One Chicago is on the way back to NBC's Wednesday nights this fall in the 2024 TV schedule, but the big question about Chicago P.D. for months has been who would join the Intelligence Unit to replace Upton, if anybody, after Tracy Spiridakos' exit in the Season 11 finale. Now, the latest on Season 12 is that a new series regular has been added to the cop drama, and it's an intriguing casting with a One Chicago alum returning... but not who I was expecting.
Chicago P.D.'s Newest Series Regular
Warrior Nun actress Toya Turner has been cast as a new series regular for Chicago P.D. in Season 12, according to TVLine, and she joins a cast consisting of Jason Beghe, LaRoyce Hawkins, Marina Squerciati, Patrick John Flueger, Amy Morton, and Benjamin Levy Aguilar. Turner will play a patrol officer by the name of Yara Page who loves the adrenaline of the CPD and doesn't shy away from chaos, which certainly could make her a good fit for the stresses of the Intelligence Unit.
One Chicago fans may recognize her from guest roles in Chicago Fire Season 2 and Chicago Med Season 2, and she wasn't playing Officer Page in either. One Chicago is similar to Law & Order when it comes to actors playing more than one character! I'm optimistic about getting to see Toya Turner in a more substantial role than her one-off appearances in Fire and Med, and I liked her in her recurring role as Gabrielle in the last two seasons of New Amsterdam.
But my initial reaction to seeing the casting news was actually surprise, because if Chicago P.D. was going to add a new regular for Season 12, I was definitely expecting somebody else.
Why I Expected More Of Jo Petrovic
Chicago P.D. cast Bojana Novakovic to recur in the second half of Season 11 and paired her primarily with Upton, and the two had just enough similarities as well as some key differences that it felt like she was being set up as Upton's replacement in Season 12. Petrovic brought expertise to Intelligence as a member of CPD's Special Victims Unit, and last season went so far as to establish her backstory and set her up for what felt like a potential ongoing arc. Plus, she's a detective, and Intelligence no longer has any detectives following Upton's departure.
If you'd asked me prior to the Toya Turner news, I would have bet that Novakovic would be on board full-time come fall 2024 rather than a newcomer. Of course, the new patrol officer joining intelligence doesn't mean that Detective Petrovic won't recur or appear as a guest in Season 12. We can only wait and see at this point. As for the shortage of detectives, I'm hoping to see Atwater finally get that promotion. I'm also hoping that Benjamin Levy Aguilar appears in more episodes of Season 12 than Season 11 now that the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike are no longer factors in production.
Chicago P.D. Season 12 premieres on Wednesday, September 25 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following (as usual) Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET. If you want to revisit some older episodes and/or check out Toya Turner's episodes of Fire and Med, you can find all three One Chicago shows streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription now.
