August is the time of year when One Chicago fans can usually start to get excited about the upcoming fall returns of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med, but that's not the case in 2023 due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike for better terms with the AMPTP. Stars have taken to the picket lines to support the strike, and that recently involved two former Chicago P.D. costars joining forces. Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer reunited to picket for SAG-AFTRA, and I'm officially missing Upstead all over again.
Spiridakos stars on Chicago P.D. as Detective Hailey Upton, and her primary scene partner for most of her time on the hit drama was Jesse Lee Soffer as Detective Jay Halstead. Upton and Halstead's partnership turned romantic and then eventually into a happy marriage... until Halstead was written off to accommodate Soffer's desire to move on from P.D., and all of the most recent Upstead updates weren't exactly fun. So, seeing the actors back together is a treat, even if it is because of a strike! Take a look as Soffer's Instagram post:
In a fun twist, Jesse Lee Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos aren't the only ones from One Chicago featured, as former Chicago Fire showrunner and Chicago P.D. executive producer Derek Haas joined them. Haas' sign of "The Slow & THE FURIOUS" is a nod to 2 Fast 2 Furious, which Haas wrote and even paid homage to in a Chicago Fire episode. From the poses, it looks like Spiridakos was the one who snapped the photos, and the actress actually posted one on her own Instagram account with the caption "Union strong." Fire actress Kara Killmer also chimed in the comments on Soffer's post with "That is too good, Derek."
While the two stars definitely weren't channeling their Chicago P.D. characters while picketing for SAG-AFTRA, the pictures still made me nostalgic for when the good ship Upstead was sailing strong on the NBC drama. If there has to be an upside to Halstead's departure to return to the army, then his absence did create a storyline that allowed Tracy Spiridakos to shine as Upton going through the heartache, but I know I'm not alone in at least wanting a little more Upstead closure on-screen.
Jesse Lee Soffer did return to Chicago P.D. despite Halstead departing the Windy City after just a few episodes of Season 10, but it wasn't to reprise his role. He came back to his old stomping grounds to direct an episode, which he shared was made easier from years of starring in the show as Jay Halstead. Speaking with CinemaBlend, he shared his reaction to fans asking if he'll ever come back as Jay, and expressed how he's "very grateful that people love the Halstead character so much." I just miss when I was able to ask "What's up with Upstead?" on a regular basis!
Only time will tell if fans do ever get to see Upstead back on screen together; at this point, there's not even any guarantee of when Upton will be back, despite the renewal for Season 11. NBC finally tweaked the fall schedule to push back the expected premieres for the three One Chicago shows as well as most scripted series, with no news of when Chicago P.D. will return to resolve the frustrating Ruzek cliffhanger. For now as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continue, you can always revisit the first ten seasons of the show streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
