Chicago PD in the Media

[CheshireCat]

9 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

 

If Seda was telling the truth, then I expect to see Dawson back and he'll take Erin's desk.  He can be Voight's new favorite.

I read elsewhere that Seda's tweets have indicated that he won't be back. I don't follow him on twitter so I don't know if it's true.

 

9 hours ago, Chas411 said:

I do think it's weird that only Derek has confirmed it. NBC and Sophia have declined to comment and other then Jesse liking Derek's tweet no other cast mates have commented. I get she's on holiday but it doesn't feel like a normal exit with interviews, a goodbye tweet or Instagram post and love for the cast/crew etc etc. Unless maybe she's coming back for the premiere to wrap things up..

It feels like the "there is some trouble behind the scenes and I would have liked to stay but not under these conditions" exits that I've seen. They usually happen like this - it gets leaked, confirmation isn't immediate and if we're lucky, there's a statement by the actor/actress leaving (and that'll say "I had a good time and wish everyone well and am looking forward to new projects) or there's nothing until much later.

From my experience, only the exits that are long-term planned and mutual are the ones with goodbye tweets and interviews.

[FnkyChkn34]

He doesn't tweet much, and this is the only one I see.  He may still go back to PD; he just can't say anything yet.  Who knows.

 

EDIT:  Well now, why didn't my link work...?  Trying again...

Edited May 26, 2017 by FnkyChkn34

[lonestar]

I for one am happy to see Bush leave the show. I hope they get rid of the character's mother as well.

[Guildford]

8 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

It feels like the "there is some trouble behind the scenes and I would have liked to stay but not under these conditions" exits that I've seen. They usually happen like this - it gets leaked, confirmation isn't immediate and if we're lucky, there's a statement by the actor/actress leaving (and that'll say "I had a good time and wish everyone well and am looking forward to new projects) or there's nothing until much later.

From my experience, only the exits that are long-term planned and mutual are the ones with goodbye tweets and interviews.

It definitely does feel like all is not right BTS, but it's all just speculation really. I still think that may explain the shambolic writing in the last few episodes though.

On another note......some people need to step away from social media, take a deep breath and go out and get some VitaminD.....all that carry on about Marina posting a photo of Jesse, Paddy & Torrey was pathetic. 

[FnkyChkn34]

21 minutes ago, Guildford said:

It definitely does feel like all is not right BTS, but it's all just speculation really. I still think that may explain the shambolic writing in the last few episodes though.

On another note......some people need to step away from social media, take a deep breath and go out and get some VitaminD.....all that carry on about Marina posting a photo of Jesse, Paddy & Torrey was pathetic. 

I agree about the writing, and I was thinking that Jay's story about his wife was only created to make fans dislike him so the break up would be easier on fans. 

I saw that on instagram too. People be crazy. 

[CheshireCat]

3 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I agree about the writing, and I was thinking that Jay's story about his wife was only created to make fans dislike him so the break up would be easier on fans. 

 

I think they had this one planned one way or another. Derek Haas hinted at it pretty early on, back in December or January. If Bush's exit wasn't planned long-term then they probably didn't know that she was leaving back then.

[FnkyChkn34]

I'm guessing she knew she was leaving about then. That's when they went dark on social media for a while and they all hinted at the changed stories. Kinda adds up, in my opinion. 

[Guildford]

19 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

I think they had this one planned one way or another. Derek Haas hinted at it pretty early on, back in December or January. If Bush's exit wasn't planned long-term then they probably didn't know that she was leaving back then.

I am sure they had the Linstead angst planned all along, every couple needs drama right? but then had to change direction quickly towards the end of the season and it wasn't particularly well executed. (even as a Lindsay hater I can acknowledge that).

Perhaps if she was staying the focus may have been on Halstead and his PTSD more in the later episodes...let's hope they revisit that next season. I hope the proposal nonsense was not a set up to seeing him wallowing in misery for the majority of next season because these characters have depressing enough lives as it is.

[Chas411]

I'd say hell wallow and argue with Voight for a few episodes and then they'll go back to normal. I'm surprised they're not bringing back Amtonio especially with their being a spot now that Bush is gone. I guess they must want to leave it open for now or introduce another female/add Upton full time. 

If they do add another female I've no doubt that Jay will be with her by the end of the season just because if they're both young and good looking then I don't think the show will be able to resist.

[Chas411]

https://onechicagocenter.com/2017/05/27/chicago-pd-sophia-bush-replacements/amp/6/

Not a great lineup but Seda and Sprikados seem the most obvious choices..

