'Chicago PD' Season 8 Premiere Preview: Reform is on the cards as Voight and Atwater take center stage
It is finally time for all three shows of NBC's 'Chicago' franchise to return after an extended break due to Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the previous seasons of all three shows had to end prematurely as lockdown measures shut down productions, with the new seasons coming about two months later, resulting in shorter seasons this time around.
Nevertheless, all three shows have a lot to deal with as they return with new episodes. Of the three of them, the pressure is certainly the highest for 'Chicago PD', a show about the fictional Intelligence Unit within the Chicago Police Department on the show. In the past, the Dick Wolf show has come under criticism for its storylines — especially in the previous season, when a Black man was killed in prison after being revealed to be innocent of the crime he was suspected of.
In the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests this year, 'Chicago PD' has a lot to rectify and at the center of it all is Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe). Voight is a character that you either love or love to hate. He often resorts to unscrupulous methods to make sure that his team solves the crime by the end of the day — and those methods involve violence. This habit of Voight has often been glorified, but at this age, it would be unacceptable to do so. This is where the new recurring character, Detective Superintendent Samantha Miller (Nicole Ari Parker) comes in. Miller has one mission: to bring about police reform. Rather than reigning in Voight as such, it is expected that she will hope for Voight to take the steps to realize that his methods are not right.
As the department adjusts to doing things differently, Voight will attempt to change right along with it. However, following the rules won't be easy for a guy who's used to handling things his own way. Showrunner, Rick Eid told TV Guide, "He wants to evolve, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Following the rules isn't his strong suit but things are different now. He can't do things the way he once did,"
We also expect a higher focus on Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), the only Black (and person of color) cop in the Intelligence Unit. The writers started doing this in the previous season itself and Season 8 ended with Atwater being threatened by other cops because he ratted out on another officer who had racially profiled a Black man. That storyline will continue with the new season and it will be interesting to see how it proceeds, and how the year's events will affect it as well.
Eid said about the new season, "we try not to glorify our characters. Rather, we try to represent them in an honest and realistic way. Having said that, the world is changing and the police will change as well." He continued, "We definitely have listened to and tried to learn from these various conversations. We're hopeful that this season's episodes will reflect the current state of our society in an honest and realistic way."
'Chicago PD' Season 8 premieres on NBC on Wednesday, November 11, at 10/9c.