It looks like Detective Erin Lindsay is ready to leave Chicago. Deadline reported on Thursday that Sophia Bush, who plays Lindsay, will not be returning to Chicago P.D. for Season 5.
The Season 4 finale teased a possible exit for the character. In the episode, Lindsay was considering leaving the Chicago Police Department to work for the FBI, which is based in New York. Bush’s departure gives fans confirmation that Lindsay will not end up with her main love interest, Jay Halstead (As the World Turns star Jesse Lee Soffer), who contemplates proposing during the finale. The last time viewers see Lindsay is when she ignores a phone call from her on-again, off-again flame.
Chicago P.D. is one of the four Chicago-based shows on NBC. The others include Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and the recently cancelled Chicago Justice. Dick Wolf acts as a producer for each show in the Chicago franchise. Many characters from the Chicago shows have appeared in crossover episodes with the others series, as well as the Dick Wolf-produced Law & Order: SVU. Bush has appeared as Lindsay in a combined 22 episodes of the other Chicago shows and Law & Order: SVU.
Bush is not the first prominent person to exit the show this season. It was previously reported by multiple news sources, including TVGuide.com, in late March that Chicago P.D. co-creator and showrunner Matt Olmstead planned to leave the series after finishing Season 4 due to an overall deal with ABC Studios. The Hollywood Reporter announced earlier this month that Rick Eid will take over the role for Season 5. Eid has previously worked as the showrunner for Dick Wolf’s Law & Order: SVU. During Eid’s reign, he will tackle Chicago P.D.’s 100th episode.
While Bush’s representatives and NBC have yet to make official statements regarding her departure, it is believed that she chose to leave the series on her own. It is expected that Bush will return to Chicago P.D. for a guest appearance in the upcoming season. With Lindsay being one of the few female main characters on the show, Deadline believes that a few female leads will join the series to fill the absence Lindsay will inevitably leave behind.
Chicago P.D. is not Bush’s first starring role on television, and it will likely not be her last. She previously starred on The WB-turned-The CW teen drama One Tree Hill from 2003 to 2012 as Brooke Davis. She also starred on the short-lived CBS comedy Partners in 2012 as Ali Landow.