“Chicago PD” is losing one of their own in Season 13, but only temporarily.
Series regular Patrick John Flueger, who’s played officer Adam Ruzek from the beginning, is taking an unexpected leave of absence from the NBC procedural for personal reasons, TheWrap has learned. It’s not clear how long Flueger’s hiatus will be, but he is expected to return later this season.
The show is reworking scripts to acknowledge the character’s absence, which Deadline reports was sparked by the actor going through a difficult time in his personal life, including one instance of alcohol use on set.
“Chicago PD” is part of the sprawling One Chicago franchise on NBC. The long-running shows have weathered their fair share of cast exits and leaves, including “Chicago Fire” star Taylor Kinney taking a step back from the flagship series for 10 months. “Chicago Med” put fans through it in the past few episodes with the return of Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) and Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) in Season 11 with a difficult storyline involving Will’s stepson.
Ruzek has been a key part of the “Chicago PD” Intelligence unit from the start. His relationship with Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) delighted fans for years with its many ups and downs. The couple married in the Season 12 finale last spring.
The “One Chicago” shows, comprised of “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD,” air Wednesdays on NBC and stream the next day on Peacock.
