Chicago P.D.: Consequences

Crime is up in Chicago and its all because of politics. That’s not Trump talking. It is an admission from a senior Internal Affairs officer, who refuses to reactivate Sgt. Hank Voight’s Intelligence Unit, even though they have been completely cleared of any wrongdoing. Instead, he keeps Voight assigned to beat work, grossly underutilizing his talents. Yet, Voight finds a way to work a big case anyway as he bides his time in “Consequences,” the thirteenth season premiere of Chicago P.D., which airs tonight on NBC.

Voight always had a knack for stepping on toes, but it almost got the best of him last season. Technically, his unit is now out of legal jeopardy, but two of his officers remain on leave and the rest are working beats, just like him. Voight is grumpier than ever, if not more so. Yet, he has a genuine knack for relating to the honest, working-class residents on his beat, like Aunt Aggie. Not surprisingly, he reverts to his usual beast-cop mode when she is hit by multiple stray gun shots.

Of course, Voight intends to track down the shooter, despite Internal Affairs’ shackles. That means forging an alliance with undercover ATF Agent Eva Imani. She instantly dislikes Voight because she is a reckless, corner-cutting lone wolf with authority issues, but he kind of likes her—for exactly the same reasons. In fact, Voight might have a spot for her, if he can get his unit up and running again.

Law & Order: SVU just released an episode unambiguously portraying ICE agents as villains, so Dick Wolf and his team are clearly not MAGA-inclined. That is why the “Consequences” episode lands with such irony. The whole premise of sidelining the Chicago P.D.’s most effective anti-crime unit purely for reasons could have been written by Pam Bondi. Yet, it is a sure sign of good storytelling when the plot points and characters turn in complicated ways. If showrunner Gwen Sigan and the writers’ room produce episodes that cut in ways they didn’t necessarily intend, that is probably a good thing. It clearly suggests more attention was devoted to story development than political takeaways, as they should.

Regardless, Jason Beghe is as entertainingly hardnosed as ever playing Sgt. Voight. Arguably, Voight is one of the defining TV cops of the 2010s and 2020s, so it is a sin Beghe does not get the recognition he deserves. Promisingly, Arienne Mandi appears poised to give him a run for his money as the newest street-smart cop in town. Their early chemistry is promising and her contempt for bureaucracy is appealing—maybe even zeitgeisty.

Shows do not get thirteen seasons if nobody is watching—not even on Prime or Netflix. That is why the former is producing more shows like Countdown and On Call. Based on the season premieres, the quality of season thirteen should be consistent with season twelve. Recommended for the franchise faithful and fans of procedurals in general, “Consequences” premieres tonight (10/1) on NBC (and streams the next day on Peacock).