Time For Change

From Voight struggling to adapt to the reform measures, to Atwater standing up for the truth, Chicago PD tackles topical societal and political issues in season 8.

- Ipeleng Rakgantsho

In light of the protests aimed at fight-ing police brutality and racial injustice,including the most well-known Black Lives Matter movement that sparked debate and action around the world after US citizen George Floyd was killed by a cop in May 2020, season 8 of crime drama series Chicago PD (2014-now) isn’t only dedicated to addressing reallife events, but also tackling reform in the field. “We feel a sense of responsibility to discuss these ongoing issues, which is fun and challenging,” says Jason Beghe, who plays stubborn Detective Sergeant Henry “Hank” Voight.

Usually, Voight doesn’t think twice about breaking the rules and using excessive force to catch the bad guys. However, with protocols set in place and pressure from newly appointed Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller (Nicole Ari Parker, Giselle from 2017 in musical drama show Empire, 2015-2020), Voight is forced to reconsider his way of running the Intelligence Unit.