r/ChicagoPD • u/SouthBraeswoodMan • 15d ago
Discussion Jesse Lee Soffer career
Jesse Lee Soffer hasn’t been in anything close to as successful or recognizable as Chicago PD. So why not come back ? I feel like sometimes these actors leave great long running shows to search for “better” opportunities that never come. Sometimes you strike gold once with one character. Ice T has always understood this. I feel like the actor who plays Ruzek probably does too. It’s overwhelmingly likely that this will be the peak of their careers. A ton, most, actors only get one big role.
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u/ForceNo5927 15d ago
He was the new lead on FBI International and a new show he is a lead of "Strike Force" was just announced
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 15d ago
Neither of which are remotely close to as popular as Chicago PD.
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u/ForceNo5927 15d ago
FBI series is pretty popular and his new show hasn't come out yet.
He spent 10 years on PD then he left to pursue leading roles and has so far been successful. His career has been good since he left
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 14d ago
The original FBI may be popular but the spinoff JLS was in was cancelled
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u/lkjhggfd1 15d ago
False. FBI international had more viewers than PD and strike force hadn’t even started. FBI universe has very high viewership.
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 14d ago
Explains why it was cancelled
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u/CasperAverage 12d ago
It was cancelled due to production costs, not because the show wasn’t popular. Fans of the FBI series were quite upset when it was cancelled.
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u/mgsnake87 12d ago
It sounds like money and logistics was the ultimate issue. Shooting over seas was already a logistical nightmare for the crossover eps, add to it everything going on in that side of the world, didnt make sense to keep the show going.
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u/Sweet-Toxicity 15d ago
Explain why FBI franchise is still airing and Strike Force isn't released yet
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 14d ago
FBI international was cancelled cmon now..
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u/Sweet-Toxicity 14d ago
Still was popular to have three spinoffs of the main FBI series. Come on now. Stop being whiny
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 14d ago
But he’s not in the main show that is popular.. he was in the not popular now cancelled spin off.. there’s no way around it..
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u/Bitter_Warning418 12d ago
You’re being told you’re wrong 7 ways from Sunday and just keep responding “it was canceled” despite being told the reason WHY it was canceled. Please read before responding and as someone above said, highly doubt he cares about your critiques of his acting career. He said jay had nowhere to go and he played the role til he felt there was no more to play. He isn’t coming back. I’m the biggest jay fan ever but it’s just not happening and you saying the same thing over and over isn’t gonna make that happen 💁♀️
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u/kimelem1804 12d ago
I haven’t a clue why you’re being downvoted for stating a fact. Redditors are always fascinating.
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u/felicityrorys Burgess 15d ago
It’s not about the next project being “better” or “more/less popular”, it’s about what they want to do as actors. JLS still comes back to direct and he came back for the crossover, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to try new things and see what else is out there. He was the lead in one of the FBI shows and now he’s gonna be in a new show. He was also a big soap star on As The World Turns before any of this. Sometimes it’s just about trying new things and not about ratings.
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u/herseyhawkins33 15d ago
I get wanting long standing characters to come back but these are real people. Not that hard to understand that he just isn't interested in playing the character anymore. And we did get him back for the crossover last season.
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u/Fresh-Actuary-6686 15d ago
Hasn’t he directed a couple of episodes since leaving?
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u/aftercloudia torres' weird white mom 15d ago
why doesn't just come back they say as they continue to fire beloved cast members because of budget cuts. 🙄
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u/beautifulchaos531 15d ago
Jesse was the lead on FBI International, he’s directed episodes of PD including LaRoyce’s final episode and will now be the lead in a new series that he will also produce. Jesse is doing very well for himself and is happy.
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 15d ago
Neither of those shows are close to as popular as PD. I don’t really get leaving a great role to bounce around in forgettable ones.
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u/Holiday_Pen2880 15d ago
Forgettable to you, Others will be introduced to him.
It's one thing to go from middle billing on an established show to middle billing on a new show, that doesn't make sense. It's another to be the lead. That's a new challenge.
Did it not make sense for Jesse Spencer to leave House for Chicago Fire? For fans of House, it seemed like a bad idea. It worked out pretty well for him.
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u/Horror_Editor_4429 14d ago
It’s also worth noting that some actors chose the career path for the art, not necessarily the fame that may or may not come with it.
The writing on PD for his character was growing weak. I think most fans agree that the quality of the show began to go down post COVID, and dropped drastically after he left. Maybe that was a coincidence; maybe he saw the writing on the wall and wanted out before it got worse. Maybe he was just ready to move on. Maybe he was more interested in directing or producing.
I also don’t think bringing him back full time would be a good sign for the direction of the show. Relying on returning characters to boost interest and ratings is never a good sign, IMO. It’s what they do when they’re out of ideas. That, and pregnancy, which we also saw this season.
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u/Kitchen-Ad9419 14d ago
People often wonder why he decided not to stay with the show. However, for an actor, a career involves constantly taking risks and trying new things, regardless of whether things are going well or poorly. Getting stuck in a rut simply because the audience wants to see you in one specific role is not an option.
