Chicago P.D. Showrunner Explains Why It Was Time To End Burzek's "Will They/Won't They" Dynamic In Season 12

Although the series returned with its winter premiere on January 8, Chicago P.D. is taking another short hiatus. The most recent installment centers around Toya Turner's Officer Cook as she tries to help a man whose family is being held for ransom. Season 12, episode 10, titled "Zoe", will air on January 22 and see "an unexpected visitor cause disruption for Ruzek and Burgess amidst an emotional investigation involving an unidentified young girl."

While they've been engaged multiple times, Ruzek and Burgess, also known as "Burzek", are finally going to make it down the aisle in season 12. Showrunner Gwen Sigan promises that the fan-favorite pairing is on the road to happiness, as she felt it was time to shift away from their long-running "will they/won't they" dynamic. The two will continue to support each other as they face new challenges in their personal lives, with the series focusing more on the day-to-day aspects of an established relationship.

ScreenRant interviews Sigan about Burzek, the aftermath of Gloria's death, what Chapman's return means for Voight, and which characters she hopes return to Chicago P.D.

Gloria's Death Will Continue To Affect Torres Throughout Chicago P.D. Season 12

"We'll see a lot of the emotional fallout in the second half of the season. This death triggers a lot for him even all the way back to childhood."

ScreenRant: How much should Voight and the rest of Intelligence be worried about Reid after his apparent blackmail during the fall finale?

Gwen Sigan: They should be real worried. They should be incredibly worried. I think Voight is, he's going to be trying to hide it, of course, and he's not going to fill in the team just yet, but he knows what's at stake here, and he also knows there's a reason. There are going to be some favors being called in. There are going to be some big asks from Reid.

If Reid is holding this information and wanting to be friends, there's a good reason for that, and we will see through the second half of the season how that relationship grows and what Reid's motivations are in keeping Intelligence in his pocket and what he wants to use them for throughout the rest of the season. It'll keep going. It'll go all the way to the finale.

Next up is Torres. How is he going to handle Gloria's death?

Gwen Sigan: It's got a lot of repercussions for him. We obviously saw the consequences in real-time as far as the team finding out and how the team reacted and that feeling of betrayal that a lot of the members had that he did this. But we'll also see a lot of the emotional fallout in the second half of the season. This death triggers a lot for him even all the way back to childhood. I think that question of why was he attracted to her, and what she said to him before she died, which was, "We are the same."

I think they were attracted to each other's trauma in a lot of ways, and we explore that in the second half of the season when he's emotionally dealing with the loss of her and also some other events that happen. It's an interesting descent a bit for him when he's not doing well and exploring his relationship with religion and how that also kind of helped keep him really grounded. And now that everything's sort of shaking in his foundation, that sort of shakes too. And so we see him in a different place, and it's interesting and Benny's been killing it, so I'm excited for everyone to see those episodes coming up.

Burzek Will Continue To Grow Together In Chicago P.D. Season 12

"This is their relationship, this is their bedrock, but also life keeps coming at you and, now, how do you deal with it as a couple?"

Could Ruzek and Burgess finally make it down the aisle this season? Will there be happiness?

Gwen Sigan: Yes, there will be happiness, I promise. There will be happiness. They are going to make it down the aisle this season. They will have a wedding, do the full commitment, all of that. It's been nice this season. We came into it knowing that's where we wanted to end it. It wasn't about the "will they/won't they." We've played that so many times, so we wanted to do something different. Now we see the day-to-day of how they're a couple.

This is their relationship, this is their bedrock, but also life keeps coming at you and, now, how do you deal with it as a couple? And seeing them grow together in all of these transitions and changes that they both have in their individual lives. So we've got Burgess becoming detective and then we have Ruzek having a pretty big storyline in the second half of the season here and both of them being there to support each other, but also how that affects your day-to-day and how your relationship has to morph in just a really normal, grounded way is what we were hoping for.

Are you able to say when Chapman will return?

Gwen Sigan: Yes, she's coming back in Episode 15 and then she'll be with us for a lot of the back half of the season, and we sort of pick right back up where we left off with her and Voight and see how that time apart has kind of morphed them now they've had some time to think about things and just where that relationship will grow and how it keeps changing for the two of them.

They both have a lot of stories together, sort of taking down Reid, and so she's a big part of that. And logistically, how can we take down this person who has all of this dirt and also pretty much runs the CPD? So she becomes a big factor in that, and we get to see a lot of her in the backend.

So Chapman and Voight might have a discussion about their feelings?

Gwen Sigan: Yeah, I don't know if a discussion is probably right because he's such an oddball, but we will definitely see them dealing with that, yes.

Sigan Hopes Jesse Lee Soffer Can Still Return To Chicago P.D. (Even While Playing A Different Dick Wolf Universe Character)

"I think it'd be really fun to have Halstead or to have Upton back just for a one-off."

Now that Jesse Lee Soffer is in another Dick Wolf show, does that affect the potential for more FBI crossovers?

Gwen Sigan: Yeah! I don't know how we'd do it! He'd have to play two characters, but I think he could always come back to our show as Halstead for a one-off. There are so many opportunities. It's funny to have him now in a whole different universe as a different character.

There have obviously been so many incredible characters come and go throughout Chicago P.D. Are there any specific plot points you would like to return to if actor availability allows?

Gwen Sigan: Man, so many. I'm always curious [about] what happened to Antonio? Where is he now? I felt like he left in such a state—what was his character going through and how did his character get out? I think it'd be really interesting to see where he is now and then to see him with Voight again would be really nice. Who else? I mean, my God, so many. I always wish that nobody left and they just came back sparingly. [Laughs]

They just come back when they want to. I think it'd be really fun to have Halstead or to have Upton back just for a one-off. There are so many. I mean, Roman is still out there. Remember the one when he came back and committed a murder? And so now he's out there. Anyone could come back and be in such a different place than they left, which would always be fun to see how our guys reacted to it.

I know everybody wants that Upstead reunion.

Gwen Sigan: Of course! I know. I mean, maybe in some universe they're together someplace. Who knows?

What are you most excited about with all three One Chicago shows crossing over for the first time in years?

Gwen Sigan: It's been four or five years, I think, since we did one. It was definitely pre-Covid, so it's been a while. I'm most excited for people to see the scale of it and what we accomplished. I'm proud of all the teams. Production value is pretty high. It looks really good.

And then just the storyline itself, I think, is built to have really different unique pairings between the three shows of people that you usually wouldn't get to see together that usually wouldn't have screen time together and kind of putting them in emotionally fraught situations and getting to have just a lot of emotion between the three shows. It's an adrenaline ride too. It's an action movie, so I'm excited for people to see it. Hopefully, they'll love it.

About Chicago P.D. Season 12

From multiple Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dick Wolf

“Chicago P.D.” is a riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department’s elite Intelligence Unit, combatting the city’s most heinous offenses – organized crime, drug trafficking, high-profile murders and beyond. At the center of “Chicago P.D.” is Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), who is at ground zero against the war on crime in Chicago and is fiercely determined yet complicated.

The Intelligence Unit will be tested as it learns how to work efficiently with a new Deputy Chief of Police. In addition, a new member has been added to its ranks – Officer Kiana Cook, a tough patrol officer ready to prove her worth within the unit.

Check back for our other One Chicago interviews:

• Joe Miñoso (Chicago Fire)
• Steven Weber (Chicago Med)

Enjoy ScreenRant's primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check "Network TV" in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.

Sign Up Now

Chicago P.D. season 12 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.