Sophia Bush resigned as Chicago P.D.’s Detective Erin Lindsay in 2017, after four seasons of playing the character, alleging assault and abusive behaviour for her exit.
Chicago P.D. is one third of the One Chicago franchise, which is NBC’s trio of crime and medical procedural dramas. Every series, including Chicago Fire and Chicago Med, has had its fair share of surprise exits by beloved characters.
While most were not shrouded with controversy, there was one that did create a stir when their reason for leaving was revealed.
Sophia Bush played the supporting main character of Detective Erin Lindsay for the first four seasons of the series which aired between 2014 and 2017, until she was written off the show. Bush did not return for the fifth season.
Initially, she did not share her reasons, but the star recently stated that her reason for leaving the series was due to her experiencing abusive behaviour and an alleged assault on the set.
What is Chicago P.D.?
Chicago P.D. was released as the second series to be part of NBC’s One Chicago franchise, which consists of three shows that cater to the crime and medical procedural drama market.
The first release under the franchise was Chicago Fire, which first premiered in 2012. Chicago P.D. followed in 2014, and Chicago Med is the latest with a 2015 premiere release date.
Chicago P.D. was created by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Matt Olmstead. The shared premise of the series is, “Follows District 21 of the Chicago Police Department, which is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops and the Intelligence Unit.”
When did Sophia Bush leave Chicago P.D.?
For fans that have watched the series since its inception, one of the most beloved characters and original members of the Intelligence Unit of the Chicago Police Department, was Detective Erin Lindsay played by One Tree Hill alumni, Sophia Bush.
Since her character was one of the most beloved of the series, it surprised fans when, after the season four finale in December 2017, the star did not return to reprise her role for season five.
Reasons for her departure were never shared, and in the world of the story, her character was written off because Detective Erin went to work for the FBI in New York.
In the years that followed, however, Bush has been more vocal about how the work environment on the Chicago P.D. set was the reason she decided to bid an indefinite farewell to the series in 2017.
Sophia Bush on leaving Chicago P.D.
After her exit from Chicago P.D. in 2017, Sophia Bush waited a couple of years before speaking on the reason she finally decided to leave the series.
The actress alleged that the work environment on set was filled with “assault and abusive behavior,” and she only stayed out of fear of the future of the crew and cast at the time.
In her interview on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, the star stated:
“I quit because, what I’ve learned is I’ve been so programmed to be a good girl and to be a workhorse and be a tug boat that I have always prioritized tugging the ship for the crew, for the show, for the group, ahead of my own health,” Bush revealed. “My body was, like, falling apart, because I was really, really unhappy.”
Sophia Bush on her experience with toxic set conditions
Sophia Bush has had multiple traumatic on-set experiences, the first being during the period that she was working on her breakout role as One Tree Hill’s Brooke Davis.
Bush, along with former One Tree Hill co-stars, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz, all came out against the show’s producer, Mark Schwahn, for sexual harassment during the nine seasons of the series.
The star moved from one toxic work environment to another. But after speaking up about their experiences, they managed to get Schwahn fired as the producer of E!’s The Royals.
Will Sophia Bush ever return to Chicago P.D.?
The chances of Sophia Bush returning to Chicago P.D. are slim, at best. This is since the actress has landed a new role as cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Sam Griffith, in the new CBS series, Good Sam.
Her character, Sam Griffin, is the new head of cardiothoracic surgery in the series. Speaking about returning to television following her exit from Chicago P.D.
Lindsay suggested that there was a slim chance she would return, , “I really have taken my time to find the people who I would be willing to come back to a network show for.”
Adding, “And then I sat down with (executive producers) Katie Wech, Jennie Snyder Urman and Joanna Klein. And I was like, ‘I would follow these women anywhere, let’s go.’”
Final thoughts
Being a long-running series, Chicago P.D. will see many of its cast members come and go throughout the years, and possibly return to the series as it continues to run.
Moreover, for the most part, this coming and going is natural, as the actors may seek new ventures or take time off to spend with their families and loved ones.
However, the departure of Sophia Bush as Detective Erin Lindsay was one of the early exits in 2017 which was shrouded in scandal.
This was exacerbated by the fact that the star had signed a seven-season contract, but left the series in 2017 after four seasons, citing assault and abusive behaviour as the reason for her departure.
Wha is Sophia Bush doing now?
Actress and activist Sophia Bush is regularly having “frank, funny, personal, professional, and sometimes even political conversations” with people who inspire her, through her podcast Work in Progress with Sophia Bush.
She is also the co-founder, alongside founder Nina Farran, of the sustainable luxury fashion retailer, Fashionkind.