[FnkyChkn34]

Seda definitely makes the most sense. 

Has anyone official, either from the show or Sophia herself, confirmed it? At this point, no one has denied it, so I'm sure it's true, but I was just wondering. 

[CheshireCat]

I haven't come across anything.

[Chas411]

NBC and Bush have remained tight lipped as have the cast which makes me think there's a gag order (I think that's what it's called?) and they can't talk about it until NBC figure out a gameplan... Or it's just a holiday weekend and nobody was bothered :)

Sophia is at a film festival promoting Acts of Violence this weekend so I reckon we'll get confirmation before then. 

I kind of think they're dragging it out a bit. It could be because they're trying to negotiate a guest appearance but I think if someone had just confirmed it everyone would be over it by now or at least coming around. The radio silence is just lulling fans into thinking it's not happening and they're still negotiating her return full time ( i spent a few hours on tumblr and Twitter today so am up to speed on all the crazy and not so crazy fan stuff). The loss is already going to have an impact on the show but I definetly think it's being made worse by not saying anything to fans of her character (the dislike for her here is quite vocal but there's no denying she's a definite fan favourite). 

Edited May 29, 2017 by Chas411

[CheshireCat]

57 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

NBC and Bush have remained tight lipped as have the cast which makes me think there's a gag order (I think that's what it's called?) and they can't talk about it until NBC figure out a gameplan...

Networks don't usually remain quiet until they have a gameplan. When it gets out, it usually gets out, and there's a statement by the networks which says they wish the leaving actor all the best, a statement by the actor which says they'll remain friends with the cast and working was fun and everyone moves on. From what I've seen, gag orders usually apply to the details and reasons.

 

57 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

I kind of think they're dragging it out a bit. It could be because they're trying to negotiate a guest appearance but I think if someone had just confirmed it everyone would be over it by now or at least coming around. The radio silence is just lulling fans into thinking it's not happening and they're still negotiating her return full time ( i spent a few hours on tumblr and Twitter today so am up to speed on all the crazy and not so crazy fan stuff). The loss is already going to have an impact on the show but I definetly think it's being made worse by not saying anything to fans of her character (the dislike for her here is quite vocal but there's no denying she's a definite fan favourite). 

I understand the speculation. It definitely is weird that there hasn't been an official acknowledgement. Bush, and the rest of the cast, I understand. They're on vacation and may not want to bother with it right now. The network is odd. It definitely sounds like it got out long before NBC wanted it to get out (not least because it's their cliffhanger). Something does seem to be up. And even if they hoped not to announce until they have secured a replacement, the cat's out of the bag now.

Issuing a statement saying they're hoping Bush will make a guest appearance to close the story (if that's what they want) and/or saying they're negotiating with replacements (using whatever terms a network would use to say so if that were the case) would make a lot more sense.

[Chas411]

The holiday weekend is over so I reckon we'll get confirmation today or tomorrow at the latest.

Unless they actually aren't saying anything because it'll ruin the "cliffhanger" and in that case they must be dumber then we thought. Even before her departure was announced it was obvious that the finale was her last episode. They should have given her a better exit with proper closure rather then making a balls of it for the sake of a cliffhanger that nobody bought anyway.

[FnkyChkn34]

7 hours ago, Chas411 said:

...They should have given her a better exit with proper closure rather then making a balls of it for the sake of a cliffhanger that nobody bought anyway.

I think that might be one of the problems - the articles I read all said that a guest appearance to wrap up her storyline is very possible.  So that might be what they are waiting for?  I have no idea. :-)

[Guildford]

I think it was a shambles because it was a last minute thing and obviously the writers couldn't think on their feet.

They couldn't keep doing a 'oh look Erin is leaving Intelligence' story again & not have her actually leave and they didn't have time to wrap it up properly hence the rumoured 'guest appearance' 

[Chas411]

i assume the guest appearance is exactly why nobody is saying anything but I really don't think that's a great move. I think at the very least they should confirm her exit and maybe try generate some excitement over who will replace her or something. Dragging this on is just giving people hope she'll be back full time which will only make he disappointment bigger once they confirm that's not the case.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Chas411

[FnkyChkn34]

I agree that they need to make an official statement, guest appearance or not.  From the looks of her Instagram, she's back in LA today, so maybe she'll line up an interview or something.

[Chas411]

Still no word - I'm honestly starting to think that they still think the cliffhanger is believable and are going to drag this out until the premiere.

