Has Ritter's cop boyfriend ever appeared on Chicago PD?

One Chicago never misses an opportunity to connect the dots. Part of the reason the franchise has been so successful is the way it blends storylines and characters from its three different shows. It's exciting to see a physician from Chicago Med appear at the tail end of a Chicago PD episode, even if the circumstances are dire. It adds to the franchise's authenticity.

Whenever one of the shows introduces someone in a different line of work, the question invariably shifts to whether we've seen them before in the franchise. The latest episode of Chicago Fire is a perfect example. Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri) called in a favor from his policeman boyfriend, Dwayne (Samuel B. Jackson), when Truck 81 went missing.

Ritter's boyfriend Dwayne returned in "Inside Man"

Dwayne and his detective partner, Navarro (Jonathan Medina), interrogated all the members of Firehouse 51 in an effort to track the truck down. They eventually helped to capture the men who stole the truck, but if you're anything like us, you spent a good chunk of the episode wondering if you'd seen Dwayne on a different show.

Since he's a cop in Chicago, has he already been introduced on Chicago PD? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Dwayne did not exist as a character within the One Chicago universe until he debuted in the Fire episode "Red Flag." Whether or not he continues to appear on the show depends on whether him and Ritter continue to make their relationship work.

Dwayne has never appeared on Chicago PD

That being said, the franchise could easily retcon Dwayne to be a part of Chicago PD as well. Or at least, have an established backstory with the PD ensemble. Chicago Med pulled a similar trick with Dylan Scott (Guy Lockard) a few seasons ago.

Scott worked as a police officer prior to joining Gaffney Medical Center, and despite never being part of the franchise before, the writers made it so that he had a younger sister who was still on the force. Scott was eventually written off the show, but not before the actress who played his sister, Deanne Lauvin, teased a potential romance with PD's Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) during an interview.

Dwayne has not been fleshed out yet, but we have faith in the writers that he will if they decided to keep him around.