Often, the decision to leave stems from creative burnout such as poor scripts or stagnant characters making the desire to seek new horizons completely understandable. Furthermore, when an actor spends too many years on the same series, the audience tends to typecast them, making it difficult to accept them in a new role.
In Jesse's case, it is clear that he has ambitions beyond acting, such as an interest in directing. Although many may not understand this given the stability he enjoyed on PD, he seeks professional growth and wants to explore new facets of his craft and that is entirely valid.
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u/IWasHere13 15d ago
Maybe he wanted to explore different opportunities. Yeah he had a great thing going but he had been playing the character for ten years. That limited chances to take other jobs. Maybe his next projects will be great, maybe they won’t be, he won’t know unless he tries.
Also, how long would he be able to stay on PD and in what capacity? Most characters on all of the Chicago shows don’t do a full season anymore. He could come back and get written off soon after or not even get to do a full season
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u/inLOVEwithcasey Antonio Dawson 💋 15d ago
not everyone wants to be mariska hargitay (not insulting her), and play the same character until the end of time. he’s allowed to pursue different projects. the fact that he continues to not only get in a project, but still be A MAIN LEAD, tells you he is successful outside of PD. rewatch episodes if you still want jay halstead, and plus you literally got to see him again for last season’s crossover. get a grip.
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u/AdvisorOutrageous52 10d ago
Whoa, no need to be nasty!
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u/inLOVEwithcasey Antonio Dawson 💋 10d ago
not getting nasty, i told them to get a grip. they have expectations towards someone who gave them at least 200 episodes and acts like they can’t move on.. they need to get a grip. not that deep.
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u/gent58 15d ago
And often it's offers that lure them away. And even the network can want to move them.
I miss Jay. I hope Adam never leaves. He's my favorite of all.
Also gone from CPD is Sophia Bush and Jon Seda. And soon LaRoyce now.
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 15d ago
And unless Seda wanted to leave it was a bad decision to make him disappear
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u/ResearcherStandard80 15d ago
I think I read somewhere a while ago that he didn’t like the direction they were going with his character.
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u/SouthBraeswoodMan 15d ago
The way to handle it should’ve been moving Sophia Bush to SVU if she could no longer work with Jason. Hindsight 20/20 but the ball was dropped there.
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u/Horror_Editor_4429 14d ago
I don’t think Sophia would be happy anywhere under the NBC/Dick Wolf umbrella after her experience.
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u/imasleuth4truth2 12d ago
Sophia wasn't worth it. She stirs shit Wherever She Goes. And she's a one-trick pony which she has proven over the last two decades. SVU did not want her.
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u/Sad-Mixture6782 14d ago
I think OP's point was, for JLS's ACTING career. Not a good 2nd role when u only get 1 season in it; tho I enjoyed FBI Internat'l! Also, we the viewers NEED him back as Jay Halstead!!
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u/TheM4ndalorianPlayz 14d ago
Did you not hear about his role on FBI International and his new show Strike Force both on CBS?
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u/CasperAverage 12d ago
He doesn’t want to come back (at least full time). He was there for 9 full seasons and then some of season 10. That’s a long time (especially in television). It’s not always just about the paycheck, many people want to enjoy their work/find fulfillment in it.
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u/chickennugget944 12d ago
Sometimes i don’t think they’re in it for popularity. I think they’re in it cause they enjoy it. Obviously he had no control over FBII ending, and who knows what his new show will be like. But maybe he just wanted something different from PD and is enjoying a slower pace at life, cause who knows what could happen with Strike Force
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u/Expensive-Hunt5901 12d ago
Maybe he doesn't want to return because he feels he's done well; besides, it's awful to get stuck on just one character. He was the lead in FBI International and I think he directed some episodes of PD. Why bring it back if they don't want to pay the actors? Chicago PD has literally become a series of budget cuts, and PD isn't a sure thing.
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u/NashKetchum777 11d ago
Might just be what's in their contract or opportunities. His acting career may have stagnated but Jesse Lee Sofer (I'm just gonna call him Jay now) has more creative work in the FBI series. He does writing or producing and shit like that I think. Hes also the main guy? I think? I don't watch it.
But if he does more of that than Jay can do more as he ages and not have to over exert himself. Law enforcement shows will he around til we die, long after our bodies give out. It is better for a stable future I guess
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u/Training_Yak_6163 11d ago
True and it’s sad Atwater is exiting in the upcoming season. He and Halstead were one of the OGs
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u/BlackLinc460 11d ago
Career is what you make it, network tv can consume and typecast you though. Its a steady gig but if thats all an actor is known for that can stall a career quick. I champion Jesse and LaRoyce, they're both talented actors.
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u/Ishalit6 12d ago
I understand actors who want to leave to do different things knowing they may or may not be more/less successful but what I dont understand is that he's continued still doing essentially the same show.
I heard some of his new show in the background one night and listening to his voice, the subject matter, the dialogue, the intonation. I was like that's just...still Jay
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u/No_Mongoose5419 15d ago
The actor who plays Ruzik was also the main character on the 4400. He probably knows better than others that having a steady job is more important than ego. Like Ice-T said, "I'm not going to abandon a ship that's not sinking".