Where was Torres in the Chicago PD Season 11 premiere?

Chicago PD had its big Season 11 premiere after months of delay, but one cop was notably absent. Where was Torres, and why was he not at the premiere? 

Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for the Chicago PD Season 11 premiere

Chicago PD had been delayed for a long while, thanks to the strikes that hit Hollywood in 2023. The Season 11 premiere embraced that by taking place six months after the Season 10 finale. 

This meant Ruzek had recovered from his gunshot wounds and cleared for duty but was still not quite physically fit enough to get back on the job just yet. Meanwhile, it was confirmed Upton had filed for divorce from Halstead. That badly affected Upton, causing her to make mistakes in a case that almost fingered an innocent man for murder. 

Voight was doing his best to handle all this, keeping Adam’s spot on the team open (over Trudy's objections) while helping Upton with her trauma. However, it was telling that the newest member of the Intelligence Unit was absent from this episode, leading to a question as to his status. 

Torres wasn't in the Chicago PD Season 11 premiere

Conspicuous by his absence in the premiere was Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar). The only explanation came from Voight making an offhand remark that Torres was on furlough to check in on his ailing mother. 

This comes after Aguilar was absent from the Season 10 finale because his mom was sick. The last showcase for him was Season 10, Episode 21, “New Life,” which shared glimpses into his past as a former gang member who cleaned himself up to become a cop.

This may lead fans to worry that Aguilar is being replaced in the series and that this was an excuse to have Torres away. Chicago PD does have a habit of suddenly writing out characters with little warning such as Jon Seda’s Dawson. 

So far, there’s no word Aguilar is leaving, as NBC Insider assured fans that the character will be returning. It may simply be Aguilar had some sort of scheduling conflict due to Season 11 starting so late and had to be written out for a bit. So, hopefully, fans can see Torres back on the job with the rest of the Chicago PD gang soon. 

Chicago PD Season 11 airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC and streams on Peacock the following day.