Chicago P.D. has it all: brutal cases, strong-willed characters, and enough romance to balance out the disturbing things that the Chicago Police Department’s Intelligence Unit sees every day. Given the dark and heavy nature of the job, it’s no wonder that some of our favorite characters have left over the years (Jay Halstead’s (Jesse Lee Soffer) exit was definitely the worst).
Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) has been a popular face on Chicago P.D. since season 1, which premiered on NBC in January 2014. Since we’re (sadly) used to waving goodbye to countless characters on the long-running TV drama, does that mean that Adam has left Chicago P.D.? Let’s take a look…
Did Adam exit Chicago P.D.?
While the end of season 10 of Chicago P.D. might have left Adam in a terrifying situation, Adam didn’t leave Chicago P.D. In episode 22 of season 10 called “A Better Place,” Richard Beck’s (Lee Tiergesen) grandson Callum shot Adam. Of course, fans had no idea what to think when Adam made it to the hospital. It was unclear if he was dead or alive.
Thankfully, Adam made it through, and appeared in season 11 of Chicago P.D. along with the other characters we know and love. Although there are some over-the-top episodes in every TV show in the Chicago franchise, Adam’s recovery was treated carefully. In season 11 of Chicago P.D., he had to train before doing his Intelligence Unit job again, which makes sense since healing doesn’t happen overnight.
As showrunner Gwen Sigan told Cinemablend.com, season 11 of Chicago P.D. opened after six months had passed in order to give Adam that time to get better. Sigan said, “In Chicago policing, you do need to requalify. You do need to go through the retread process and pass all the tests again, so it’s a very real and emotional thing for somebody to be off the job that long.”
Considering Adam’s history on Chicago P.D. and his long-time romance with Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati), it would have been particularly devastating if Adam left the show. The good news is he’s fine (at least for the time being).