Once NBC announced that Tracy Spiridakos was leaving Chicago PD after season 11, the show hunted for her character's replacement, but Hailey Upton's first successor didn't stick around for long. Many Chicago PD characters have come and gone over the course of the police procedural's 12 seasons. From Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay to Jon Seda as Antonio Dawson, numerous stars have exited the series, meaning the makeup of the Intelligence Unit constantly changes. Unfortunately, the squad lost one more member during the Chicago PD season 11 finale.
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Spiridakos' Upton left Chicago PD after season 11. During the finale, Upton and Hank Voight decide that the best thing for her would be to quit Intelligence and move out of Chicago. Upton had been struggling since her husband, Jay Halstead, left her. Voight knew that Upton, who had become like a daughter figure to him, needed a change. Even though Voight certainly didn't want Upton to go, he pushed her to, so she did. Just like that, Intelligence was down one detective, and many assumed that one new character introduced in Chicago PD season 11 would fill that vacancy.
Chicago PD Season 11 Set Up Jo Petrovic As Hailey Upton's Replacement
Bojana Novakovic Starred As Jo
Chicago PD season 11, episode 7, "The Living and the Dead," introduced Bojana Novakovic as Josephine "Jo" Petrovic. Voight recruited Jo, an SVU detective and profiler, to help Intelligence with a serial killer case. In episode 8, Upton called on Jo for assistance once more. Jo returned again in episode 10, which featured Upton discovering that the new Chicago PD character was an alcoholic.
Jo worked closely with Upton, and it would only be natural if she took her spot in Intelligence.
Upton helped Jo get sober by the end of Chicago PD season 11, and it really felt like the show was setting up Novakovic as Spiridakos' replacement in the cast of the One Chicago show. Jo worked closely with Upton, and it would only be natural if she took her spot in Intelligence. However, when Chicago PD season 12 premiered, Jo was gone.
What Happened To Petrovic In Chicago PD Season 12?
Jo Is Gone With No Explanation
Viewers learned during the Chicago PD season 12 premiere that Emily Martel replaced Upton in the Intelligence Unit. Unfortunately, Martel died at the end of the episode, resulting in Voight searching for another new detective for the squad. A few episodes later, Kim Burgess took the detective's exam and was appointed Upton's official successor. All the while, Jo is nowhere to be seen.
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Chicago PD Season 12 Cast
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Role
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Jason Beghe
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Hank Voight
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Patrick John Flueger
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Adam Ruzek
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Marina Squerciati
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Kim Burgess
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LaRoyce Hawkins
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Kevin Atwater
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Amy Morton
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Trudy Platt
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Benjamin Levy Aguilar
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Dante Torres
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Toya Turner
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Kiana Cook
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Sara Bues
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Nina Chapman
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Shawn Hatosy
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Charlie Reid
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It's unclear what happened to Jo and why she didn't take Upton's place in season 12. Despite showrunner Gwen Sigan telling TVLine that she "loved Petrovic on the show" in season 11 and thought "there's so much depth to that character," they decided not to bring Bojana Novakovic back. Perhaps Jo will return in a future Chicago PD episode, but in the meantime, her whereabouts are unknown.
