In a wide-ranging interview with CBR, Chicago PD showrunner Gwen Sigan addressed what makes Voight's rivalry with Reid different from the other vendettas he's had in the past. She also discussed finally promoting someone in the Intelligence Unit and what it's been like to write for Burgess as a detective. Plus, how has the show evolved in a new direction after the high-profile departures of fan-favorites Jay Halstead and Hailey Upton?

CBR: The major storyline in Chicago PD Season 12 has been Voight's quest to take down Deputy Chief Reid, played by The Pitt's Shawn Hatosy. But what makes Reid any different from Brian Kelton or any of the other enemies Voight has made over the years?

And then we're really using his character to kind of form this relationship with Voight, where Voight's seeing almost a version of himself -- a very twisted version of himself. And so it's a lot about us discovering, has Voight fully changed? Has he evolved? We have all these questions, with Chapman too, of who is he now, and has he really changed in all of these years? Or is he actually the same guy we met in Episode 1 of this show? And so Reid's really meant to to get into some of that.

You mentioned ASA Chapman, and one of the biggest things Chicago PD fans have wanted is an exploration of Voight's personal life, specifically his romantic life. What has it been like for you to venture into a part of the character that has rarely been addressed?

The opposite of that was bringing back Torres' destructive relationship with Gloria Perez, which came to a head in Season 12, Episode 8, "Penance." But that then became a way to develop a dynamic between Torres and newcomer Kiana Cook. How would you describe writing for this new incarnation of Intelligence, building their characters and moving on from Halstead and Upton after so many years?

I would love if no one ever left. It's sad when Halstead and Upton left; you kind of have to look at it as. how can we make this a positive? Who can we bring in that's going to be really fun to write, and fun to create a new character and tell different stories with. As soon as you start thinking like, in that sense, it becomes a lot more fun.

Especially when we found Toya [Turner, who plays Cook], when she started, it was kind of this breath of fresh air. She's so different. She's such a good actress. She's so down to earth. You believe everything she says. There's so many different layers to that character that we're still exploring... I think it feels fresh and different, because it has to be. We have this kind of new unit, and you just have to look at it in that direction of, how do we make it unique and different this year?