Jesse Lee Soffer continues to tease Chicago PD return on Instagram

Another week, another debate about whether Jesse Lee Soffer is going to make his long-awaited return to Chicago PD. Well, in front of the camera that is. The former PD star has already come back to direct an episode, and has confirmed that he will do so again in season 11. Fans, however, are still convinced that he will sneak in and make a cameo as Jay Halstead.

The impetus for this latest debate comes from Soffer's Instagram. He posted a ton of set photos from his upcoming episode as a director, as evidenced by the fact that the first one is literally him sitting in a director's chair. The rest, however, are candid shots of Soffer's former co-stars hanging out while the next shot gets set up.

Soffer posts BTS photos from an upcoming episode

The caption for the photos reads:

"Pics from set last week. Last one really captures Luce’s essence."

One photo sees Jason Beghe (aka Hank Voight) and Soffer's real-life girlfriend, Tracy Spiridakos (aka Hailey Upton) sitting at a booth in what appears to be a restaurant set. The duo are all smiles, which is likely not the case when Soffer called action and the their characters got down to business.

The actor's return is highly unlikely

It's understandable why fans would want Soffer to return as Halstead. His exit felt abrupt, and the arc involving Halstead's divorce from Upton was unsatisfying, to say the least. The thing is, too much time has passed for the couple to convincingly get back together. We discussed this issue in a separate piece, but the window has closed for the Upstead happily ever after.

Upton would be better served as a character if her last couple episodes were focused on her as an individual, rather than the couple she was previously a part of. We're thrilled by the fact that Soffer is still a part of the PD family, and we hope that he directs more episodes in the future, but bringing him back in a shortened season 11 runs the risk of overshadowing Spiridakos' swan song.

Do you agree? Or do you want season 11 to end with an Upstead reunion?