10-Year One Chicago Fan-Favorite Officially Returns In New Role

NBC (via MovieStillsDb) Published Aug 6, 2026, 7:15 AM EDT Ana Dumaraog is a Writer and Editor at Screen Rant, where she expertly covers Network TV offerings, among other things She has spearheaded the effort to make the site an authority on broadcast shows, initially starting with The Big Bang Theory franchise, NCIS, and One Chicago before taking on the specialization in general. Ana has also covered a wide-spread of topics in the past — from franchises like, the MCU and Star Wars, to classic TV favorites, such as Frasier and MASH. Ana brings clarity and enthusiasm to every story she tackles—whether reporting on new releases or offering deep dives into fan-favorite franchises. Her coverage translates complex entertainment developments into engaging, audience-focused content. Sign in to your ScreenRant account A One Chicago fan-favorite is officially coming back, but in a different role. Following a successful 2025-2026 TV cycle, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med are still a few weeks away from debuting their respective seasons. As confirmed on social media, all procedurals are already back in production, which has offered the public some ideas about what to expect from their respective comebacks. At the same time, official news from NBC and Wolf Entertainment have confirmed major departures from Chicago Fire and Chicago PD, as Joe Mińoso's Joe Cruz and Dermot Mulroney's Dom Pascal say goodbye to Firehouse 51, while LaRoyce Hawkins' Kevin Atwater leave Intelligence. All three are expected to return to wrap up their respective arcs, although they will only be back for a few episodes at the start of the cycle. Considering how beloved these characters are, there's a major risk in losing them, especially at this point in One Chicago's run. That said, the franchise's cast changes aren't limited to actors and characters just leaving. When Chicago PD season 14 premieres as part of NBC's fall 2026 lineup, a fan-favorite cast member will be involved once again. Shared on Instagram by actor Ethan Smith (via @Dutchie0325/X) is an image confirming that Jesse Lee Soffer is coming back to director Chicago PD season 14, episode 2. Unfortunately, there's no additional information that can be deciphered in the snap. Nonetheless, anyone who is a long-time viewer of the police procedural should be stoked about this revelation. Check out the image below: Playing Jay Halstead for 10 seasons before exiting, Soffer departed the series in arguably one of the worst final arcs. Aside from the fact that it felt rushed, so many of his parting actions contradict the very essence of the actor. Suffice to say, Halstead's Chicago PD exit was so disappointing. It took Soffer several years to reprise the role in the 2026 One Chicago crossover, which partially made up for the way his swan song played out. Still, not all lingering questions about his fate were resolved. The public will have to wait longer before they get any more updates about what happened to Halstead during his much-anticipated talk with Hailey Upton, which was left by the 2026 One Chicago crossover without a definitive resolution. Soffer's Chicago PD season 14's return will likely involve him just being behind the camera for the episode. The actor has stepped into the director's chair for the procedural multiple times before, as he helmed some of its most memorable outings of the last few years. It's curious, however, if Soffer's return to direct in Chicago PD season 14 is connected to Atwater's impeding departure from the series. Like Soffer, Hawkins is an original cast member of the police procedural, so there's a high expectation of how he will be written out. Beyond that, there's also hope that NBC and Wolf Entertainment will do a better job with his exit than they did with Halstead. Chicago P.D. Release Date January 8, 2014 Network NBC Cast Marina Squerciati Kim Burgess