Why Shawn Hatosy's Chicago P.D. Death Was Inevitable, According To The Showrunner

"Chicago P.D." showrunner Gwen Sigan really wanted to keep Shawn Hatosy around, but his character's arc could only end one way. Hatosy played Deputy Chief Charlie Reid in Season 12 of the NBC police procedural, which aired from 2024 to 2025. Over the course of nine episodes, Reid proved to be a corrupt cop and a thorn in the side of Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe). Reid met his demise in the Season 12 finale when Rennie Otero (Jason Sanchez) took him out. In an interview with ScreenRant last year, Sigan shared that she and the writers actually contemplated keeping Reid alive beyond "Chicago P.D." Season 12 because of how much they liked working with Hatosy.

"I don't think we ever thought we could redeem him as a character and make him less dark than he is. But we certainly got to a point where we were like, 'Are we actually going to kill him? We don't want to kill him. How can we get him back?'" she said. Sigan felt that Reid was a great villain to Beghe's Voight, and praised Hatosy's performance, but couldn't justify a way to keep him alive. "He is just a great actor, such a professional, and was always reliable. We did think about it a lot. We couldn't find the perfect way. It just felt like this is what it was all leading to."

Many viewers of "Chicago P.D." have applauded Hatosy's involvement in "Chicago P.D." Season 12, praising the star's acting performance and the character's tense rivalry with Voight. Hatosy had a positive experience on the series, telling Deadline that he particularly enjoyed being Beghe's scene partner for one season. "It was just nice to be there alongside [Beghe], trying to annoy him, because he's got this unmoving face," he said. 

"I was really excited to share scenes with him, and seeing how somebody who's been playing a character for that long is still excited about the process, working hard, and figuring out how to make it real. It was a joy." Although Hatosy is no longer causing trouble on "Chicago P.D.", he's now saving lives as Dr. Jack Abbot on HBO's "The Pitt." Winning an Emmy for his role on the medical drama, Hatosy has found plenty of success following his "Chicago P.D." guest star appearance.