Chicago P.D. fans who have been waiting since the spring to witness the aftermath of the Season 10 finale only have a few weeks left without any new episodes, but the cast of One Chicago's police procedural had something different to celebrate recently. Patrick John Flueger, who has played Officer Adam Ruzek from the first season, turned 40 earlier this month, and his co-stars celebrated his birthday Ghostbusters-style in the Windy City. And honestly, seeing photos of the cast having fun together just makes me cross my fingers all the harder for some good news about Ruzek after the Season 10 finale cliffhanger.
Ruzek's fate after being shot in the Season 10 finale was still unknown when the final credits rolled, and the WGA writers strike followed by the SAG-AFTRA actors strike meant that the resolution didn't come with a fall premiere as per usual for Chicago P.D. Ahead of Season 11's premiere in the 2024 TV schedule, Patrick John Flueger, Marina Squerciati (Officer Kim Burgess), Tracy Spiridakos (Detective Hailey Upton), LaRoyce Hawkins (Officer Kevin Atwater), and former Chicago Med star Nick Gehlfuss (Dr. Will Halstead) had some fun for Flueger's birthday, which Squerciati arranged for her on-screen partner and real-life "bestie." Take a look:
Nothing as lighthearted as a birthday trip to play arcade games and snap pics in the iconic Ghostbusters car – a.k.a. Ecto-1 – can really happen in One Chicago without disaster striking, but that wasn't the case for the actors. According to Marina Squerciati's caption, they all had different strengths, with hers involving cake. Patrick John Flueger is sporting a big smile in front of his birthday cake, and I get a kick out of seeing Nick Gehlfuss in combat gear. After all, Will was not the Halstead brother who regularly suited up for battle in the One Chicago world when Jay was around!
LaRoyce Hawkins posted a comment on Squerciati's photos that is undoubtedly very relatable for Chicago P.D. fans: "#iLoveBurgess." For her part, Tracy Spiridakos also had a bunch of pics to post from Patrick John Flueger's birthday bash:
Spiridakos credited Marina Squerciati with organizing the celebration and Patrick John Flueger for being born, and fans now have a recommendation for the Windy City. Her first photo is especially fun for including all five of the One Chicago actors with big smiles, and I can't help but love the third with Spiridakos in the back of Ecto-1. Her expression is so serious that I could easily imagine this as a still photo from an episode of Chicago P.D., if not for the Ghostbusters logo directly behind her!
And with all of this fun to close out 2023, I have to hope that we get some good news about Ruzek sooner rather than later in the new year. Tracy Spiridakos is the only member of the cast confirmed to leave in Season 11, and Flueger's presence in Chicago obviously bodes well for Ruzek making a recovery. But Burgess' enduring trauma from being shot – which came to a head in the milestone 200th episode – is proof enough that surviving a bullet doesn't mean fully recovering right away.
Whatever happens, Chicago P.D. is by far the darkest of the three One Chicago shows, so I'm going to just enjoy seeing the stars (plus the bonus Chicago Med alum) having fun. P.D. will return for Season 11 on Wednesday, January 17 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following Chicago Fire's Season 12 premiere at 9 p.m. and Chicago Med's Season 9 premiere at 8 p.m.