[CheshireCat]

31 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

Still no word - I'm honestly starting to think that they still think the cliffhanger is believable and are going to drag this out until the premiere.

I don't think that any network has ever successfully done that. Usually word gets out when they start filming again the latest because fans see who's there and who isn't, people hear things, stuff leaks. But negotiations can drag on, so if they're really negotiating for closure/guest appearances then that can go on until right before they start filming.

If I had to guess, I'd say Bush isn't allowed to give a statement until NBC says she can. I have no idea why NBC isn't giving a statement though. Silence is always weird and suspicious.

[FnkyChkn34]

I agree the silence is weird and suspicious.  Do you think that there is a chance that her departure is not consensual, but one or the other really wants her to stay?  Maybe negotiations are still happening, and one party leaked her departure prematurely as a negotiation tactic?  "Well, if the media finds out she's leaving, then she has to leave..."  I don't know; I've never seen (or at least paid attention to) a departure like this on one of my favorite shows before.  

[Chas411]

I definetly think she's leaving by choice because if she wasn't going NBC would be the first to deny it... I also think their contracts run longer then four years so I'd say she's breaking it and that's what ongoing negotiations may be about. 

Then again the "cliffhanger" was based on her going so it's really really hard to tell what they're aiming for. I think if she is going and they're not saying anything then they're just making it worse as people are now starting to think she's staying.

[FnkyChkn34]

She's been getting a lot of flak about her political views and outspokenness.  I can fathom a world where NBC wants her out and she wants to stay.  I mean... why not?  At this point, anything could be the truth.

[Chas411]

It's possible and the fact that she's been outspoken that there's difficult male costars to work with definetly hints that all hasn't been rosy. I just don't get why they'd want to make the situation worse by not commenting on it or putting a gag order on everyone.

Its weird.. I've never seen this situation before or maybe I have and just can't remember. 

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I agree the silence is weird and suspicious.  Do you think that there is a chance that her departure is not consensual, but one or the other really wants her to stay?  Maybe negotiations are still happening, and one party leaked her departure prematurely as a negotiation tactic?  "Well, if the media finds out she's leaving, then she has to leave..."  I don't know; I've never seen (or at least paid attention to) a departure like this on one of my favorite shows before.  

I've seen a few leads/favorite characters leave shows prematurely/surprisingly and I've seen a couple of actress thrown off a show, one of them a lead. That one was Castle and that was something else entirely.

Bush's exit is strange. The cliffhanger suggests they knew it was likely, so either she made a comment expressing her desire to leave or that her contract was up, but the silence suggests they don't want her to go and are still trying to negotiate something. Whatever that may be.

The two times that I've seen actresses leave due to contract disputes, there were statements by the network and actresses. But they came out rather late (some time in June, if I'm not entirely mistaken). I would assume because they were negotiating for as long as they could. So, premature leaking is not impossible. Also possible is that contract negotiations have reached an impasse and one side considers negotiations to be over while the other side is still exploring their options/trying to get the other party back to the table. If I had to guess, I'd say that if the exit was already final then they'd already have put out a statement. Even when the whole Castle mess happened, the network didn't remain silent for so long and that certainly was something that warranted crawling under a rock ;-) But maybe the lack of a statement has other reasons; there was a lot of shuffling behind the scenes, so maybe that is the reason there is no statement yet and not something that is related to Bush/her exit.

The only thing that I would rule out at this point is that NBC wanted her off the show. They'd be foolish to. On the other hand, if they felt a breach of contract happened... But if that were the case, there's no reason to delay a statement. So, as you can tell, the lack of a statement is weird. ;-)

[dreamcatcher]

On 5/26/2017 at 1:12 AM, Chas411 said:

I definetly think she was disillusioned by NBC and the show as of late going by her tweets. Add the apparent drama with sexist costar and all must not have been as well behind the scenes as we'd have think. 

I'd say they only decided this lately. I'd say the cliffhanger was written on the offchance she'd stay. 

I hate being ~that kind of fan but I'm not sure I'll watch without her. She was the main reason I started watching and it was her relationships with everyone that kept me interested. I don't have much interest in seeing a new female come in (possible Upton) just to take over her storylines. 

On another note Guilford you must be delighted :)

Honestly,this is probably the first time i'm also feeling this way. I stopped watching tvd after Nina's departure too, but that was mostly because i thought the show sucked anyway. I don't know i feel so bad about her leaving, but i do. She is the only reason i started watching this show in the first place. Plus, they never carry out any storylines so im not that invested into the other characters.

