The real reason Lisseth Chavez won’t return to Chicago P.D.

Lisseth Chavez is the central character of NBC’s “Chicago PD” in its 7th season. Her character, Officer Vanessa Rojas, is introduced as a rookie and quickly finds herself in the thick of operations. in District 21. During his short time on the force, Rojas discovered that a close friend was involved in a drug ring and was forced to arrest them. Ultimately, Rojas took measures to protect her friends’ lives while they were in custody, and her partner, Detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), attempted to cover up her actions. That didn’t go over well with Upton, who was sent to New York City on a temporary case assignment, which allowed the character to appear in a rare crossover event on CBS’s “FBI.” Rojas also begins a tentative romance with Officer Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins).

But all of that changed in the blink of an eye when the character completely disappeared from “Chicago PD” without any on-screen fanfare in the Season 8 premiere. Fans are still wondering wondered what happened to the character and asked if Chavez would return to the role. Here’s what we know about Lisseth Chavez’s current whereabouts and why “One Chicago” fans are unlikely to see Vanessa again anytime soon.

Chavez is a cast member of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

For those missing Lisseth Chavez’s work, she is currently a main character on the CW series “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.” The actress took on the role of Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz in the sixth season of “Legend” and has been a regular on the show ever since (according to Deadline). That explains why she hasn’t returned to the “One Chicago” universe since Rojas disappeared in 2020. According to Deadline, the show’s creative team chose to end Rojas’ storyline and Chavez’s choice was not cast, which left her free to pursue the role of Cruz. Whatever plans the writers’ room had for Rojas’ departure never came to fruition because the COVID-19 pandemic shortened “Chicago PD’s” filming schedule for season 7, leaving no time to end Rojas’s story appropriately.

“Chicago PD” — now in its ninth season — has yet to address Rojas’ on-screen disappearance. According to a 2020 TV Line interview with “Chicago PD” showrunner Rick Eid, the show’s writers scripted Rojas’ exit in the Season 8 premiere but refused to use it because it “felt forced”. “We’re still working on it,” he told the site at the time. With Kevin Atwater already romantically linked and the show’s characters not mentioning her since Season 7, it’s not good news for fans of Vanessa Rojas. But fans of Chavez can always catch her on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.”