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Chicago P.D. is not the same without Jesse Lee Soffer. The actor left the series in 2022 and has yet to reprise his role as Jay Halstead. However, that might be changing in Season 11. Is Jesse Lee Soffer returning to Chicago P.D.? Keep reading to find out.

NBC’s Chicago P.D. is a police procedural that follows the personal and professional lives of officers and detectives at the fictional 21st District of the Chicago Police Department. Created by Dick Wolf, the series first premiered in 2014 and exists within the One Chicago franchise, which includes Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and the now-canceled Chicago Justice.

Jesse Lee Soffer starred on the first 10 seasons of Chicago P.D. as Detective Jay Halstead, a former Army Ranger and the brother of Chicago Med‘s Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss). He is best known for his on-screen relationship with Tracy Spiridakos, who stars as Detective Hailey Upton. Coincidentally, the pair are also reportedly dating off-screen. Soffer exited the show in 2022, explaining to Variety that he left after 10 seasons because he wanted “more” as an actor. “I’ve thought so hard about how to answer this question — and there’s no good answer. Except I was ready for more,” Soffer told the outlet.  “Eventually, you know the character so well, there’s not much that can shift or transform.”

Spiridakos will be following suit and leaving the show at the end of Season 11. Fans have been praying for one last Upstead reunion before her departure, and new behind-the-scenes photos featuring Soffer have us feeling even more hopeful. Read on to see if Jesse Lee Soffer is returning to Chicago P.D. in Season 11.

Is Jesse Lee Soffer returning to Chicago P.D.?

Is Jesse Lee Soffer returning to Chicago P.D.? The answer is yes, but not in the way you’d think. The actor is returning to Chicago P.D. to direct the upcoming 12th episode of Season 11. Soffer revealed the news on his Instagram Story, posting a photo of a sign that read: “Jesse Lee Soffer Prepping Director.” He captioned the post, “Back at it.”

Later, several cast and crew members posted photos of Soffer on set. Spiridakos shared a carousel of photos of the Chicago P.D. family goofing off, including a selfie of Soffer and producer Brian Luce. “This is what happens when you leave your phone unattended around here….” she captioned the post, which also included shots of Patrick John Flueger (who plays Adam Ruzek) and various crew members. Fans flooded her comments section, sharing how excited they were to see her reunite with Soffer, “Yes yes he is backkk 🫶 so happy for him. Thank u for sharing 🥰,” one fan wrote. Another commented: “Jesse😍 miss him on your Insta.” Luce also shared a photo of Soffer sitting in the director’s chair, opting for no caption.

Soffer made his directorial debut in Season 10, shortly after his departure. He directed the episode “Deadlocked,” which saw Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) take the stand for ASA Chapman (Sara Bues) in a high-stakes murder trial against notorious drug kingpin Arturo Morales (Robby Ramos). “It was a really kind of seamless transition. I didn’t really take a break,” he told TV Insider of the experience. “The second I got done working, I think I maybe went back to LA for three or four days and then went back to set and started shadowing right away. So it’s like I never really left.”

It’s still unclear if Soffer will appear in front of the camera for Upton’s farewell, but fans remain hopeful. The last time viewers saw Halstead, he left his wife to take a job tracking down the cartel in Bolivia. It was an abrupt, out-of-character end for Halstead and his relationship. Season 11 has seen Upton grieving the end of her marriage and slowly putting the pieces of her life back together. She also signed and sent divorce papers in the premiere episode, seemingly crushing fans’ dreams of the pair reconciling.

Ahead of the Season 11 premiere, showrunner Gwen Sigan told TVLine that there were no plans to bring back Soffer at that moment, but she did tease: “I never say never.”  With Soffer now on set, it would certainly be easy for him to reprise his role for one last Upstead scene. Additionally, Sigan promised that Upton will get “closure” before she exits in regards to her marriage.

Chicago P.D. airs on NBC on Wednesdays starting at 10 pm EST and streams on Peacock.

Check out what other Chicago P.D. alums are up to today in the gallery below. 

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