Once upon a time, the return of NBC’s One Chicago block in the fall meant something special for fans: the Halstead brothers—Will on Chicago Med (Nick Gehlfuss) and Jay on Chicago P.D. (Jesse Lee Soffer)—anchoring primetime with their own brand of charm, intensity, and emotional pull. The two actors brought a unique sibling dynamic to the sprawling One Chicago universe, even if their paths only occasionally crossed on-screen. But by the end of the 2022–2023 TV season, both brothers had left their respective shows, and fans were left with very different kinds of closure. Will got a heartfelt goodbye that honored his relationships and future in Seattle with Natalie and her son Owen, while Jay was written off Chicago P.D. in a manner that felt abrupt, unsatisfying, and downright cruel to fans who had invested a decade in his story. Now, two years later, the One Chicago landscape has shifted dramatically, with cast shake-ups across all three shows, but the latest news may finally give fans of the Halsteads something to celebrate: Nick Gehlfuss is returning to Chicago Med.

The big announcement hit like a thunderclap for the fandom. Amid the reports of cast departures on Chicago Fire ahead of Season 14 and the loss of Toya Turner’s Kiana Cook on Chicago P.D., it was Chicago Med that delivered the rare good news. Gehlfuss is set to reprise his role as Dr. Will Halstead during the 2025–2026 TV schedule, marking his first return since his emotional farewell in the Season 8 finale back in 2023. But there’s a catch: he’ll only be back as a guest star, not a series regular. That means his screen time will be limited, but even a small window of Will’s presence feels monumental given how final his exit seemed two years ago. Naturally, speculation is running rampant about why Will is returning, how his story will intersect with the current Med cast, and what kind of closure—or new beginnings—await him. Fans who followed his happy ending with Natalie worry that bad news could bring him back to Chicago, but the optimists are clinging to another hope entirely: that Will’s return could finally give us an update on Jay Halstead, whose exit from P.D. was one of the most divisive creative decisions in One Chicago history.

Why the Halstead connection matters goes back to the playbook One Chicago has used before. Longtime fans will remember the departure of Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda), who was written out between Chicago P.D. Season 6 and Season 7 with little explanation about his future. That silence left viewers frustrated until Chicago Fire swooped in with a surprising gift: Monica Raymund’s return as Gabby Dawson in 2019, which casually gave fans the update about Antonio they’d been craving. That cross-show nod was short, subtle, and powerful—a reminder of how connected the One Chicago world really is when it chooses to lean into its shared DNA. So when Gehlfuss steps back into Will’s shoes on Chicago Med, it’s hard not to imagine the possibility of a similar payoff for Jay. After all, if Fire could deliver Antonio Dawson news through his sister, why can’t Med deliver Jay Halstead news through his brother? Even if we never saw Will and Jay interact all that often, the idea that Will wouldn’t know what’s happening in his brother’s life strains credibility. One carefully written line, one brief acknowledgement, could be enough to give fans a sense of closure—or even spark new speculation about whether Jesse Lee Soffer might someday return.

The need for a Jay update feels especially urgent given how unceremoniously his story was cut short. When Soffer left Chicago P.D., Jay’s absence was explained through vague lines about his military work abroad, leaving his wife Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) behind to unravel emotionally in his wake. Season 10 dragged out her grief, guilt, and confusion, but offered little sympathy for Jay himself, painting his choice as abandonment rather than sacrifice. For a character who had carried the moral center of Intelligence for nearly a decade, it felt like a betrayal of both Jay and the fans who loved him. And while Upton has now also left the Windy City, the silence around Jay remains deafening. To never revisit him, never offer closure, would be a glaring hole in a franchise that prides itself on continuity. That’s why the return of Will Halstead has fans daring to hope. He doesn’t need to launch into a monologue about Jay’s fate, but even a brief mention—an acknowledgment of where Jay is, how he’s doing, or whether the brothers remain close—would be enough to ease the sting of his abrupt exit and remind audiences that the Halsteads still exist as a family within the One Chicago universe.

For now, all we can do is speculate and wait for the return of NBC’s One Chicago Wednesdays this fall, when the block kicks off on October 1 with Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET, and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. Will Halstead’s comeback may be short-lived, but its impact could ripple across all three shows if the writers seize the opportunity to address one of the franchise’s biggest lingering questions. In the meantime, fans can revisit earlier seasons of Med, Fire, and P.D. streaming on Peacock, rewatching the highs and lows of the Halstead brothers’ journeys while holding out hope that the next chapter will give them both the justice they deserve. Because in the world of One Chicago, no goodbye ever feels permanent, and sometimes all it takes is one line, one cameo, or one long-awaited return to set the fandom ablaze with excitement all over again.