[BellyLaughter]

Wait! It's not official that she is leaving yet??  Perhaps NBC are still working on getting her to stay - at least for a handful of episodes to close things out for the character....the silence is really weird.  I just assumed it was a done deal....*stupid me for thinking TVLine would only run with a story like this if it were a done deal!! lol  

 

*Rookie error by a non-rookie.

[Xeliou66]

It's a weird situation for sure, very strange how both NBC and Sophia have been so quiet about everything. I think there is a gag order in place until the situation is resolved, I don't think either party wants any bad publicity. I have a feeling NBC isn't happy with Sophia's constant political tirades, and it also sounds like that there are feuds between Sophia and a couple of the male cast members, and that the set isn't as pleasant as they want us to believe. 

I think that the show will be improved without Erin Lindsay though, she has gotten a ton of personal stories even though she's an unlikable, whiny character who only gets away with crap cause she's Voight's favorite, while the most interesting characters, such as Olinsky, Ruzek and Atwater get very little in most episodes. I hope they get more now that Lindsay is gone, and I hope they bring back Antonio as he is a nice counterbalance to Voight and his torture happy minions. I wish they would shake things up by demoting Voight and making Antonio the boss and having Voight and company have to adjust to having to go more by the book and not being able to torture suspects. That would be very interesting, but I don't think the writers are smart enough to do it. 

All that being said, I am glad to see Lindsay leaving, a crappy cop and crybaby who I got tired of a long them ago. 

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, BellyLaughter said:

Wait! It's not official that she is leaving yet??  Perhaps NBC are still working on getting her to stay - at least for a handful of episodes to close things out for the character....the silence is really weird.  I just assumed it was a done deal....*stupid me for thinking TVLine would only run with a story like this if it were a done deal!! lol  

 

*Rookie error by a non-rookie.

I don't recall the TV Line story but whoever wrote the Deadline story (which is where TV Line got it from) used "I hear" a lot. Basically for everything - "I hear she is leaving", "I hear it was her decision" etc. Official stories usually include a quote of some sort.

 

Interesting side note - Derek Haas is out, too. He tweeted the other day that he's only doing Fire this year. So, that's Olmstead and Haas out of Chicago, Brandt out of Fire and a couple directors out of Fire, too, plus Bush (possibly) out and any of the six characters left in the burning house on Fire could be written off, too.

[dreamcatcher]

7 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

It's a weird situation for sure, very strange how both NBC and Sophia have been so quiet about everything. I think there is a gag order in place until the situation is resolved, I don't think either party wants any bad publicity. I have a feeling NBC isn't happy with Sophia's constant political tirades, and it also sounds like that there are feuds between Sophia and a couple of the male cast members, and that the set isn't as pleasant as they want us to believe. 

I think that the show will be improved without Erin Lindsay though, she has gotten a ton of personal stories even though she's an unlikable, whiny character who only gets away with crap cause she's Voight's favorite, while the most interesting characters, such as Olinsky, Ruzek and Atwater get very little in most episodes. I hope they get more now that Lindsay is gone, and I hope they bring back Antonio as he is a nice counterbalance to Voight and his torture happy minions. I wish they would shake things up by demoting Voight and making Antonio the boss and having Voight and company have to adjust to having to go more by the book and not being able to torture suspects. That would be very interesting, but I don't think the writers are smart enough to do it. 

All that being said, I am glad to see Lindsay leaving, a crappy cop and crybaby who I got tired of a long them ago. 

Honestly, I don't think it would be all that interesting. All the other procedurals are doing stuff by the books (or at least by the made-for-tv rules) so there's no point in turning cpd into something it's not. As for the other characters having fullfiling storylines, it had nothing to do with Erin. Linstead was the no1 focus and both of them had unfinished storylines AND crappy storylines that made no sense as a couple. Just like Olinsky's family stories, Atwater's completely forgotten family issues, Halstead's ptsd and everything in between, the writers are the problem and that's not going to change any time soon.

[Chas411]

Beghe said that it was going to be a whole new show this season which makes me think they're panicking and trying to sell the multiple departures as an exciting Reboot to the show.

Either way I don't think Bushs departure will add to Olinksky, Atwater or Ruzeks screentime.

i reckon all the storylines will go to Jay, Burgess and whoever the female they have replace Lindsey is (possibly Upton). I don't think the format will change all that much. 

[Guildford]

As long as they don't have whoever they choose to focus on have one miserable depressing storyline after another & shove it down out throats every second week it's got to be an improvement.

