It’s Official: Chicago P.D. Alum Joins FBI Franchise After Exit
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Jesse Lee Soffer has landed his first on-screen gig since leaving Chicago P.D. and it’s in the Dick Clark universe! The actor has been cast as a series regular for Season 4 of CBS’ FBI: International, leading fans to wonder: Who will Jesse Lee Soffer play in FBI: International and will he reprise his P.D. role as Jay Halstead? We have everything there is to know about Soffer’s new role below.
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Who will Jesse Lee Soffer play in FBI International?
While the FBI franchise exists in the same universe as the One Chicago shows, Jesse Lee Soffer will not be playing Detective Jay Halstead on FBI: International. Instead, our sister site TVLine reports that Soffer will be playing an entirely new character who has yet to be named.
Soffer will reportedly be filling the void left by original cast member Luke Kleintank, who starred as Supervisory Special Agent Scott Forrester. Kleintank announced his departure in April 2024, revealing in a statement: “After much thought and consideration, I’ve made the difficult decision to leave FBI: International. This decision is driven by my unwavering commitment to my family, whose love and well-being are paramount in my life.”
On-screen, Kleintank’s character went missing during the final few episodes of Season 3. It was later revealed that he reconnected with his spy mother Angela Cassidy (Elizabeth Mitchell) and the duo were now on the run. During his absence, another One Chicago alum filled in for the final two episodes of the season. Colin Donnell, who played Dr. Connor Rhodes on Chicago Med for seasons 1-5, guest starred as Special Agent Brian Lange, an FBI agent whose role coincided with a case the Fly Team were working on in Copenhagen. It is unclear if Donnell will be joining Soffer for Season 4 or if his role was just a temporary fill-in.
Soffer, for his part, left Chicago P.D. in 2022 after 10 seasons as the beloved Jay Halstead. “I was ready for more,” he told Variety at the time. “Eventually, you know the character so well, there’s not much that can shift or transform.” He continued: “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 has since returned to the series as a director, but FBI: International will mark his first acting gig since his exit. The show is the third third spin-off in the FBI franchise and it follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, the team investigates crime and terrorism abroad, neutralizing threats against American citizens.
Soffer might not be the only Chicago P.D. alum moving over to FBI. His former co-star and real-life girlfriend Tracy Spiridakos, who starred as Detective Hailey Upton, left the show in the Season 11 finale and there have been rumors that she might join the CBS franchise. After her character resigned from the Intelligence Unit because she needed a fresh star, Upton was seen researching jobs at several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. The last scene of the episode showed her riding in a cab to the Chicago O’Hare Airport. The taxi driver asked her where she was heading, but the credits rolled before viewers could learn her answer.
While speaking to PEOPLE after the finale, Spiridakos revealed that she would “love” to remain in the Dick Wolf universe by joining FBI. “I would absolutely love that,” she told the outlet. “The Dick Wolf franchise has been one of the greatest experiences of my career. The way that they work as a company is not even as a company. It’s very familial, and I feel like they’re family and friends, so I would love to be a part of their universe, for sure.” Spiridakos has also already crossed over onto the flagship, appearing as Upton in the 2020 episode “Emotional Rescue.”
Although Soffer has seemingly put Halstead behind him, there’s still hope for an on-screen reunion between the real-life Chicago P.D. couple.
Chicago P.D. is available to stream on Peacock.
Watch ‘Chicago P.D.’ on Peacock
For more on Chicago P.D., check out what these former cast members are doing now.
