Chicago PD season 10 is failing, and only Hank Voight can fix it. What was supposed to be a milestone year for the One Chicago police procedural has been bittersweet thus far. Not long after Chicago PD season 10 kicked off, it had to say goodbye to Jesse Lee Soffer’s Jay Halstead, who was an original cast member. Halstead’s exit aside, Chicago PD‘s storytelling has been widely criticized thanks to character-specific episodes that fail to resonate as much as previous seasons. In addition, Chicago PD has been suffering from some series low ratings, and that situation needs to be remedied fast.
The One Chicago franchise is not new to a rotating cast. Several actors have left all three shows under the banner, and some of those were cast members for many years prior to leaving. However, the Halstead Chicago PD exit was especially bad. Not only did Chicago PD ruin the character, but the police procedural has also been aimless with its storytelling since Halstead left. Luckily, there is one way to fix Chicago PD season 10’s failures, and it all starts with Hank Voight.
Voight Is Chicago PD’s Central Character
Much like every One Chicago series, Chicago PD is an ensemble show. That means every detective, officer, and even Sergeant Trudy Platt gets their own narratives to make the series more interesting. However, Voight is clearly the leader of the Chicago PD pack. In earlier seasons of the series, Voight’s professional duties were balanced with his personal life. He also had to deal with Chicago politics after he struck a deal to bring down crime lords in the city. Before Sophia Bush exited in Chicago PD season 4, she functioned as an intersection for Voight’s two worlds, since their relationship goes beyond working together.
Despite many cast changes over the years, Voight has remained the true leader of Chicago PD, and NBC needs to emphasize that moving forward. Instead of sidelining Voight, only bringing him out to bark orders and call the shots during stings, he needs to act as the team’s chief and ensure that Intelligence, as a unit, is stronger than ever. Voight is the only one who can round out the crew – something Chicago PD desperately needs after doing a lot of character-based stories that failed to convey the camaraderie of the squad and the chemistry of the cast.
Chicago PD Is Best When Intelligence Is Tested Morally
NBC has tried to ensure that Chicago PD tackles the sensitive but important subject of brutal policing in the U.S. Mixed with racial and societal issues, the Dick Wolf TV show had to make a conscious effort to address the matter. That meant shying away from Voight’s brutal, and sometimes illegal, ways to secure justice. However, Chicago PD is best when it tests Intelligence morally, and Voight is the definition of morally gray. He essentially admitted this to ASA Nina Chapman. Instead of shying away from it, the police procedural should lean on this complicated aspect of the character and use it in its storytelling.
Chicago PD has done this in the past, and it created a fascinating dynamic within Intelligence. For the longest time, Halstead not only functioned as Intelligence’s deputy leader, he was also its moral center, effectively pitting him against Voight. Before Antonio Dawson left Chicago PD, this was his role. Now, it seems likely that Kevin Atwater will take it over. There is also Hailey Upton, who has shown the same brutality as her boss after she set up the brutal murder of Darius Walker for the death of her criminal informant. Meanwhile, Adam Ruzek has the hallmarks of an old-school policeman in terms of loyalty and camaraderie.
Voight Needs To Play Chicago PD Politics Again
Chicago PD‘s storytelling becomes more interesting when it is mixed with the political inner workings of the Windy City. Seeing Voight deal with high-ranking officials such as Brian Kelton and famous personalities like Ray Price in previous seasons highlights just how connected he is. It also opens up new storytelling opportunities than just going after gangs and traffickers. The Chicago PD season 10 Intelligence twist attempted to do something similar when the team went up against CPD Chief Patrick O’Neal for investigating his son. Sadly, that power struggle ended way too soon after the older O’Neal took his own life while attempting to murder his troubled kid.
Moving forward, Chicago PD season 10 needs to reincorporate the dirty world of politics into its narrative. Perhaps there is more to explore in the burgeoning partnership between Chapman and Voight. Maybe the new CPD Chief has some skeletons in the closet. Whatever it is, NBC needs more of these overarching storylines to break the monotony of the police procedural, and Voight can make that happen.
Chicago PD season 10 airs Wednesdays on NBC.
