Chicago P.D. returns to NBC on September 25, and the Season 11 finale left us with some concerns going into the next season – and some hopes for the season to come. From more balance in the unit and the Burzek wedding we’d been waiting for to hopefully some forward movement for Voight, there’s a lot we hope we get to see in Chicago P.D. Season 12.
So, without further ado, here are 5 things we really want to see in Chicago P.D. Season 12.
A Good Love Interest for Kevin
We’ve already been promised a love interest for Kevin Atwater, but a love interest in and of itself isn’t enough. We need it to be the love interest. We need the kind of romance that’s going to knock Kevin’s socks off – and ours! LaRoyce Hawkins deserves it, and so do we!
Kevin’s storylines have constantly been about race or about his family, and his love interests have always been short-lived. So, when we say we want a good love interest, we mean we want the show to take the time to develop a good romance for him, to give him not just a romance, but a true partner. The fact that this would give us another ship to root for is just icing on the cake.
A Wedding Worthy of Burzek
It’s been 84 years …and we’re still waiting for a Burzek wedding. It seems like we won’t have to wait any longer and Season 12 will give us the Kim and Adam wedding fans have been waiting for. But with that comes the question of …what exactly does that wedding look like? What do they even want?
Whatever it is, we hope it’s something that pays tribute to the long history these two have together and the family they have managed to build with each other. And something that heavily involves their daughter, Makayla. But above all, the Burzek wedding should be about Burzek and about paying tribute to them. It’s not about what came before or what will come after, it’s about that moment and what they mean to each other.
Character Growth of Some Kind for Voight
We’re going into Season 12 and it feels like Hank Voight is exactly the same person we met not even in the Chicago P.D. pilot, but earlier in Chicago Fire. And he has not grown one bit. And hey, 12 seasons in asking for change might be a fool’s errand, but we’re still asking. Because this show is so Voight-centric, and it is a much worse show if Voight remains static.
For a moment there, near the end of last season, there was a glimpse of what this show could be if Voight could actually take a step forward – not necessarily into becoming a good guy, but at least into becoming someone who cares more openly. The show could still bring that back and hopefully, give Voight even a tad of character development. At the very least, it would make the show more interesting.
Storylines That Feel Like Forward Movement
And it would really help with this sense that the show is stuck in the same place, not just for Voight, but for the Intelligence Unit in general. No one’s moving forward! Nothing ever happens. Everyone’s stuck on a hamster wheel and the cases serve as a way to see the characters interact with each other, but nothing else.
In both Chicago Fire and Chicago Med there’s at least a sense that there’s an overarching storyline in the narrative. It’s hard to find that in Chicago P.D., and it’s about time the show figures out exactly what the big picture is.
Team Storylines
The best place to find that is probably with team storylines. I’ve been beating this drum for years, but the best way to do that is to let these people interact with each other for more than a few seconds while telling each other the essential stuff about the case. They’re supposed to be a team! To like each other! Make us feel like that’s the case.
Otherwise, why should we care about their relationships? Why should we invest? Found family stories are the bread and butter of procedural dramas and Chicago P.D. isn’t even close to the best shows out there when it comes to that.
Are you excited for Season 12 of Chicago P.D.? What are you hoping to see? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. premieres on NBC on September 25th.
