How Chicago PD season 5 could progress without Sophia Bush’s Erin Lindsay

The thought of losing Sophia Bush’s Erin Lindsay from Chicago PD is not easy to accept. She is a deeply conflicted character with a questionable past, and a mother who’s always dragging her down a hole, but she has risen above it all (with a few slips along the way) and has now become one of the most inspiring female characters in the television landscape. Not only that but her character really is the person that binds many on the team together whether it be her parental relationship with Voight, her romance with Halstead or how well respected she is by the team. While the actress has yet to officially comment on her impending departure from the NBC show, it’s basically official that, save for a small handful of appearances, she is leaving and will not be a series regular for season 5.

From an NBC point of view now, the top order of business has to be finding a way to move forward while still trying up the loose ends that leaves the viewership satisfied enough to keep watching without her. It’s a tall order to say the least. From our perspective, the show does have a few different options that they could explore.

1. Promote Tracy Spiridakos – At the time the Hailey Upton character was first introduced, the idea (at least in our mind) was that she would be a replacement while Marina Squerciati was on maternity leave. With Burgess coming back but Lindsay leaving, she could have more of a permanent presence moving forward. The show most likely had an inkling that Bush could leave after season 4, so maybe setting up this character proved to be valuable insurance — there was some time focused on her backstory, so if she does stay on the show, there’s a little bit of familiarity there with the viewers.

2. Bring back Jon Seda – This may not be either/or with promoting Spiridakos, since they both could happen in some capacity. Antonio is beloved by a lot of viewers out there (us included), and his presence could help fill the void. The one issue here is that if you bring him back, but don’t promote Spiridakos or hire a new female lead, the show becomes very male-heavy.

3. Hire someone new – This is definitely a possibility, and the show may reach out to known names to help come in and shore up the cast. Remember that Chicago PD is a pretty attractive gig, provided that you love the Windy City and can handle the weather in the winter. It’s one of NBC’s most-popular shows, and it gives you an audience all over the world. It feels as though there will be plenty of people interested in the role, and the focus is really just trying to find the right fit.

What do you want to see Chicago PD do in order to resolve the Lindsay problem? Be sure to sound off with some thoughts in the comments!

Meanwhile, head over here to read some of the first news that came out regarding Bush’s departure from the show. (Photo: NBC.)