We got just one season of Chicago PD with Officer Kiana Cook, with Toya Turner let go from the series during the summer hiatus. It was certainly a disappointing update, but it’s one that we’ve become used to seeing time and time again from the Dick Wolf franchise.
In the Chicago PD season 13 premiere, we learned that Kiana Cook was permanently leaving Intelligence, whether Voight got his unit back or not. Voight explained that she had been offered a permanent spot with another unit, and she decided to take it. He didn’t want to lose other team members for the same reason.
What are the chances of Cook returning at a later date, though? I wouldn’t count on it.
Toya Turner left Chicago PD due to creative reasons
It wasn’t Toya Turner’s choice to leave Chicago PD. Reading between the lines, it was either a creative reason on the show’s part, or it came down from the network due to budget reasons. We’ve seen both of these reasons affect Chicago PD and other Dick Wolf shows in the past, especially in the recent past.
While Turner hasn’t moved on to other projects, it’s not clear if she’d be open to returning if the opportunity arose. This could depend on the circumstances behind the scenes, and it’s not worth speculating on something like that.
There’s no reason for Kiana Cook to return
The bad news is that a return would need to suit the show on a creative level, and that wouldn’t be the case in Chicago PD season 13. Kiana Cook made a decision that worked for her own career, and nobody can really blame a person for that. She had only been with the team for a year, so she hadn’t built the same bonds that others would have.
That being said, there’s nothing to prevent a guest star role. A way to write her in is to have her unit start with the case, passing it onto Voight and the team. Cook could even look at helping with the case for that one episode, seeing it through to the end, but admitting that she’s happy with the team that she currently has.
After all, Voight has already filled her place on the team. He offered the job to Eva Imani after working with her on the case in the Chicago PD season 13 premiere. So, there isn’t the space for Cook to return full-time right now.
Chicago PD airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
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