Is a new episode of Chicago PD on tonight? (February 14)

Chicago PD has maintained a steady schedule since season 11 premiered, but the series is going to be taking Valentine's Day off. The procedural drama will not be airing a new episode on Wednesday, February 15, and NBC will instead be airing a rerun of the season 11 premiere.

While it may be disappointing for fans wanting some Valentine's Day exchanges between the newly engaged couple Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), it makes sense from a scheduling standpoint.

Why is Chicago PD not on tonight?

There are lots of couples going out on Valentine's Day, which means there will be far less people at home to watch new episodes. It's a pretty standard practice when it comes to scripted TV, especially when one takes into consideration the abbreviated episode count for 2024.

Chicago PD and the rest of the One Chicago franchise were delayed by several months due to the writers and actors strikes, and as such, the typical 18-20 episode count for a single season has been reduced to 13 to account for the lack of prep time.

Related: Chicago PD confirms that [SPOILER] is returning

It may not be fun for those wanting to find out what happened between Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) and his informant, but it does provide some breathing room for the Chicago PD showrunners and writers to work on unfinished episodes.

When will Chicago PD return with new episodes?

Thankfully, fans won't have to wait very long for new episodes. The promo for last week's show confirmed that Chicago PD will be returning next week, which is Wednesday, February 21. The upcoming episode is titled "Split Second", and the synopsis is as follows:

"Atwater turns to an unlikely source of support when a string of jewellery store robberies shakes his confidence."

It'll be nice to get an episode that focuses on Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), since so many of the season's previous episodes have reserved the spotlight for the likes of Burgess, Ruzek, and even the rookie Torres.

It'll also be interesting to see how Burgess and Ruzek's engagement will be taken by the rest of the team.