Chicago P.D.’s Showrunner Hints at “Change” Next Season After a Striking Finale

“We’ve got just nothing but options,” Gwen Sigan told NBC Insider while looking ahead to P.D. Season 14.

Season 13 of Chicago P.D. has come to a blood-chilling end, but it was anything but easy for Officer Eva Imani (Ari Mandi) after a bittersweet reunion with her long-lost sister.

Imani spent all season hunting for her missing sister, Shari, who was kidnapped at just six, even accepting help from Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe). Their discovery of a murdered sex worker led them down a life-changing path as they finally found and rescued Shari from her kidnapper, Russ Kirby. After decades apart, Imani was left devastated after Shari failed to remember Imani or anything about their family. Shari was in utter denial about being a victim, viewing Kirby as her “husband” and closest family.

In P.D.’s finale (“Born or Made”), Imani attempted to jog Shari’s memory in hopes of truly reuniting as sisters, leading Shari to agree to share Kirby’s whereabouts as long as she and Imani went alone. Imani’s scan for Kirby proved to be a set-up orchestrated by Shari, who lured Imani into Kirby’s trap before agreeing to shoot her sister.

The Intelligence Unit arrived just in time to save Imani and take Kirby down, but after discovering Shari was the assailant in the sex worker’s homicide, Voight and Imani have some mighty challenges ahead of them.

P.D. star Ari Mandi talks about the “rollercoaster” end of Season 13

NBC Insider spoke with P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan and star Ari Mandi about the explosive Season 13 finale, which tested Imani and Voight’s sense of justice as they tracked down Shari’s longtime captor.

“What a roller coaster,” Mandi told NBC Insider while chatting about the “emotional” episode. “It’s been so challenging in the sense that Imani doesn’t get the closure that she was hoping for. This lifelong journey of hers has come to a crossroads in a way that she never imagined. Because she found her sister and there’s that satisfaction, but then her sister’s not even maybe there, you know?”

How will she manage to bridge the multi-decade distance with her sister if she’s behind bars for murder? Imani seemed desperate to know what Voight would do with his intel, but P.D.‘s finale faded to black before he provided closure.

“We’ll give an answer to what they’ve decided,” P.D. showrunner Sigan promises Chihards. “Have they decided to bury this evidence, or are they going to put it on paper, let it play out as it would? And then also emotionally, just what that means for the pair of [sisters], for their relationship, whatever they choose… it will definitely be something we dive back into next season.”

“They have these big momentous life things happening to each of them. And so it sets us up [Season 14] to really change with the characters.” – Gwen Sigan, Chicago P.D. showrunner

P.D.’s showrunner teases “big momentous” change ahead in Season 14

Sigan reveals that Imani isn’t the only one who has primed for an action-packed Season 14 of Chicago P.D. After exploring Season 13’s theme of “roots,” the Intelligence Unit fan favorites have done so much soul-searching that they’ve found themselves navigating some exciting milestones. Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) just won a grueling battle with depression, Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Ruzek (Patrick John Fleuger) are moving away from Canaryville, and Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) is welcoming a baby with his new girlfriend. The excitement among the Intelligence Unit is endless.

“We wanted to focus on sort of why each of them is the way they are, where does that come from, and it was really a fun season to explore…” Sigan shared. “It wound up really naturally putting them each at this point where they have these big momentous life things happening to each of them. And so it sets us up [Season 14] to really change with the characters.”

“I think it’ll be a different season, they have so many new places to explore,” Sigan said before touching on Burzek’s big move and Torres’ restored sense of faith and spirituality. And that’s not even getting into Voight’s shifting relationship with Imani, which has kept Chihards gripped since Imani’s introduction to the Intelligence Unit.

“There’s so much to play with, so I’m excited,” Sigan concluded. “I think we’ve got just nothing but options.”