Coffee Table News
‘Chicago PD’ Shakeup: Tracy Spiridakos Leaving After Season 11
Chicago PD fans—we’ve got some bad news coming your way.
As you await new episodes of the crime procedural, the cast is getting yet another shakeup (we’re still not over Jesse Lee Soffer’s exit in the first half of season 10, to be honest).
Variety announced that Tracy Spiridakos, who has portrayed Detective Hailey Upton since season 4, will be leaving the series. She is set to exit after season 11, though it remains unclear if she’ll be around for the entirety of the season or pull a move from Soffer’s playbook and exit a few episodes in.
The outlet notes that the decision to leave the show was entirely her own; Spiridakos has yet to confirm or release a statement of her own.
Spiridakos joined the Dick Wolf Entertainment drama in 2016 as a recurring character and was quickly upped to series regular starting in season 5. Since then she’s become an integral part of Intelligence, getting her hands dirty with Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and sparking a romantic relationship with Soffer’s Det. Jay Halstead.
While it’s a bummer, her departure does kind of make sense when you look at her overall story. Since Halstead left the city to fulfill an Army task in Bolivia and basically broke her heart, she’s had trouble picking up the pieces and finding her place. Hitting refresh—which ultimately means leaving the show—is a logical next step as there’s nothing holding her back anymore. The writers could find a way to mend Upstead with her joining Jay wherever his duties take him or she can look for a fresh start in a place that no longer reminds her of her broken marriage.
Spiridakos’ character was also involved in a rather intense case that spanned several episodes last season, so they could use that as an excuse to write her off, noting that the case took a toll on her.
The 10th season has been delayed by the writers’ and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and while writers are able to get back into the rooms and craft storylines, production remains halted. No premiere dates have been announced yet, so it’s unclear how long we’ll wait for the upcoming highly-anticipated season… and Spiridakos’ last.
Without her, there are only 4 originals left standing; In addition to Beghe, the series stars LaRoyce Hawkins (Kevin Atwater), Patrick J. Flueger (Adam Ruzek), and Marina Squerciati (Kim Burgess). In 2022, newcomer Benjamin Levy Aguilar (Torres) was upped to series regular, rounding out the squad.
The One Chicago franchise has endured plenty of loss as of late, with many notable stars exiting their respective shows, including a total of 5 characters leaving Chicago Med.
Let’s all give a warm welcome to a new doctor coming to Gaffney!
Chicago Med is adding Luke Mitchell to the cast, according to Deadline.
The Originals and Blindspot actor will reportedly appear as a character named Dr. Mitch Ripley, described as an “early thirtysomething male Emergency Department doctor” with a past connection to Dr. Charles, played by Oliver Platt.
Word on the street is Ripley has a “troubled background,” which is why he crossed paths with Charles back in the day… and it seems like it might lead to some friction for the two.
He will recur on the medical drama with the potential of being upgraded to a series-regular come season 10, likely pending the reaction from fans.
The former Big Sky star is set to make his debut in the premiere episode of season 9 airing on January 17.
Of course, his addition is necessary as Chicago Med said goodbye to a handful of major cast members over the course of the previous seasons, including Brain Tee who played Ethan Choi, Nick Gehlfuss who starred as Will Halstead, Guy Lockard as Dr. Dylan Scott and Asjha Cooper in the role of Vanessa Taylor.
As of now, the returning cast includes S. Epatha Merkerson (hospital head Sharon Goodwin), Marlyne Barrett (charge nurse Maggie Lockwood), Dominic Rains (Dr. Crockett Marcel), Steven Weber (Dr. Dean Archer) and Jessy Schram (Dr. Hannah Asher).
Season 9 will consist of a 13-episode season, shortened due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
La Brea has officially been canceled by NBC.
The series is gearing up for a third and final season, which will also see fewer episodes.
The news was announced on November 20, and while it’s not what fans wanted to hear, NBC is at least giving fans closure.
The final six episodes will premiere on January 9, 2024. It will be a lead-in to the season’s final two episodes of the hit fall drama Found.
The first and second seasons consisted of 10 and 14 episodes, respectively. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes then forced NBC to release the actors from their contracts.
With six episodes to tie up loose ends, let’s hope that the storyline will be wrapped up in a sufficient way that answers any and all questions and leaves fans feeling satisfied.
Zyra Gorecki, who plays Izzy, shared the news on her Instagram, writing, “I’m truly so proud of the work everyone put into #LaBrea Season 3. It was an absolute joy to be a part of. Thank you guys for all of your support these past three years.”
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The cast also includes Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, Tonantzin Carmelo and Michelle Vergara Moore.
La Brea was NBC’s latest sci-fi series that transported audiences and some Los Angeles residents to 10K B.C. via a mysterious sinkhole. At the center of it is the Harris family, who are eventually reunited when it’s revealed that the patriarch Gavin (Macken) has deep connections to the prehistoric timeline.
As you await the third season, here’s a little season 2 finale refresher!
As Goosebumps wrapped up its first season on Disney+ on Nov. 17, things ended on quite a shocking cliffhanger, leading fans to question if a second season was in the works.
And it seems like season 1 is just the start as there are definitely plans to continue on with the series featuring the same cast, which includes Isa Briones, Ana Yi Puig, Zack Morris, Will Price, and Miles McKenna.
With the first chapter closed, a second chapter will explore the aftermath of Briones’ massive decision (you can read our review right here), but first, Disney+ needs to renew the season officially.
As of writing, Goosebumps has not been renewed for season 2, however, everything was created with the intention of there being additional episodes.
And naturally, since the series takes inspiration from the popular R.L. Stine novels, there’s the question of which books will be adapted next to explore the aftermath of Kanduu’s devious plan.
Disney released the first season ahead of Halloween, dropping the first five episodes all at once on October 13 before adopting a weekly release format, which kept up the intrigue.
Through the course of 10 episodes, fans created a special bond with the give teens trying to save their town of Port Lawrence from a tragedy that connected to their parent’s past and included their new high school teacher, Mr. Nathan Bratt played by Justin Long.
Once Disney renews the series and announces a premiere date (which can happen as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over), we’ll update this post accordingly!
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