Unfortunately, Chicago PD season 10 is struggling to find its footing, and it needs to make some changes to salvage the show. The One Chicago franchise is not new to changes. Over the years, it has seen its fair share of character exits and arrivals, not to mention storytelling shifts. Amid all of that, the franchise continues to thrive, posting impressive ratings week after week. It doesn't seem to be the case with Chicago PD season 10, however. Audience ratings for the police procedural have been on a downward trend for months now, which should be a cause for concern for both NBC and Wolf Entertainment.
Chicago PD season 10 is supposed to be a milestone year for the series. Following the fictional Chicago Intelligence Unit led by Hank Voight, the group of skilled officers and detectives handle highly-sensitive cases in Windy City. Over the years, the team went through its fair share of trials and tribulations, which they all eventually weathered. In season 10, however, it seems like the police procedural has lost its identity, resulting in viewers' dwindling interest. Jesse Lee Soffer's Chicago PD departure doesn't help either, since Jay Halstead is one of the veteran Intelligence members. The good news is, the show can still be saved by executing several changes.
5 Chicago PD Needs To Bring Back The Patrol Officers
When Chicago PD debuted in 2014, there were two parts to its storytelling. Firstly, Voight's Intelligence Unit, and secondly, the Patrol Officers, managed by Sgt. Trudy Platt. The officers took care of low-level crimes; they roamed the streets within the jurisdiction of the 21st district. Sometimes, they provided personnel support to Intelligence when there were bigger cases to tackle. Both Kevin Atwater and Kim Burgess started as Platt's officers before moving up to becoming members of Voight's team. After the pair successfully made their way upstairs to Intelligence, Patrol started being phased out from Chicago PD.
Now, Platt and Patrol no longer factors in Chicago PD's narrative. Instead, the police procedural has been focused on just the Intelligence Unit. This makes it difficult for the show to have any kind of storytelling variety, as it limits its options. Bringing back the Patrol Officers will allow Chicago PD to diversify its narratives moving forward. It will also give Platt, one of the most interesting characters in the show, something substantial to do again. Finally, developing officers from downstairs like Burgess and Atwater ensures that Chicago PD has well-established characters to join Intelligence if ever the show loses another veteran.
4 Chicago PD Should Have Fewer Character-Focused Episodes
Voight manages a very small team in Chicago PD. Each member of Intelligence has been personally handpicked by him to ensure a smooth operation since he has an unorthodox way of working cases. Because of several character departures and limited replacements, however, the unit is much smaller now than when the show started. Between this and the phasing out of the Patrol Officer corner of Chicago PD, NBC and Wolf Entertainment have limited storytelling options. So they resort to doing character-focused cases to stretch out their narratives while also developing the personal lives of Voight's team.
However, Chicago PD has leaned on this scheme way too much in its last few years. While it's great to see cases that have personal ties to the detectives and officers, it has become way repetitive. Character-centric episodes also tend to alienate the rest of the ensemble, leaving many members of Intelligence very little or nothing to do when it isn't their time under the spotlight.
3 Chicago PD Needs A New Formidable Villain
A story is only as good as its villain, and Chicago PD has been lacking in that department for quite some time now. There has been increased focus on Voight and his team, which makes sense considering that they are the police procedural's protagonists. That being said, one of the best things in the show's earlier seasons was how they have to deal with a variety of adversaries. Back then, it wasn't limited to gangbangers and drug dealers. Intelligence also had to face politicians and high-profile players in Chicago social circles. It increased the stakes of the series; it also highlighted that corruption and crime go together.
Moving forward, it would be great to see Voight and Intelligence deal with worthy foes again. Writers of Chicago PD should look back at Mayor Brian Kelton as a prototype for this type of villain. The whole multi-episode arc about his run for office, which ended in his tragic murder, was compelling and intriguing. Intertwining a much bigger issue like this with grounded cases will also give everyone something to do. While his subordinates work the streets, Voight deals with the politics of it all.
2 Chicago PD Needs More Compelling Cases
After almost a decade on the small screen, Chicago PD tackling similar cases cannot be prevented. That being said, there are ways to make sure that weekly storylines offer something fresh and new to ensure that viewers are continuously engaged. NBC and Wolf Entertainment have successfully done this with Law & Order: SVU, which is now on its 24th season. If they can do it with the Mariska Hargitay-led police procedural, they can also do it in Chicago PD. It shouldn't be that difficult to do this either, since the project was able to consistently tackle timely and creative arcs before.
1 Chicago PD Needs Better Camaraderie Among Intelligence
Through the years, the Intelligence Unit has been tested by different adversities. Multiple times, Voight has been plagued by his tainted image in the Chicago Police Force. There have also been times the Intelligence Unit almost got shut down. All of these challenges, however, have only made the team stronger. Unfortunately, because the failing Chicago PD season 10 has been leaning towards character-focused storylines, there's barely any chance to highlight this aspect of the series. The whole team now rarely works a case together. This is a big missed opportunity for Chicago PD since its characters, and their relationships with each other, are some of its biggest assets.
Chicago PD season 10 airs Thursdays on NBC.