For 11 electrifying seasons, Sergeant Hank Voight and the determined members of his elite Intelligence Unit took on violent offenders in the gritty crime drama, Chicago P.D. Featuring Jason Beghe as the team’s tough and fearless leader Voight, the series chronicled the many dangerous cases the unit took on, making its exciting premiere on January 8, 2014. Like its companion shows Chicago Fire and Chicago Med, the long-running drama has captivated audiences all across the world with its courageous character and gripping storylines, plus a large roster of actors.
In 2017, Tracy Spiridakos joined the mega-hit program as the fierce and compassionate Detective Hailey Upton, quickly becoming a fan-favorite and an integral part of the team. After portraying the character for over seven years from 2017 to 2024, Spiridakos departed the popular franchise after the season 11 finale, receiving a bittersweet send-off that both saddened and warmed the hearts of audiences. Let’s check out why Tracy Spiridakos decided to leave Chicago P.D. after season 11.
Chicago P.D.
District 21 of the Chicago Police Department is made up of two distinctly different groups: The uniformed cops who patrol the beat and deal with street crimes, and the intelligence unit, the team that combats the city’s major offenses, such as organized crime, drug trafficking and high-profile murders. Leading the intelligence team is Sgt. Hank Voight, a man not against skirting the law in the pursuit of justice. Demanding and tough, only those who can take the heat survive under Voight’s command. Take Det. Antonio Dawson for example. Despite a troubled history with his boss, Dawson has ambitions of running the unit. If that means facing off against Voight every day, he’ll persevere. From the street cops with dreams of moving up to the elite crew who are already in, “life on the job” is a daily challenge.
- Release Date
- January 8, 2014
- Cast
- Jason Beghe , Marina Squerciati , Patrick John Flueger , LaRoyce Hawkins , Amy Morton , Jesse Lee Soffer , Tracy Spiridakos , Jon Seda
- Seasons
- 11
- Network
- NBC
Who Is Tracy Spiridakos?
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba as Panagiota Spiridakos, future television performer Tracy Spiridakos took to acting at a young age and studied the craft at the Actors Training Centre of Manitoba. Within a month of moving to Vancouver in 2007, Spiridakos was cast in her first official role on television. She portrayed a nurse in an episode of Supernatural, and that same year she landed small parts in Bionic Woman and Aliens in America before nabbing the lead character in the Canadian teen dramedy Majority Rules! in 2009.
Humble Beginnings in Hollywood
Spiridakos starred as teenager-turned-mayor Becky Richards in the youth-oriented Majority Rules! for 26 episodes, and subsequently kept busy with episodic appearances in a variety of shows like Psych and Hellcats. But it wasn’t until 2012 that Spiridakos would lead her first big-budget series, NBC’s post-apocalyptic drama Revolution.
Spiridakos played Charlotte “Charlie” Matheson alongside Billy Burke and Giancarlo Esposito in Revolution, which was made by Eric Kripke (Supernatural, The Boys); she was nominated for a Saturn Award for it. Her final memorable part before joining the Chicago universe in 2017 was as undercover CIA operative Nikki Carpenter in MacGyver, a reboot of the ’80s action-adventure series that featured Lucas Till in the titular role.
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Detective Hailey Upton in Chicago P.D.
Beginning in 2017, Spiridakos joined the fan-favorite police drama Chicago P.D. in the last episodes of its fourth season. Her character, Robbery-Homicide Detective Hailey Upton, joined the tough-as-nails Sergeant Hank Voight’s elite intelligence unit. The actress’ arrival coincided with the departure of her brief co-star Sophia Bush, who was fed up with the series and left after allegedly experiencing on-set harassment and frustrating filming conditions. Spiridakos swiftly filled the void that Bush’s character Erin Lindsay left behind in the Chicago universe, and Upton quickly emerged as one of Voight’s fiercest and most determined detectives.
Chicago’s Crime Fighting Super-Couple
Throughout her time on the gripping show as Detective Upton, Spiridakos helped catch a slew of violent offenders, including dangerous killers, sex traffickers, and corrupt officials, while rescuing innocent lives week-after-week. Fans were thrilled when Upton began a relationship with her partner Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), with their gradual romantic feelings for one another unfolding before viewers’ eyes each episode. While the strong characters eventually get married, they face their fair share of trauma and hurdles, and the departure of Soffer was a huge shock for audiences.