That being said, I do think they will share the storylines out a little more this year.....and that is based on nothing but a wild guess (tinged with hope)

[quesera1]

I'm finding this entire debacle SO frustrating as a fan of the show. It's kind of insulting to their viewers to just completely ignore a piece of news (or gossip) that has been out for nearly two weeks and has been reported all over the internet. I get that there are behind-the-scenes things to consider and iron out, but for everyone involved to be completely silent is strange.

And I wholeheartedly agree with what others have said... keeping mum absolutely gives people false hope. Not going to lie, I fall under this umbrella myself. It absolutely baffles me how upset I am about this (an actress/character leaving a TV show.... it's nothing new, but I guess it sucks more when it's one of your favourites, from a favourite show, and a favourite TV coupling). But the whole thing has been on my mind ever since the first "announcement" from Deadline. I'm pretty confident that it's true (unfortunately), but when I hear nothing from a legitimate source with actual quotes from people in the know, I start thinking that maybe it's a rumour that just got WAY out of hand.

I mean, maybe she is actually going to stay, but the show wanted people to really believe in their storyline this time, and actually think Lindsay was leaving the unit/Chicago, so someone "let it slip" to reinforce that with their audience. And then when it totally blew up online they realized they messed up and have been trying to figure out how to handle it? Unlikely. (But even then, SAY SOMETHING!!!!!!)

Clearly unlike others I am a huge Sophia Bush fan, a huge Erin Lindsay fan, a huge #Linstead fan, and a huge Chicago PD fan.  Part of me wants to just quit the show, but I'm curious how they will handle it, and I do love a lot of the other characters (unfortunately if this plays out it will probably totally damage my favourites... poor Halstead). I truly hope if she is leaving that one--they find a way to resolve her exit that leaves the fans happy (I don't know that I could handle a permanent break-up from my favourite partnership.... romantic and otherwise), and two--Sophia is willing to come back for an occasional appearance.

WHY OH WHY do I care so much about a TV show!?!

[Chas411]

I think the overall tone of the show is changing - there doesn't seem to be any plans for crossovers this year so far which given how they loved promoting them last year feels off. I think NBC is pulling away from the franchise given the Justice cancellation and relegation of Med to midseason.

I could buy the rumours being just rumours if there wasn't total radio silence from everyone including all cast members. I definetly think there's a gag order in place. I also think Sophia's outspokenness about potential sexism within the cast is a huge red flag that all wasn't well especially since she put it out there for everyone to read. She didn't name the costar which leads to everyone guessing who it could be and hurting any innocent parties reputation. I don't see why she would do that unless she was just done with it all. 

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, quesera1 said:

Clearly unlike others I am a huge Sophia Bush fan, a huge Erin Lindsay fan, a huge #Linstead fan, and a huge Chicago PD fan.  Part of me wants to just quit the show, but I'm curious how they will handle it, and I do love a lot of the other characters (unfortunately if this plays out it will probably totally damage my favourites... poor Halstead). I truly hope if she is leaving that one--they find a way to resolve her exit that leaves the fans happy (I don't know that I could handle a permanent break-up from my favourite partnership.... romantic and otherwise), and two--Sophia is willing to come back for an occasional appearance.

WHY OH WHY do I care so much about a TV show!?!

No... I'm with you.  I like Sophia Bush and the character of Lindsay.  Also a Linstead fan.  I've said this before, but I started watching PD after the crossover with Severide's "hit and run" accident, and then binge watched all previous seasons after I fell in love with Jay and Erin.  Halstead is my favorite character, so I'm also leery of what will happen to him now.  

I'm sure I'll tune in for the first few episodes to see the "new" show, but who knows if I'll continue to be as avid a viewer as I was.  I'd like to see Antonio back, and Jay's character not ruined.  I'd also like to see more Atwater and Olinsky, and less Burzek and Burgess.  Ruzek on his own is usually tolerable, but his ego is just too much so if that could be toned down, he'd be a better character in my opinion.

[quesera1]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

No... I'm with you.  I like Sophia Bush and the character of Lindsay.  Also a Linstead fan.  I've said this before, but I started watching PD after the crossover with Severide's "hit and run" accident, and then binge watched all previous seasons after I fell in love with Jay and Erin.  Halstead is my favorite character, so I'm also leery of what will happen to him now.  

I'm sure I'll tune in for the first few episodes to see the "new" show, but who knows if I'll continue to be as avid a viewer as I was.  I'd like to see Antonio back, and Jay's character not ruined.  I'd also like to see more Atwater and Olinsky, and less Burzek and Burgess.  Ruzek on his own is usually tolerable, but his ego is just too much so if that could be toned down, he'd be a better character in my opinion.

