After a season filled with upheavals, Season 12 of “Chicago P.D.” is starting out on fresh footing.

Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) has departed the station, and the detectives have just killed Frank Matson (Dennis Flanagan), who’d been stalking the streets of Chicago and nearly murdered Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) after taking him hostage. Hailey tries to nobly sacrifice herself to Matson to ensure Hank’s safety, to her father figure’s horror. It’s a choice that spurs her decision to live for herself and relocate to a new department in another city — perhaps even a different sort of policing entirely. With all of that in the rearview mirror, the deck is now clear for a fresh main villain and a brand-new set of stories to launch.

Of course, some storylines will carry over to the next season. Hank is forever caught in the middle of a battle between his desire to get justice by any means necessary and his loyalty to his crew. There will always be evil bubbling under the surface, and the cases will continue to be complex and violent. But change will inevitably come to the city. What will happen? There are some rumors that have been semi-confirmed by series showrunner Gwen Sigan. Here’s a rundown of all of those, as well as a little bit of speculation about where the drama may be headed in Season 12, with some fan reactions thrown in.

Some plot developments seem obvious. Clearly, Josephine Petrovic (Bojana Novakovic) will be stepping up in a big way to fill the hole left by Hailey. She’s nearly entirely unexplored dramatic territory as a character, fresh off a rehab stint that Hailey encouraged her to take on. She’s a competent cop but has a messy personality and a tough background, which means the show can do plenty with the character as someone entirely different from any other person that’s existed in the precinct before. Who is she related to? What does her romantic life look like? We don’t know, and it’s something “Chicago P.D.” can, and most likely will, explore.

But will Josephine ultimately take Hailey’s position on the Intelligence Squad, moving her away from her work with the Special Victim’s Unit? That remains to be seen. There’s been no confirmed word from NBC’s upper brass as to whether or not Josephine will become a more ingrained part of the series’ narrative at all or if she’ll simply remain with the show on a recurring basis. But the squad is definitely aching for new members after Hailey’s departure, and they need someone new to stir up the pot. Since Josephine has been carefully introduced through Hailey, why shouldn’t it be her?

“Chicago P.D.” fans remain on the fence about her inclusion in the show. “I still don’t know how to feel about Petrovich,” said u/Storm_Runner09 on the “Chicago P.D.” subreddit. However, a poll held on the subreddit was favorable toward her continued conclusion on the series, with 52 out of 102 respondents saying they want her to stick around and 21 waiting to see how the writers handle her. But some fans just don’t like the notion of her replacing Hailey.

This one has actually been guaranteed by the show’s writers, who swears that Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek’s (Patrick John Flueger) relationship will be solid as a rock from Season 11 on out. Squerciati has even promised fans there will be no further breakups between the twosome. Adam’s proposal is supposed to stick, and Gwen Sigan promises they’ll begin to pursue marriage during Season 12. Indeed, they might even have a big wedding, something “Chicago P.D.” has not done nearly as often as “Chicago Fire” or “Chicago Med.”

“So few times on this show do you get these really happy moments,” Sigan told TV Line. “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.” She added that the couple’s adopted daughter, Mikayla, may motivate the couple to make a big deal out of the ceremony. It’s not guaranteed that the wedding will air this season, but it looks like at least some planning will begin. An unusually fluffy topic for “Chicago P.D.,” but definitely a welcome change from the normal.

“Chicago P.D.” fans have had mixed emotions about the twosome’s relationship for a very long time, but some are very jazzed for their wedding. “Hopefully they’ll get married soon!” u/Lily_of_the_Valley10 posted on Reddit. “I just love Kim and Adam sooo much, I could watch a whole show on just them,” agreed u/SignificantSink4347.

At least one main character hasn’t had a promotion career-wise in a very long time, and that’s skilled officer Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), who has yet to make detective. With the squad’s staff running thin, don’t be shocked if he finally gets a little bit of career advancement at long last. It’s a development that Gwen Sigan acknowledges ought to be made, and one Hawkins would welcome.

“To be honest with you, I don’t think I’m really worried about teammates as much as I would really love to be a detective, since it doesn’t seem like we have any detectives on the unit. Somebody should probably step up. Somebody might deserve that role with those responsibilities, but it’s up to the powers that be, naturally,” Sigan told TV Insider during the One Chicago panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “It’s really a test and then they do the same job. So yes, it’s definitely a possibility. I think they’re all pretty ready for it as terms of they’ve earned it.” For Kevin, this is honestly a plot advancement that’s been a long time coming, and one the show should have made years ago. Ergo, expect him to finally advance his way up the ranks at some point during Season 12.

Fans on Reddit are still mystified as to how Kevin, along with Ruzek and Burgess, hasn’t made detective yet. “Kim, Adam, and Kevin should all be detectives by now. No question, without a doubt,” said u/Coachman76. “I do believe it’s up to them to take the exam and go for the promotion,” agreed u/Healthy-Tap7717.

The last few seasons of “Chicago P.D.” haven’t given Trudy Platt (Amy Morton of “Rookie of the Year” fame) a whole lot to do. She mans her desk; she’s supportive to the officers around her; and she unflappably handles emergencies. When she was on “Chicago Fire,” she had much meatier stories, but it’s been years since she’s carried a plotline of her own. During Season 12 of that drama, Trudy shows up to help her husband Randy McHolland (Christian Stolte) out with a stalker and effortlessly dispatches her. Even showing up at the firehouse’s wedding and functions gives her more to do than what “Chicago P.D.” has been giving her lately.

It wouldn’t be shocking, therefore, if she somehow ends up moving to “Chicago Fire” permanently. Why? To make room for some new cops. “Chicago P.D.” can definitely use a little fresh blood, something Gwen Sigan acknowledged to TVInsider. “It’s going to be very fun to come up with some ideas and a new character and what a new character could add and how it would shift up the dynamics of the unit and new stories to tell. I think it will invigorate the show a lot to have somebody new come on.” 

“Chicago P.D.” fans definitely don’t want her to go. Some series subreddit users even want her to make Lieutenant first, and they blame budget cuts for her sparce appearances in Season 12. At this stage, however, nothing’s been confirmed, so fans will have to keep watching to see who stays … and who goes.