Losing a main character like Soffer isn’t easy, and Spiridakos’ character was left picking up the pieces of her on-screen husband’s departure. While Upton threw herself into case after case in an effort to deal with her absent partner, fans were still left wondering how the fearless detective’s character arc would unfold in his absence. By the time season 11 rolled around (which would be Spiridakos’ final outing on the show), Upton and Halstead have divorced. She begins to ponder her future and decides to leave the unit.
Spiridakos’ Decision to Walk Away from the Drama
When news first broke that Spiridakos would be leaving Chicago P.D. at the conclusion of season 11, fans mourned the departure of both the actress and the strong-willed Detective Hailey Upton. Curious minds wondered if something had happened behind-the-scenes that prompted her decision to walk away from the series, yet that was not the case. Spiridakos opened up to Variety about her choice to say goodbye to Chicago P.D., revealing she spoke to showrunner Gwen Sigan after season 10 to notify them of her decision. The actress expressed:
”
It was a hard decision — very, very hard. I love everybody on the show
— cast, crew, producers, writers, everybody. It’s such an incredible team. I was just curious what was out there for me and wanted to switch it up, and that was it.”
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A Memorable & Meaningful Performance
Spiridakos had nothing but glowing things to say about her fellow cast and crew members, and it appears that she simply wanted to pursue new acting opportunities. After an impressive 140 episode run and over seven-and-a-half years working on Chicago P.D., the actress was grateful to be able to walk away on her own terms, and she was pleased over the send-off Upton received from the Intelligence Unit. She has also not ruled out a potential return to the franchise and raved about the show’s passionate fans, telling Deadline after the finale:
“I would love to reappear, that would be amazing. I love this whole group of people. I think as far as a parting message I would just say thank you to the fans.
Thank you to the Chi-hards for welcoming me into this lovely group of people
. I loved running into people in Chicago who stop and say hi and say how much they love my character and love the work that we’ve done on the show. I’m grateful to all of you.”
Though the season 11 finale marked the final appearance of Spiridakos (at least for now), viewers found a silver-lining in her departure: former star Elias Koteas briefly returned as Detective Alvin Olinksy in the nail-biting episode. Voight’s late right-hand-man and best friend showed up in a vision as the hardened Sergeant battled for his life after being severely wounded, and fans rejoiced when the characters finally reunited on-screen. Spiridakos’ send-off and Koteas’ return was a bittersweet moment that touched both Chi-hards and their former co-stars.
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The Chicago P.D. Family Responds
Fresh off the heels of her final performance as Hailey Upton, Tracy Spiridakos received an outpouring of love and appreciation from her fellow Chicago family. Her former on-screen husband Jesse Lee Soffer took to social media to commend the actress on the work she did in her last episode, calling her “fantastic,” while current stars LaRoyce Hawkins (Kevin Atwater) and Marina Squerciati (Kim Burgess) also both shared tributes to the actress on Instagram following her Chicago exit.
Spiridakos’ Touching Farewell
Showrunner Gwen Sigan also praised Spiridakos for sticking around a full final season, calling her a “class act” after the news of her impending departure first broke in October 2023, shortly after the end of the WGA writers strike. Sigan told CinemaBlend:
”
It was a very classy and king thing to do to give us an entire season
. It’s so rare that you get that. I mean, it’s a rare thing on either end, that you have that much time to prepare like that. And so it just made it such a nice season to be able to arc it out and to be able to talk with her and get to do the stories that I still wanted to do with her. It was very nice.”
Watch Upton Say Goodbye and Leave Chicago
Though fans of both the show and Spiridakos will miss her powerful and admirable potrayal of Hailey Upton, they will no doubt be watching closely at what new projects the talented actress tackles in the next phase of her career. With over 17 years in the entertainment business, Spiridakos has showcased her dynamic range over and over again and has proven herself to be quite the powerhouse presence on-screen. As she looks towards the future and says goodbye to Chicago P.D., Spiridakos reflected on what her experience with the drama meant to her and what it taught her, telling Yahoo News:
“This show, this group of people, this cast, and our producers, and everybody
have helped me really find my confidence as an actor,
to feel that my voice is being heard when I have a thought about something, an opinion about something […] I have really found my voice as an actor without feeling that I’m going to offend anybody, or without necessarily feeling that I’m going to step on anyone’s toes.”
She never stepped on our toes, but we’ll certainly miss the dramatic weight and presence she brought to Chicago P.D. The season 11 finale of Chicago P.D. aired May 22, 2024, the same night that the season 12 finale of Chicago Fire saw Eamonn Walker step away from the show as Wallace Boden. You can stream any episode below.
