Is Adam Ruzek Leaving Chicago PD? What Happened to Patrick Fleuger?
Adam Ruzek has had a rough time lately on Chicago P.D. For much of Season 10, he’s been undercover trying to stop a domestic terrorist attack while balancing his relationship with Burgess. To make things worse, he just got shot in the season finale. Is Adam Ruzek leaving Chicago P.D. and does he die? Here’s everything that we know.
Chicago P.D. is NBC’s drama series following the personal and professional lives of patrol officers and Intelligence Unit detectives at the Chicago Police Department’s fictional 21st District. The show is a spinoff of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago Justice, which exist in the same universe. Chicago P.D. is currently in its 10th season and was recently renewed for Season 11, our sister site Variety reported in April 2023.
Patrick John Flueger plays Adam Ruzek, an officer in the CPD Intelligence Unit on the Chicago-based crime procedural. Flueger’s portrayed Ruzek since the first episode of the first season in 2014. Most recently on the show, his character got back together with Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati), his ex-fiancé who he’s had 10 seasons of up-and-down romance with.
In an interview with NBC Insider in April 2023, the actor spoke in-depth about the intimate scene when the couple reunited in Season 10, Episode 13. “I thought it was written beautifully. We talk a lot on the show. Which, you know, that’s the show, it’s a procedural. But [it was] more quiet than it was talking. That’s what I liked about it,” he said in the interview. “I just thought it was simple, and people are kind of saying half-sentences, and I think that’s realistic. When you know somebody that well, when you’ve loved that someone, that way, that hard for so long, you don’t have to finish sentences for them to know what you’re saying.”
He also talked about his on-screen chemistry with Marina Squerciati, the actress who plays Burgess. “Marina’s one of my best friends, and it’s like we balance each other out. With our performances, I think we do have good chemistry onscreen,” he added. “But with Burgess and Ruzek, I think it’s just they balance each other out. They just collectively calm each other down and validate each other’s strengths and make up for each other’s weaknesses.”
So, after reaching a new milestone with Burgess, is Adam Ruzek leaving Chicago P.D. and is he in danger? Read on to learn more about the dire situation the police officer is in.
Is Adam Ruzek leaving Chicago P.D.?
Is Adam Ruzek leaving Chicago P.D.? As of right now, actor Patrick Flueger, who plays Adam Ruzek, is not leaving Chicago P.D., but his character was in grave danger after he was shot in the Season 10 finale. The Season 11 premiere confirmed Ruzek survived the shooting and was still alive, however, he took a break from the force to recover from his injuries as Sergeant Hank Voight contemplated what to do with his role.
In the Season 10 finale, Ruzek learns from Samantha that her father, a self-proclaimed domestic terrorist and white supremacist, moved up his terrorist attack to that day. Ruzek has no choice but to reveal his identity to Samantha and he arrests her. During questioning, he promises Samantha immunity and that he will protect her son Callum in exchange for information about the attacks. She agrees and gives up the names of her fathers’ associates and their locations, which is how they were able to recover the blueprint of the attacks aimed at Chicago elementary schools largely attended by students of color.
Although Richard is still at large, Ruzek brings Samantha and Callum home to pack so they can be moved to a safe house for protection. He catches Callum on the phone with Richard informing his grandfather of their plans. In a surprising twist, Callum points a gun at Ruzek. “He says to call him if mom ever tried to make me leave,” the young boy told Ruzek. “He says I can’t go camping, not without him… He said that you’re trying to trick us. My grandpa is trying to save the world and he says that you’re trying to stop him…You know he’s doing it for us. He’s getting rid of all the bad people, and you’re going to stop him.”
Callum ends up shooting Ruzek in the chest. Instead of trying to help him, Samantha takes Ruzek’s phone from his pocket, and he bleeds out on the ground. With the last bit of energy he has, Ruzek drags himself to the nearby staircase where his phone is. He manages to call Burgess to tell her he’s hurt and Voight (Jason Beghe) arrives with paramedics. Ruzek is rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery. Unfortunately, that was the last time we saw Ruzek for the rest of the finale and his status is unknown.
Fans were really worried when Flueger wasn’t pictured in a behind-the-scenes photo of the Chicago P.D. cast posted in July 2023 from the official One Chicago Instagram account. In the photo, we clearly see Upton, Burgess, Atwater, Voight and Torres — but Ruzek is nowhere to be found.
“Where’s adam- Dont even,” one fan stressed. Even more users expressed concern for Ruzek’s wellbeing in the comments, writing: “I NEED ADAM TO BE OK” and “Where’s Adam….. do NOT do this!!”
On his Instagram, Flueger hinted that he will be returning for Chicago P.D. Season 11 this fall. “05/24/2023 Finale time…Till we meet again y’all,” he wrote in the caption.
In the last few episodes of Season 10, Ruzek was undercover trying to stop a mass domestic terrorist attack by the Beck family. In the same NBC Insider interview, the actor also talked about his undercover work with Becks and how it’s impacting his character. “It’s this odd thing. Being undercover, that kind of stuff was something that he always loved, but this one has become so complicated,” he said in the interview. “He’s with this young woman that I think he cares for and can see needs help, and she has a young son that I think he cares for. He has been told nothing but lies his entire life other than what he hears from his mom, who only has so much power to tell him the truth. That duality is not fun [for Ruzek], especially when he wants to go home, when he’s got a daughter, and he’s got this woman that he’s rekindled his romance with.”
In recent episodes, Ruzek has been aiding Burgess through her therapy sessions and helping her embrace the trauma she’s been dealing with. In Season 10, Episode 14 “Trapped,” officer Kim Burgess faces the post-traumatic stress she experienced in Season 8, Episode 16, in which she was kidnapped, shot and left for dead by two criminals she was investigating. Burgess survived by making her way to a car before she passes out from blood loss. She’s found by senior detective Jay Halstead and officer Kevin Atwater after she switches on the car’s turn signal before passing out.
In addition to helping Burgess, he’s also raising his daughter while being undercover at the same time. The actor also admitted that his character is “exhausted,” leading us to believe that Ruzek is reaching a breaking point. “I think he’s exhausted, and I think it’s starting to wear on him that what he’s undercover for, it’s not for one individual. It’s for this possible mass attack. So I think it is weighing on him as things go forward.”
Chicago P.D. is available to stream on Peacock.
For more on Chicago P.D., check out our gallery on the shocking reasons these Chicago P.D. characters were written off.
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