When Chicago P.D. returned for Season 12 in the fall of 2024, the Intelligence Unit dealt with a lot as the team settled into not having Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) as part of the team. As Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) dealt with the pain of losing a partner after Martell was killed, it was noticeable that Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) was not a huge fixture in the storyline, as one would expect given Ruzek and Burgess’ complex relationship. Burgess returned after two episodes and got on with the job like before.
In an End-of-Year Instagram post, Squerciati opened up about her absence from the first two episodes. The actress revealed that she was welcoming her second child into the world after a secret pregnancy, which interfered with her duties on the show for those two episodes. “2024 was a BIG year for me, literally. I thought I handled being a pregnant working mom with grace—swipe to see my daughter’s very different take (look at the face she’s drawn for me),” the actress captioned the post. She added:
“PS. THIS was the real reason I wasn’t in the first two episodes of #ChicagoPD, I was having a baby. Have a great NYE, friends!”
Marina Squerciati is Not Leaving ‘Chicago P.D.’
In these uncertain TV times, a cast member’s absence from a few episodes could foreshadow something more permanent. Viewers were concerned that Squerciati was leaving the show, but she calmed those concerns in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the beginning of the season. “Actually, we all have two episodes off. So mine just happened to be the first two episodes. Nothing happened. Everyone had conspiracy theories. I’m fine,” she said. Indeed, one of the cost-cutting measures in television currently is having series regulars appear in fewer episodes, in Chicago P.D.‘s case, two episodes, as revealed by Squerciati.
Season 12 is big for her character as she rises through the ranks of the Chicago Police Department and becomes a detective. The road to this promotion has been full of trials and tribulations, and when the show returns, her future on the team is at risk, owing to keeping Dante Torres’ (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) secret. In her private life, she’s set to be married to Ruzek sometime in the season. “Right now, we’re doing a big Patty two-parter episode, and we have “Disco Bob” (Jack Coleman), his dad, sort of putting a wedge into our relationship,” Squerciati previewed a problem heading for the couple before their nuptials.
Tune into NBC to watch Burgess’ journey this season when Chicago P.D. returns on January 8 at 10 p.m. ET. Catch up on Peacock before the new episodes are back in a week!
- Release Date
-
January 8, 2014
- Cast
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Jason Beghe
, Marina Squerciati
, Patrick John Flueger
, LaRoyce Hawkins
, Amy Morton
, Jesse Lee Soffer
, Tracy Spiridakos
, Jon Seda - Seasons
-
12
- Network
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NBC
