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NBC's One Chicago franchise is comprised of three active series: Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Fire. The franchise has been on the air since 2012 and is going strong in the present day. A big appeal for the series is the frequent crossover of characters from all three series, which fostered a sense of community that spanned across all three series.

With such an extensive franchise, many characters have come and gone from the series. The way the exits of the characters are handled is just as important as the way they were introduced, and an improperly done exit can tarnish the arc of a character that has been built over the course of several seasons. These 10 characters had the best-handled exits in the One Chicago franchise.

Jay Halstead Returned to His Army Roots Close

First Appearance

Chicago Fire, Season 2, Episode 1, "A Problem House"

Last Main Appearance

Chicago P.D.,...

It looks like Jesse Lee Soffer‘s Jay Halstead and Tracy Spiridakos‘ Hailey Upton might not just be TV partners!

The 39-year-old and 35-year-old Chicago P.D. stars are dating, The Post reported Monday (December 8).

A source tells the outlet that the couple have secretly been together for “years.”

The two starred alongside each other on the NBC drama for six years as partners in the Intelligence Unit, marrying in Season 9.

Jesse left the show after a decade in August of last year, with his final appearance being in the episode “A Good Man.”

“I really wanted to grow and expand, and we’ve only got this one trip. If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, ‘You know what? It’s time to take a risk,’” he said of his departure at the time.

“I...

Warning! Spoilers for Chicago Pd season 10, episode 20 ahead.Chicago Pd season 10, episode 20 might have put the final nail in Upstead's coffin, but it didn't have to. As fans are painfully aware, Jesse Lee Soffer, who played Jay Halstead in the NBC series starting in season 1, decided to leave the show during season 10. His final episode was "A Good Man," which aired in October 2022, but Halstead's exit was strange, to say the least.

Following a run-in with a suspect where he stabbed the man to death, Halstead faced an internal struggle. Voight and Upton tried to form a cover story for him, but instead, Halstead turned in his badge and resigned from the Intelligence Unit. Then, in a shocking turn of events, Halstead decided to take a job with the army overseas in Bolivia. There, he would help track down drug cartels. Before leaving, Halstead promised his wife that the job would only last eight months,...

It’s the end of an era for Chicago P.D. fans who watched Jesse Lee Soffer and his character Jay Halstead exit stage right following 9+ seasons on Wednesday night. Soffer shared a message of gratitude via social media as he looks toward the future.

“For anyone that’s ever been a Halstead fan, I just want you to know that I’m grateful. Thank you for going on this journey with me. I’m just grateful,” he posted on Twitter.

For anyone that’s ever been a Halstead fan, I just want you to know that I’m grateful. Thank you for going on this journey with me. I’m just grateful. ❤️

— Jesse Lee Soffer (@jesseleesoffer) October 6, 2022

The actor live-tweeted the episode titled “A Good Man,” which saw Halstead come to terms with his evolution into the grey area of law enforcement much like Voight (Jason Beghe), and a...

Spoiler Alert: The following contains spoilers from tonight’s episode of NBC’s Chicago P.D. “A Good Man.”

After a successful 9-season+ run, Jesse Lee Soffer exited NBC’s Chicago P.D. in tonight’s episode titled “A Good Man.”

The good news is, his character Detective Jay Halstead did not die and could potentially return in the future. It wouldn’t be the first time a departed and beloved character has returned to the One Chicago fold. Chicago Fire‘s Jesse Spencer and Monica Raymund have appeared, as well as Yaya DaCosta in Chicago Med, most recently.

Jesse Lee Soffer, Tracy Spiridakos (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

The episode opens with Hailey (Tracy Spiridakos) waking up one morning and realizing her husband Halstead never made it home the night prior. There’s been something brewing in Halstead’s head for some time now but he’s not shared it with his partner.