Chicago PD season 13 loses another character, whose exit is worse than Kiana Cook’s departure. The One Chicago franchise is not new to cast reshuffles. Long-running ensemble shows tend to change their members for various reasons, and having been in the industry for decades, Dick Wolf is well aware of this.
There are loses across all three shows in the Windy City-set universe coming into the new TV cycle. Chicago Fire is bidding goodbye to 3 people — Sam Carver, Darren Ritter, and Jack Damon, while Chicago Med will say farewell to Maggie Lockwood. Chicago PD is already confirmed to lose Kiana Cook — the newest member of Intelligence.
A couple of weeks ahead of One Chicago’s debut for the new TV season, Wolf Entertainment makes an unexpected move for its CBS-broadcasted franchise, FBI. The casting for Tom Ellis’ CIA effectively means that Chicago PD has just written out one character.
Natalee Linez’s CIA Role Effectively Takes Her Out Of Chicago PD
It has been confirmed that Natalee Linez is joining CIA opposite Ellis for a major role. She will play Gina Rojas, a member of the agency as an analyst and a key member of the main squad. The FBI spinoff isn’t Linez’s first Dick Wolf project, as she has been in Chicago PD.
Debuting in Chicago PD season 12 as Valerie Soto, she appeared in a multiple-episode arc that is tied to Kevin Atwater’s personal arc. As a forensic psychologist, she offered a different perspective on how the police force operates in certain spaces in Chicago. Unsurprisingly, the pair started a romantic entanglement.
With Linez taking a series regular role in CIA, it’s very likely that it’s the end of the line for her as Val. Chicago PD left her and Atwater’s relationship in limbo. However, the chances of that being resolved, even with a proper split, are little to none.
Why Losing Val Is More Devastating Than Kiana Cook’s Exit
Previously, it was already announced that Toya Turner wouldn’t be coming back as Kiana Cook — a major disappointment, considering the storytelling potential that her character brought to the show. Like Linez, she also just joined Chicago PD in season 12, but she had a much bigger role than Val, because she was a member of Intelligence.
Despite that, losing Linez’s Val has a much bigger implication for Chicago PD season 14. Intelligence’s war against Deputy Reid paved the way for Cook’s departure. Meanwhile, not seeing Val again means that she joins the string of personal characters tied to Atwater who were unjustifiably forgotten. Keeping her in the show could have started a sustainable story for the veteran Intelligence member.
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