As part of the One Chicago franchise, Chicago P.D. has been on the air for ten seasons and was renewed for the 2023-2024 season. Throughout those seasons, several characters have been introduced. Some of them have been around from the beginning, others have left the show, and others have joined along the way to make an even stronger Intelligence Unit.
With many characters in the precinct, it is expected to see them pair up with a different partner depending on the case, the circumstances, and whether it is a personal investigation. In ten seasons, many have been the pairings that have struck as some of the best on the show, reminding the audience why this team works so well together.
10 Burgess and Roman
By the time Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) moved up, Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) needed to find a new partner: In came Sean Roman (Brian Geraghty). The tricky side of this partnership was that many fans weren’t all too happy with Roman. He didn’t seem to fit into the unit and was always challenging authority, whether it was Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) or Hank Voight (Jason Beghe).
RELATED: 10 'Chicago P.D.' Episodes That Broke Our Hearts
Throughout this professional partnership, Burgess and Roman also started dating. The couple felt like a bit of a mismatch and didn’t get much traction, either. The relationship soon ended when it was time for Roman to leave the show and move to San Diego.
9 Dawson and Olinsky
Even though Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) and Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas) have left the show, their partnership is still memorable. Their characters were very different. One of them followed Voight’s tactics while the other played by the book. Still, they complemented each other every time they were out on the field together.
There was an understanding between both men that came from being fathers and having been on the job for so long. While Antonio may not have agreed with Olinsky’s methods, they always had each other’s back no matter what happened.
8 Ruzek and Olinsky
A partnership that made a lot of sense was the one between Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) and Olinsky. While Ruzek was a newbie trying to learn the ropes and understand how the Intelligence Unit worked, Olinsky was the one to teach him and guide him through every new case that came their way.
Ruzek had grown up in a family of cops, but it seemed as if it was Olinsky who truly showed him what it meant to be on the job. By the time Olinsky died, he had become a father figure and a mentor, and nowadays, part of the great cop Ruzek has become comes from what Olinsky taught him.
7 Halstead and Upton
Tracy Spiridakos’s reaction to Jesse Lee Soffer leaving after 10 seasons was to be expected. Even though these two characters didn’t start together when Hailey Upton joined the Intelligence Unit, they soon found their way to one another. Jay Halstead quickly became her go-to partner, as they worked well together.
However, things got a bit more complicated when they started dating and later on got married. Halstead was very much by the book, while Upton showed tendencies that were similar to Voight’s methods. This made for a rocky marriage that resulted in Halstead leaving and half of the relationship being left behind.
6 Voight and Upton
To work in the Intelligence Unit, a detective must know that there will be times in which cases will be handled under the table, and the rules will be bent; that is how Voight works. For the most part, the team doesn’t ask any questions and follows along. But there are times when a detective comes along, and the audience can tell they are a little bit like Voight. That was the case when Upton came around.
After Upton kills a suspect, the two begin working more closely to ensure the secret is kept. As they continue to work together, it becomes more and more obvious that Upton is willing to fall into Voight’s footsteps if it serves the interests of the case.
5 Burgess and Atwater
Burgess and Atwater have one of those partnerships that has been around since the beginning of Chicago P.D. The two of them started doing patrol together and were separated for a period when Atwater moved up, and Burgess stayed on patrol. However, by the time Burgess joins the unit upstairs, they are back to working together.
RELATED: Every Season of 'Chicago P.D'., Ranked From Worst to Best
They understand each other perfectly, having worked together for so long. They also seem to have become best friends, providing personal support in times of need. When Burgess adopted her daughter, Atwater was there to help with any questions she may have had. Their partnership has evolved into a solid friendship.
4 Halstead and Lindsay
One thing that has been pretty consistent regarding Halstead is his ability to fall in love with his partners. What the audience has seen with Upton in recent seasons also happened with Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) before she left the show. The two of them started out as partners; their work was perfectly in sync, and then they fell in love. Halstead was ready to propose before Lindsay announced her departure.
Lindsay and Halstead seemed to share a lot of the same values, but they butted heads when Lindsay would side with Voight — just as it happened later on with Upton. The similarities between both partnerships is also what has created ship wars among fans who preferred one over the other.
3 Voight and Lindsay
When it comes to Voight and Lindsay, the foundation of their partnership was based on the fact that Voight took Lindsay in when she was a teenager and helped raise her. Even though he was her boss, he kept seeing her as his daughter, which could sometimes interfere with their work. But at the end of the day, he always did everything in his power to keep her safe.
RELATED: The 9 Best 'Chicago P.D.' Characters, Ranked by Likability
Even though Lindsay was mostly about playing by the book, there were instances in which her similarities with Voight shone through, and she bent the rules. She mostly did it when a case included children or when it affected someone she loved — pretty much what Voight has done throughout the series.
2 Voight and Olinsky
Even though it seemed that Voight was the only one who challenged the law and bent the rules to solve their cases, Olinsky was right there with him. The two had shared many decades together on the job, understood how the other worked, and were willing to do anything for one another. They had their own set of rules, and it was easy for them to work together without disputes.
When Olinsky died, it was one of the few times the audience saw Voight break down. That proves that their friendship always came first for both men and was far more important than their professional partnership.
1 Burgess and Ruzek
If Chicago P.D. has made its audience feel anything, it is that most relationships cannot work if the two parties are working together. However, Burgess and Ruzek, one of the best relationships of One Chicago, seem to have broken the curse. Season 10 finally sees this couple back together, living under the same roof and sharing custody of their daughter.
Even though they weren’t partners from the beginning, once they started working together, it seemed like the best option for both of them. They could predict the other person's actions, cover for them, and work in sync. Luckily, this partnership didn’t destroy their personal bond, and now they can be together in and out of the squad room.
KEEP READING: Top 10 Best One Chicago Series Friendships
