Why did Ruzek leave Chicago P.D. in season 4? Explained

Police procedural drama Chicago P.D. wrapped up its eleventh season in May, with the gang of fearless intelligence officers set to come back on the screen for Season 12 in September this year. The cast of the upcoming season will feature familiar faces in Season 11, including Patrick John Flueger's Adam Ruzek.

Ruzek has become an indispensable figure since the show premiered in 2014, both within the Intelligence Unit and his relationship with Kim Burgess (played by Marina Squerciati). But as some of the show's fans would remember, there was a long stretch in Season 4 when his future with IU was unclear.

In Season 4, Ruzek returned to the Intelligence Unit after several weeks of doing an undercover gig, but he was already replaced. Losing his place in IU leaves him returning to uniform and patrol duty. While his character made occasional appearances, Ruzek's absence from IU was felt in four consecutive episodes in the fourth season.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Chicago P.D. Season 4. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Adam Ruzek lost his position at the Intelligence Unit in Chicago P.D. Season 4

During Chicago P.D. Season 4 Episode 10, titled "Don't Read the News," Hank Voight (played by Jason Beghe) revealed that Ruzek took an undercover assignment, which took him from IU for several weeks. But when he returned from the mission, thinking that everything would go back to normal, Ruzek faced an unexpected twist that would take him away from the IU for much longer.

He returns only to find his spot in IU has already been given to someone else, former Narcotics officer Kenny Rixton. Wanting to hop on to his old job, Ruzek talks to Voight about whether he can get hit spot back, but Voight isn't keen on firing Rixton in favor of him.

Voight told the officer that if a vacancy opens up, he would be considered, but in the meantime, he's back in uniform. While he's busy sorting through his demotion and his patrol duty, the Intelligence is off to solve another case, leaving Ruzek out of the loop.

Thankfully for fans who've been eagerly awaiting Ruzek's return in IU, they only had to wait for four episodes until the officer gets his position back.

In Chicago P.D. Season 4 Episode 15, titled "Favor, Affection, Malice of Ill-Will," Rixton approaches Ruzek as he's cleaning his locker. During their conversation, Rixton tells him how he and Ruzek's father were good friends some years back and that he had accepted a job in a narcotics team.

Rixton leaving IU opens up a spot for Ruzek's eventual return, and while it hasn't been smooth sailing since he reclaimed his position in Intelligence, Ruzek has emerged to become of one the most valuable members of the team.

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What fans can expect from Ruzek in Chicago P.D.?

With Chicago P.D. Season 11 ending last May and Season 12 set to premiere in September, fans are eagerly awaiting more about their favorite Intelligence officer and Chicago P.D.'s favorite couple, Ruzek and Burgess.

Showrunner Gwen Sigan teased what's coming in Season 12. During an interview with TV Line on May 28, Sigan said that it would be "fun" to write about Burgess and Ruzek's nuptials but noted that when it will happen isn't set in stone:

"There's definitely a possibility of, 'Are we going to do the wedding next year? Are we going to do the planning? What are we going to see?' So, I'm excited to figure out all of that."

Burgess and Ruzek's love story has been a staple since the men in the show's debut season. By Season 2, the fictional couple has been dubbed by fans as "Burzek."

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Catch all previous seasons of Chicago P.D. on Prime Video and Peacock Premium, given viewers have a subscription. All episodes of the latest season are also available for streaming on NBC.