Chicago PD shocker: Sophia Bush leaves; small season 5 arc possible

At the time the Chicago PD season 4 finale aired, the conventional wisdom was that Sophia Bush wasn’t departing, and that the Erin Lindsay cliffhanger was meant for mostly dramatic purposes to give us something to talk about over the summer months.

Now, it’s looking as though things are a little more permanent than it first appeared. According to a report from Deadline, Bush is choosing to depart the NBC series, and will not be a regular for the upcoming fifth season of Chicago PD. She may still return to wrap up the story of her character, but that’s about it. This is one of those situations where the most that we can hope for is an episode or two in order to wrap things up. For us we really hope that she does come back to give fans a proper ending since we have all been invested in her story for 4 seasons of the show. It would be a bit of a disservice to the fans to leave on that cliffhanger when we still have questions as well as the Halstead relationship hanging in the wind.

The ramifications for this exit are likely to be severe. Bush was the show’s marquee star, and much of the story in the finale was geared around her and her relationship with Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer – you can check out pre-finale interview with  Jesse at the link here). Chicago PD as a series remains one of NBC’s biggest hits, but without Bush in the cast, it’s not clear what its ratings will be like. Hopefully, viewers will stay put for some of the other stories, since there has been a lot of good material there, but we know that Lindsay is who most of us are invested in. After everything she’s gone through, we want that happy ending for her.

It’s possible that NBC will bring in a new leading lady to replace Bush; or, it’s equally possible that Tracy Spiridakos, who appeared as the Hailey Upton character at the end of the season, will be upped to series regular. It’s ultimately a little early to know, given that there are also a wide array of creative changes that are taking place with the show. For example, showrunner Matt Olmstead is departing, and is being replaced by Rick Eid from Law & Order: SVU. There will be some other creative challenges potentially added in the weeks to come.

Filming for Chicago PD season 5 will kick off in July, and around that point it’s certainly possible that more will be announced. The people that we’re saddest for are those who are deeply invested in the Lindsay character and her relationship with Halstead, given that #Linstead was promoted to be one of the central romances of the entire One Chicago series.

What do you think about Bush leaving the show? Be sure to share some of your thoughts now in the comments!

Meanwhile, be sure to head over to the link here in the event you want to get some additional news right now when it comes to the show. (Photo: NBC.)