Chicago PD boss teases 'new possibilities' for Voight in season 11

Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) has been stuck in place for a bit. The Chicago PD veteran is still as capable as ever, but there hasn't been that much insight into his personal life over the last couple seasons. That's what made the episode "Survival" such a nice change of pace.

Voight got personally invested in a case involving an abducted teen. He not only rescued the teen, but forged a connection with him as the IU sought to uncover the identity of the abductor. Voight is always empathetic on the job, but the real difference here is that he took the teen home with him at the end of the episode, in an effort to protect him from his seemingly abusive family.

Voight is more invested than ever

It's a side of the character we haven't seen in a while (if ever), and it's something that Chicago PD showrunner Gwen Sigan made a point of emphasizing. She told NBC that fans will get to see him tested in different ways throughout season 11:

"We wanted to take Voight this year into the space of new possibilities for him. Looking into, well, what does this man want?"

Truthfully, we could not be more excited. We've discussed the show's Voight problem at length in the past, and the decision to bring him closer to the action, and present him with difficult questions about his goals and his moral limitations is inspired.

The character had previously been on autopilot

Fans have seen the character operate for over a decade, so it only seems right that they be given insight into what makes him tick. The last time Voight felt personally invested was during the season 9 finale, in which he deceived friend/informant Anna Avalos (Carmela Zumbado), which eventually led to her death.

We get why Voight has been on autopilot for much of season 10 and 11. Chicago PD has had to deal with some major storylines involving departing characters, near-death experiences, and romances. Voight isn't at risk for getting killed off, and he's not really one for romance, so it reduces the things writers can explore.

The abduction case involving the teen seems like a good balance between personal and professional. The fact that it does't get resolved in "Survival" suggests a multi-episode arc, which means we will get to see even more of this new, invested Voight. All we can say is sign us up.