Jesse Lee Soffer is setting his sights on Chicago P.D. once again. After exiting the NBC drama as Detective Jay Halstead at the beginning of Season 10, Soffer returned later in the season to direct an episode. According to TV Insider, Soffer will be coming back to the Windy City to direct yet another episode. He will direct the 12th episode of the current 11th season.
News of Soffer directing comes on the heels of another One Chicago alum returning to direct this season. After also exiting last season on Chicago Med as Dr. Ethan Choi, Brian Tee is set to step behind the camera for a second time for Episode 11 of the current ninth season. While they may not be returning on-screen, it is still nice to see that they are still willing to return and reunite with their former co-stars, even if it is only off-screen.
Meanwhile, Soffer’s return behind the camera comes ahead of Tracy Spiridakos’ exit. After joining the series as a regular in Season 5 as Detective Hailey Upton, it was announced last year that the actress would be exiting Chicago P.D. at some point during Season 11. There have been some minor details surrounding her exit, but as of now, a premiere date and official synopsis for her final episode have yet to be released. Whether Soffer could come back as Jay for Spiridakos’ last episode is unclear, but things have been rocky between Jay and Hailey since Jay left for Bolivia, so it could really go either way.
Since Chicago P.D. only has 13 episodes this season due to the dual Hollywood strikes, it’s hard to tell what will happen in these remaining episodes. Details surrounding Jesse Lee Soffer‘s episode, including premiere date. Since it is the penultimate episode of the season, it will likely premiere sometime in May or late April.
In the meantime, new episodes of Chicago P.D. air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. All episodes are streaming on Peacock if fans want to see Jesse Lee Soffer in action on screen as Jay Halstead as they wait for him to return in the very near future, even if it is only behind the camera. It’s certainly better than nothing, and there’s always the possibility Jay could come back at a later time.