Everything you need to know about Chicago P.D.
Chicago P.D. is a long-running, highly-praised American procedural following the lives and relationships of those who work within a fictional version of Chicago’s police department.
The series follows two groups of police officers - uniformed patrol officers and the 21st District’s Intelligence Unit - as they hunt down criminals and major offenders.
The show covers everything from the split-second calls they have to make and their fallouts, to the interpersonal connections made to keep the team running.
Chicago P.D. also tackles corruption in the police department and how it is dealt with, with several key storylines involving abuse of power or “inside men” for the criminal underworld.
It was created by the legendary Dick Wolf, whose work includes the celebrated procedural franchises Law and Order and FBI, and Matt Olmstead, who was executive producer on Chicago Fire.
Premiering in January 2014, Chicago P.D. became an immediate hit and remains a staple series for NBC, alongside the rest of the ‘One Chicago’ franchise.
Here’s everything you need to know about the show.
What other shows is Chicago P.D. connected to?
Chicago P.D. is part of a collection of series known as the ‘One Chicago’ franchise.
Each series is focused on the emergency services based in Chicago, Illinois – and as a result, there are often crossovers between cases where more than one service team is required.
Chicago P.D. is the second series of the franchise, following Chicago Fire, which premiered in October 2010. Chicago Med, now in its ninth season, launched in 2015.
All three shows currently remain on the air.
A fourth series, Chicago Justice, premiered in 2017, but was cancelled after one season.
Find out more about Chicago Fire here.
Find out more about Chicago Med here.
Who stars in Chicago P.D.?
As is the case with most shows that last 11 seasons, the Chicago P.D. cast amounts to hundreds of stars over the show’s run.
Currently, the main cast for season 11 stands as:
- Jason Beghe (Californication, G.I. Jane) as Sergeant Henry "Hank" Voight
- Tracy Spiridakos (Revolution, MacGyver) as Detective Hailey Upton
- Marina Squerciati (Frances Ha, Marshall) as Officer Kim Burgess
- Patrick John Flueger (The Princess Diaries, Footloose) as Officer Adam Ruzek
- LaRoyce Hawkins (Hope Springs Eternal, Canal Street) as Officer Kevin Atwater
- Benjamin Levy Aguilar (Filthy Rich, Hiding Places) as Officer Dante Torres
- Amy Morton (The Bear, Blue Bloods) as Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt
- Sara Bues (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, FBI) as ASA Nina Chapman
- Yara Martinez (The Tick, True Detective) as Gloria Perez
- Bojana Novakovic (Drag Me To Hell, Satisfaction) as Detective Jo Petrovic
How successful is Chicago P.D. and what awards has it won?
The entire One Chicago franchise has established a dedicated fanbase in the US and internationally.
Chicago P.D. has remained a consistent favorite, with ratings averaging between nine million to 11 million viewers every week.
In terms of awards recognition, Chicago P.D. has earned 11 nominations and five wins, including the BMI Film and TV Award for best Network Television show two years in a row.
It currently stands at an 8.1/10 rating for IMDb, and a 90 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is the age rating of Chicago P.D.?
Chicago P.D.’s official rating in the UK, as certified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is 15 for the complete run. In the US, it is marked as PG-13 or TV-14.
All three ratings warn that there may be scenes that may be inappropriate for younger or pre-teen audiences.
While sex is never explicitly shown, it is heavily implied with many of the characters having romantic attachments to each other,
There is minor nudity shown on the series depending on the case of the week - this can include, for example, scenes at a strip club.
Cases sometimes involve sexual violence, including assault and rape.
Due to the nature of the series, there are frequent depictions of peril and dangerous situations, and depictions of dead bodies.
There are also moderate displays of bloodshed, typically in a medical situation while someone administers aid.
Chicago P.D. also shows guns within the context of them being used by the police or by criminals.
How many episodes of Chicago P.D. are there?
Chicago P.D. is still on the air, and by the end of its current run, the show will have 11 complete seasons, totaling 218 episodes. Season 12 has already been confirmed.
The show also technically has an extra episode in the shape of a ‘backdoor pilot’ in Chicago Fire. Backdoor pilots are episodes in a pre-existing series dedicated to a potential spin-off idea, allowing creators and networks to gauge reaction to give the all-clear to a full season.
In the case of Chicago P.D., it’s the 23rd episode of Chicago Fire’s season one, ‘Let Her Go’, where the firehouse attends a burning building which later claims one of their own.
Typically, every season is 22 or 23 episodes long – with the exception of season seven, which stopped slightly short at 20, and season eight, which ran for sixteen episodes, as the Covid-19 pandemic affected production with social distance procedures, limited capacity shooting, and deep cleans all causing delays.
Season 11, which aired from January to May 2024, was stunted to just 13 episodes as a result of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikes in 2023, which saw the cast and writing team hit picket lines for fairer wages, and reassurances over the future of their careers with the development of AI.
How to watch Chicago P.D. in the UK
Chicago P.D. seasons 9, 10, and 11 are available exclusively to watch now on Sky Witness and NOW.
We also have episodes of Chicago Med and Chicago Fire for you to watch as well.