Burgess’ Role in Chicago PD Season 12: Where is She Now? Explained

Chicago PD, alongside its One Chicago counterparts, kicked off its new season last week and is poised to carry on the story throughout the year. This time of year always brings significant changes, including new developments, characters, and story arcs. A noticeable change in the season premiere was the temporary absence of Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati), a veteran officer on the force.

While this absence might have worried fans, especially after seeing many beloved characters depart in the past two seasons, we can assure you that Burgess is away for just a short period.

The reason for her absence was clarified early in the premiere when Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) mentioned a call with Burgess, noting that her “conference”was going smoothly. This suggests that Burgess is temporarily off Chicago PD due to a conference she’s attending, and she is expected to return soon, possibly in this week’s upcoming episode.

Her brief absence, however, may signal larger developments, hinting at a significant storyline for Chicago PD this season.

Kim Burgess’ Absence May Indicate a Long-Awaited Arc on Chicago PD

While it’s possible that the actress was unavailable for this particular episode, causing her character to be written out temporarily, the writers might also be using this opportunity to set up an exciting narrative arc for the series.

Burgess’ absence could be linked to the long-rumored promotion that a character has been expected to receive, potentially very soon. As it stands, Burgess, who remains an officer, may finally ascend to the rank of detective this season; rumors of this development have circulated for quite some time.

With Hailey Upton no longer part of the show, Kim Burgess is likely to enjoy more screen time and engaging storylines. In a prior interview with Give Me My Remote, Squerciati talked about her character’s potential promotion, stating:

“I think it’s a theme….everyone knows she deserves it. But, like, I guess in life who doesn’t you know that deserves a promotion and hasn’t gotten it yet? So it’s also great, she still has more to go and more to do. It leaves me really space to stay on the show to do more things, I guess.”

Additionally, showrunner Gwen Sigan recently alluded to this arc in an interview with TV Insider, saying:

“Someone’s getting promoted, and it’s somebody I think who’s wanted it for a while and that it made a lot of sense for us,…In the [writers’] room, we’ve talked about that storyline for so long, but how do you make it a story? How do you make it interesting? How do you make it something that really reveals something about who this person is and is not just a piece of paper?”

While Chicago PD has yet to confirm the specifics, fans are beginning to speculate that it will be Burgess who is given this opportunity.

Therefore, for fans of both the character and the actress, her temporary absence likely serves as a setup for an exciting new storyline, likely to unfold throughout Chicago PD’s 12th season.

It’s expected that she will reappear in Chicago PD season 12, episode 2, scheduled to air on October 2, 2024.

All episodes of the three One Chicago series are currently streaming on Peacock. Stay tuned for further updates.

Source