I love Jay as well, and I hate how the writers have basically thrown his character under the bus this past season. I have no idea where they will take him without Erin, because 97% of his storylines are tied to her. They had an amazing opportunity with the whole PTSD thing (NOT the wife thing, ugh), and they just cast that aside (and it would be pretty weird to have Lindsay leave and then suddenly revert back to this abandoned storyline). Seriously we know so little about him. Tell us more about his family (we have learned more from Will's storylines on Med in 2 seasons than we did over 4 seasons of PD), tell us more about his time in the military (we know there are things haunting him, again, they threw away so many opportunities with Mouse!), tell us more!! What makes him so great (aside from the sheer hotness of Jesse Lee Soffer) is that he acts as the moral compass of the show. With so many of the characters (Voight, Lindsay, Olinsky especially) walking a fine line between what is right and wrong, it's so refreshing to have this character that gets it and wants to do the right thing. (Antonio used to fill this role in the unit, but that slowly slipped away, and now he's gone.... it would be great to have Antonio back and team him up with Jay). The unit needs that goodness to counterbalance all of the shady things they do. (Also I must say it's a really sucky situation for Jesse Lee Soffer -- he will go from more of a main role with so much additional screen time because of Linstead, and how it impacts Voight, etc., to possibly becoming more of a supporting player.... all because of someone else's decision. Not Sophia's doing, just the writers for basically writing him into a corner).

I like Ruzek most when he's the comic relief. I like Burgess as well, but I must admit I will be super disappointed if losing Linstead means we get Burzek shoved down our throats. And Atwater, oh Atwater I want to see more of you!! I say we know so little about Jay, but heck, we know next to nothing about Atwater!!! I love him, give us more on his background!

Anyway, my most realistic hope for Linstead is this (again, assuming everything is true and Sophia is actually leaving): Erin calls Jay, or shows up at Molly's, they talk, they tell each other how much they care for and love each other (maybe Jay even mentions he was thinking of proposing and laughs about how crazy she made him), but they acknowledge that this is not their time. So they break up (breaking our hearts along with theirs) and utter the words they have said before -- "one day." Then Jay's main focus is work, becoming Voight's right-hand man (we have already seen this start to develop), and maybe see some of him dealing with his PTSD. We don't see any of his dating life, if there is anything to see, because we know he will always love Erin and is essentially waiting for their "one day." Then whenever they announce the show ending, Sophia comes back (I sincerely hope she will do this for the fans) and we get a small arc of them coming back together and then living happily ever after..... Please?!

I just hate that they are essentially going to be forced to break them up (unless they get married and have a long-distance marriage sort of like that couple they talked about a few episodes back.... part of me wonders if/hopes they planted that conversation to lead up to a way of handling Sophia's departure?). Until the PTSD/wife junk they were a solid, loving, supportive couple. Even when that crap storyline happened they obviously still loved each other, and the characters themselves acknowledged that. It's just so far off for her to suddenly just ditch him all for her sorry excuse for a mother. It makes no sense.

Clearly I have spent far too much time thinking about this....

Apologies for my long-winded rant....... it's been two weeks and I still keep thinking about it. I'm driving my husband (who doesn't even watch the show lol) insane with this, so you get to hear it instead.

Edited June 7, 2017 by quesera1

[MakeMeLaugh]

+1 on liking Sophia Bush and her character. I think PD and Fire have by far the strongest actors and also the most storyline possibilities, not being bound to one location like Med is, in whatever part of a hospital that show pretends they work in (Med also completely wastes its strongest actor, S. Epatha Merkerson, but I digress). Show should dump Med completely and move Merkerson into Fire (perhaps in an EMT supervisory role) and have more crossovers with PD--I would so love for her and Amy "Trudy" Morton to share scenes.

I am hoping Erin returns, and Kim, and new blonde. It wouldn't bother me if Ruzek or even Atwater left (my unpopular opinion--I love Atwater but the writers obviously don't) --their rookie copness has worn off so we don't need two of them.; new blonde can play rookie cop for a couple of years. Replace him with Jon Seda whose role should be turned into Voight's alterego and equal.

Edited June 7, 2017 by MakeMeLaugh

[FnkyChkn34]

37 minutes ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

(Med also completely wastes its strongest actor, S. Epatha Merkerson, but I digress).

