Why Jesse Lee Soffer's Jay Halstead Didn't Return In The Chicago P.D. Season 11 Finale
Jay Halstead (played by Jesse Lee Soffer) was one of the most popular characters on "Chicago P.D." from the very first season until he left the series during Season 10. And considering that the Season 11 finale was rumored to have a surprise guest cameo, many fans were expecting Halstead to return. After all, the episode featured the departure of Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), Halstead's former wife, so it would have marked a prime opportunity to bring him back. Soffer himself has mentioned that he would be open to making appearances on the show, telling Variety "never say never" about the possibility of Halstead returning. Soffer has also turned up on the "Chicago P.D." set after his departure as an actor, coming back to direct two Season 10 episodes. And before the Season 11 finale, he posted a photo of him and Spiridakos on set on Instagram, starting the unofficial rumor mill about a potential cameo in the episode.
Yet when the episode aired, he was nowhere to be found. So why didn't Halstead return to "Chicago P.D." for this massive finale? Well, it turns out that the writing team did consider it, but didn't end up going through with bringing him back.
Keeping the focus on Hailey Upton
"Chicago P.D." showrunner Gwen Sigan told TVLine that they tossed around the idea of bringing Halstead back for the finale, a conversation they undoubtedly have on a regular basis about several of the departed actors. But ultimately, she said that they felt it would steal focus from Hailey Upton's swan song, given that the finale was her last episode on the show, as she ends up leaving for parts unknown via the Chicago O'Hare Airport.
"We definitely considered it. We talked about it a lot," Sigan explained to TVLine. "We wanted to go through all the different choices of where this character would go, and it really came down to I wanted it to be about [Upton] ... I just wanted this to be her, and I wanted it to be a choice that she is making and that it's such an internal thing and it's such a piece of what she needs, and it's not really related to really anybody else."
Although fans were undoubtedly disappointed not to see Halstead back on "Chicago P.D.," it makes sense that the writers would avoid bringing him back at such a crucial moment for Upton, so that her departure could get the attention it deserved. We can only hope that he'll make an appearance on "Chicago P.D." at some point in the future, when the time is right.