On “Chicago P.D.,” Jesse Lee Soffer is surrendering his badge. Variety can exclusively reveal that Soffer’s tenth season will be his final. Since the NBC series’ premiere in 2014, the actor has played Det. Jay Halstead showing up in all 187 episodes. He’s going to leave sometime in the fall.
“I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support during the past 10 years and want to express my deepest gratitude to Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my fellow castmates and our incredible crew,” he said in a statement to Variety on Monday. “To create this hour drama week after week has been a labour of love by everyone who touches the show. I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead.”
One of Wolf’s nine presently airing shows, “Chicago P.D.,” has undergone numerous changes recently, both in front of and behind the camera. Sigan, a writer and executive producer, took over as showrunner in October after Eid left to concentrate on his directing duties for “Law & Order” and “FBI.”
The Season 9 finale guest star Benjamin Levy Aguilar was also promoted to series regular during the summer. He will return to the role of Dante Torres, an intelligence rookie who just finished a patrol. Additionally included are Marina Squerciati, Patrick Flueger, LaRoyce Hawkins, and Amy Morton.
Soffer, who has been performing since he was six years old, made his acting debut as Jay Halstead in the “Chicago Fire” Season 2 opener, which resulted in the first spinoff series. He had a major role on “As the World Turns” before joining the “One Chicago” universe, appearing in 502 episodes and receiving three Daytime Emmy nods.
UTA, Ethos Entertainment, and Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams are his agents.
Produced by Universal Television in collaboration with Wolf Entertainment, “Chicago P.D.” Executive producers include Wolf, Sigan, Eid, Haas, Jankowski, Brandt, Gavin Harris, Chad Saxton, and Arthur W. Forney.
On September 21 at 10 p.m. ET, NBC will air the season 10 debut.
Jesse Lee Soffer Final Chicago PD Episodes Are Previewed
Following the announcement that Jesse Lee Soffer’s final season of the NBC cop drama will be season 10, Chicago PD has released a first look at his final episodes.
The details of when and how Soffer will leave his role as Detective Jay Halstead are yet unknown, but it appears from one of the new pictures that Jay and his wife Hailey Upton (played by Tracy Spiridakos) are seen sitting in the car together, and they’re both wearing somewhat sombre expressions.
Could this be Jay’s attempt to inform his wife that he will no longer be working for the District 12 Police Department?
There’s still time for some action, though, as another scene shows #Upstead keeping their rifles ready while standing either side of a door with bullet holes. He shared in a statement: “I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support over the past 10 years and want to express my deepest gratitude to Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my fellow cast members, and our incredible crew. The heartbreaking news of his Soffer’s departure arrived via Variety.
“To create this hour drama week after week has been a labour of love by everyone who touches the show. I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead.” Shortly after, Spiridakos, the actor’s on-screen spouse, issued a statement of her own discussing the departure of her partner in crime. The actress posted a heartfelt message to Instagram with the comment, “Jesse, what can I say, you’re the absolute best. We appreciate your generosity, wisdom, and friendship.
