What if the ending you saw… wasn’t the one they intended?
Chicago P.D. Season 7 ended on a cliffhanger — Rojas gone without warning, Intelligence fractured, and Voight seemingly more alone than ever. But what fans never saw was the original finale that had been written, blocked, partially filmed — and then completely buried by NBC. Why? Because it would have changed the show forever.
According to multiple crew insiders, the original Season 7 finale was meant to be Voight’s final mission. After years of moral compromise and internal corruption, the story was leading to one ending: Voight being arrested by the FBI… or killed during a sting gone wrong.
“It was supposed to be the moment where he finally paid for everything,” said a former P.D. writer. “We were going to show the cost of his actions — all of them.”
Writers crafted a dark and emotional arc, one where Voight agrees to one last operation — a deal with a federal task force in exchange for immunity. But in classic Voight fashion, he goes off script. He tries to protect a source, disobeys orders, and things spiral into chaos.
The final scene, as it was originally conceived, had Voight trapped in a warehouse surrounded by federal agents. He looks down at his badge… tosses it into the fire… and walks out unarmed.
“Cut to black,” the writer said. “We weren’t going to tell you if he lived or died. It was going to be poetic — his redemption, or his punishment.”
But in early 2020, just as they prepared to shoot the finale, something changed. Sources say NBC executives reviewed the scripts and panicked. “Voight was the brand,” said one insider. “Ending his story would risk everything.”
And then came COVID.
Production halted. Sets were shut down. The final episode was never filmed. The showrunners were told to pivot — and quietly, the original finale was locked away. Instead, Season 8 reset Voight’s story, ignoring the buildup of guilt and violence that had been brewing.
But whispers about “the erased ending” continued to swirl. One editor leaked that some of the scenes had already been shot — including a moment where Voight records a confession to a mysterious flash drive, which would’ve been discovered posthumously.
“That footage exists,” the editor said. “But it’ll never air.”
Neither NBC nor the Chicago P.D. team have ever acknowledged the alternate ending. But those who worked closest to it say it would’ve been the most powerful moment in the show’s history.
“It was Voight’s soul, finally exposed,” said the original script writer. “Not rage, not vengeance — just truth.”
Whether the footage will ever surface remains unknown. But for longtime fans, the idea of a different ending — one where Voight’s legacy ends in silence, not sirens — is as haunting as it is satisfying.
Because in the world of Chicago P.D., justice is never simple.
And the truth? It doesn’t always make it to air.
