcoholism, which drew them closer together, but during a recent interview with Cinemablend, PD showrunner Gwen Sigan shed light on the duo and how Petrovic has actually helped Upton.

In Sigan's estimation, Petrovic's bluntness, and her ability to read people without worrying about their feelings, is something that has helped Upton come to grips with her internal struggles. The character hasn't been entirely right since her divorce from Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), and she's tried to fill the absence in her life by diving headfirst into her work. Petrovic sees it, according to Sigan:

"We wanted to use this character to help tell this story with Tracy, who is also trying to make sense of her own headspace and what's happened to her and where she wants to go."

Both officers have suffered in the past

Both women are dealing with immense darkness, both in the present and in terms of their past. The Chicago PD writers saw profound connection in this darkness, as Petrovic and Upton are able to keep each other in check. "It was all because of the theme and the fun of getting into those dark spaces internally for both of them," she added.

Given that the IU have spent most of season 11 tracking a serial killer, it made sense to bring in a profiler of Petrovic's stature. This is a different level of criminality than the IU is used to dealing with, and based on the grim situation heading into the season 11 finale, it will be more important than ever to have someone who knows how to exploit the killer's psychology.

Sigan did not shed light on whether or not Petrovic will replace Upton in season 12. We will have to find out for ourselves when the finale airs on Wednesday, May 22.