Just a quick off topic note - totally agree.  My favorites on Med are S. Epatha Merkerson, Oliver Platt, and Marlyne Barrett.  (Colin Donnell and Brian Tee are great eye candy, but not much more.)

51 minutes ago, quesera1 said:

Apologies for my long-winded rant....... it's been two weeks and I still keep thinking about it. I'm driving my husband (who doesn't even watch the show lol) insane with this, so you get to hear it instead.

No apologies needed.  I'd quote the whole thing if I could, but didn't want to take up too much space.  Let's just say - I totally agree.

Edit to add:  Is there a possibility that Jesse Lee Soffer is the next one out the door?  I've heard nothing; I'm not starting a rumor.  Just thinking that he could be frustrated with his character too.

Edited June 7, 2017 by FnkyChkn34

[Chas411]

I don't think so because he was at the Upfronts with Beghe. I think with Bush gone they'll promote him as the lead character alongside Beghe.

[quesera1]

45 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Just a quick off topic note - totally agree.  My favorites on Med are S. Epatha Merkerson, Oliver Platt, and Marlyne Barrett.  (Colin Donnell and Brian Tee are great eye candy, but not much more.)

No apologies needed.  I'd quote the whole thing if I could, but didn't want to take up too much space.  Let's just say - I totally agree.

Edit to add:  Is there a possibility that Jesse Lee Soffer is the next one out the door?  I've heard nothing; I'm not starting a rumor.  Just thinking that he could be frustrated with his character too.

 

25 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

I don't think so because he was at the Upfronts with Beghe. I think with Bush gone they'll promote him as the lead character alongside Beghe.

I doubt it, but hey, I never thought Sophia would leave either, so what the heck do I know? He better not leave though! He's honestly one of the only reasons I'll consider sticking around for season 5!

Also, Oliver Platt is everything!

[FnkyChkn34]

51 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

I don't think so because he was at the Upfronts with Beghe. I think with Bush gone they'll promote him as the lead character alongside Beghe.

 

15 minutes ago, quesera1 said:

I doubt it, but hey, I never thought Sophia would leave either, so what the heck do I know? He better not leave though! He's honestly one of the only reasons I'll consider sticking around for season 5!

True, but I wasn't thinking immediately.  I was kind of thinking if things don't get better for him, maybe either midseason or after season 5.  

I always thought it was supposed to be Jon Seda's show, along with Beghe.  If Seda comes back, we never know what can happen.

[Chas411]

I think it was meant to be Sedas show until it started airing and Jay ended up filling the Seda slot as the moral compass. I wouldn't rule out Soffer to eventually bow out but I think with Bush gone there's a bigger opportunity for him to stay and take from and centre. Also Bush was coming across as frustrated with NBC, the writing etc etc. Soffer still seems quite happy. 

[quesera1]

14 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

 

True, but I wasn't thinking immediately.  I was kind of thinking if things don't get better for him, maybe either midseason or after season 5.  

I always thought it was supposed to be Jon Seda's show, along with Beghe.  If Seda comes back, we never know what can happen.

 

5 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

I think it was meant to be Sedas show until it started airing and Jay ended up filling the Seda slot as the moral compass. I wouldn't rule out Soffer to eventually bow out but I think with Bush gone there's a bigger opportunity for him to stay and take from and centre. Also Bush was coming across as frustrated with NBC, the writing etc etc. Soffer still seems quite happy. 

I feel like season 5 will be the deciding factor for this show (again not knowing for sure if Sophia is staying or going) -- they will either re-group beautifully and explore new sides of the characters and cases, or it will be a complete and utter disaster and this will be the last season. (Of course depending on how that impacts certain characters, I would not be surprised to see others eventually exit if their storylines aren't handled well)

If the show runs on for a number of seasons beyond this, then yes, anything can happen cast-wise. Look at Chicago Fire and any other major ensemble show, especially the ones predominantly set in a "workplace" (Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Law and Order, etc., etc.) -- it's inevitable that people will come and go, it's just rare that the MAJORS leave.

I'm really drawing a blank thinking of many examples where any of the main stars exit a show so early. I think that's part of the challenge with this (potential) exit. It's still very early in the lifespan of Chicago PD, and while there have been a few exits over the course of the first seasons, there's been no major character departures (aside from Jon Seda, but that's a bit of a different situation).

Again, the absolute worst part of this entire situation is the not knowing. Everything anyone has heard has essentially be hearsay. I'm a person that likes to get information from reliable sources that can back things up, so of course that means I don't trust it until I see an official statement/quote.... which also means I'm living in a TV show limbo land right now. Seriously NBC, Chicago PD, Sophia, anyone.... someone just say something and set the record straight!

