‘Chicago P.D.’: Patrick John Flueger’s Unexpected Absence From Show Explained

Chicago P.D. is down a cast member as Patrick John Flueger is taking a sudden leave of absence from the show to deal with a personal matter.

As first reported by Deadline, Flueger, who plays Adam Ruzek on the hit NBC police drama, has temporarily exited the show to handle a personal situation. He is expected to return later in the season; the show is currently airing its 13th season.

According to Deadline, Flueger’s departure came unexpectedly, and scripts are now being reworked to reflect his character’s absence. A source told the outlet that Flueger has been going through a “difficult period personally,” including “an instance of alcohol use on set.”

Flueger’s Ruzek has been a key part of the show since he joined the cast in 2014, notably for his on-and-off romance with Detective Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati). Ruzek and Burgess finally tied the knot in the Season 12 finale.

“I wanted the classic wedding. I’m glad it was in a church. I’m glad it was a real wedding. They deserve it,” Squerciati previously told People when speaking about Ruzek and Burgess’ relationship.

“Patty and I have great chemistry and he’s my best friend in the whole world,” she added. “I think that that chemistry just shows and we love working together.”

Season 12 also saw Ruzek’s father, Disco Bob (Jack Coleman), diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Back in January, Flueger spoke with TV Insider about working on this emotional story, praising his co-star Coleman.

“Jack Coleman actually deals with dementia in his own personal life, not for himself, but for a loved one,” Flueger revealed. “So he understands exactly how to tap into that to a degree that — we speed things up because it’s TV, we gotta tell the story the right way, but my God, if he doesn’t just knock this thing out of the park, it’s heartbreaking.”

As for filming the emotional scene where Bob told Ruzek about his diagnosis, Flueger said, “It was tough. It was hard. It was really heartbreaking, but also easy because it was so heartbreaking and that’s how it should be, I suppose.”

This isn’t the first time the Chicago franchise, produced by Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment, has accommodated an actor who required a break for personal matters. Taylor Kinney, who plays Lieutenant Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire, previously took a leave of absence and returned to the show 10 months later. Kinney’s absence was also due to him needing to “deal with a personal matter.”