[FnkyChkn34]

1 minute ago, quesera1 said:

I'm really drawing a blank thinking of many examples where any of the main stars exit a show so early. I think that's part of the challenge with this (potential) exit. It's still very early in the lifespan of Chicago PD, and while there have been a few exits over the course of the first seasons, there's been no major character departures (aside from Jon Seda, but that's a bit of a different situation).

I guess a couple of the Grey's Anatomy people left, who were considered major.  Isaiah Washington bowed out very early, followed by TR Knight, Katherine Heigl and, later, Sandra Oh.  Lauren German and Charlie Barnett left Fire early too, and they were two of the stars, in my opinion.  If this is NBC or the showrunners' decision, they should have learned from Lauren German's exit - many Fire fans are still pretty upset over that one.

[quesera1]

Just now, FnkyChkn34 said:

I guess a couple of the Grey's Anatomy people left, who were considered major.  Isaiah Washington bowed out very early, followed by TR Knight, Katherine Heigl and, later, Sandra Oh.  Lauren German and Charlie Barnett left Fire early too, and they were two of the stars, in my opinion.  If this is NBC or the showrunners' decision, they should have learned from Lauren German's exit - many Fire fans are still pretty upset over that one.

Yeah, I was thinking of a few of those Grey's exits, but even with those I wouldn't consider most of them "main stars." Sure, they had significant storylines, but none of them were so woven into the fabric of all of the other characters' lives as Lindsay. I mean, as we keep saying, Lindsay and Halstead were the major pairing, and obviously Lindsay and Voight's relationship was central to the show, but she was linked super closely with a lot of the others as well. Platt and Lindsay had a great rapport; Lindsay and Burgess bonded as the ladies of the unit; Antonio and Lindsay had an amazing sort of brother-sister relationship; Olinsky was always looking out for her in a special way due to his closeness with Voight. Even characters she didn't interact with so much worked so well with her -- there were a few times when she would get paired up with Atwater or Ruzek and I remember thinking I hope they never break up Linstead, but if they do, I love a Lindsay-Atwater or a Lindsay-Ruzek pairing. I just never in a million years expected her to leave, even with this whole FBI story (call me naive I guess!)

I know a lot of people hate Lindsay and hate that she is so central and almost everything is about her and ties back to her, but I look at that as her being the star of the show. I know Jason Beghe gets top billing, but to me Sophia Bush has always been the lead. To me she was/is to Chicago PD as Ellen Pompeo is to Grey's. She's the heart of the show.

[FnkyChkn34]

Just came across this, to lighten the mood...

What is that head in the background?  Creepy...  And Mouch's campaign poster?  Nice touch.

[Xeliou66]

I think that NBC is going away from the Chicago shows, canceling Justice and moving Med to mid season, and with all the changes to the shows, I think season 5 is a make or break season for PD, and with Rick Eid, who did a poor job with SVU last season, coming to run PD, I'm not confident about PD improving even though I think there is a great potential to change the show with Lindsay leaving. There are a lot of Lindsay/Sophia fans who will quit because of her leaving, but a lot of people, myself included, are sick of the Lindsay show and her getting all the attention, and will be glad to see her gone. I think this show would get really interesting if they brought in Antonio as the boss and demote Voight, have the Voight and his minions have to adjust to no longer using their torture chamber and being able to break the law at will, and give more focus to Olinsky, Atwater, Ruzek and Halstead, who is much more interesting without Lindsay around. However, I don't think Rick Eid is nearly creative enough to improve the show. 

[jewel21]

6 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Just came across this, to lighten the mood...

What is that head in the background?  Creepy...  And Mouch's campaign poster?  Nice touch.

I believe there was an episode of Fire in which the chain came off someone's tires and like embedded themselves in someone's face and skull. I think that is where the head comes from...

[CheshireCat]

News about departures seem to trickle out. (I've come across a few, mostly from CBS shows). Makes me believe that we probably won't hear anything official until September. The ship on that seems to have kind of sailed.

I did a Google search on Christopher Meloni's exit from L&O SVU ('cause the shows I remember were all CBS shows and they all included an official statement) and this was how his exit was reported: http://tvline.com/2011/05/24/chris-meloni-exits-law-order-svu/

No official statement from either Meloni or NBC. Maybe they're not having the decency of making one available to fans?

Either way, at least, this one is definite and not full of sentences which start with "I hear".

Maybe we'll get a comment in an after-premiere report/interview in September?