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Hank Voight has become one of the defining faces of “Chicago P.D.,” and for many viewers, Jason Beghe’s gravel-voiced commander is the complicated antihero at the center of the show’s appeal. But across the larger “One Chicago” fandom, not everyone has been able to embrace him. A lingering issue for some fans is the way Voight first entered the franchise — and honestly, it is not hard to understand why that introduction left a mark.
Before “Chicago P.D.” became a hit NBC crime drama, “Chicago Fire” launched the shared “One Chicago” universe, and longtime viewers will remember that Voight was not initially presented as a noble police officer. Early on, he was framed as a corrupt cop, and his actions put him directly at odds with fan-favorite firefighter Matt Casey, played by Jesse Spencer. The conflict began after Casey gave a statement involving a drunk-driving crash that left a victim paralyzed. The driver was Voight’s son, and Voight pressured Casey to take back what he had said. When Casey refused, Voight retaliated by planting cocaine in Casey’s home in an attempt to frame him.
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That storyline understandably soured many “Chicago Fire” fans on the character, even though “Chicago P.D.” later worked to reshape Voight into a morally complicated leader rather than a flat-out villain. As one Redditor put it, the show did not exactly erase what happened with Casey, but it reframed Voight as the kind of cop who “lives in the gray area for the greater good,” seemingly betting that audiences would move on over time. For some, that strategy worked. For others, the shift never fully landed. Another viewer admitted they initially expected “Chicago P.D.” to reveal that Voight had only been pretending to be dirty as part of an undercover operation — and were let down when that was not the case. At least they tried to give him a more generous explanation.
Some ‘Chicago Fire’ fans never watched ‘Chicago P.D.’ because of Hank Voight
Despite the huge success of “Chicago P.D.,” some viewers say Voight’s early feud with Matt Casey kept them from fully buying into the police-focused spinoff. One fan wrote on Reddit that Voight’s “ignoble introduction” on “Chicago Fire” was probably the reason they could never get invested in “Chicago P.D.” Another joked that they essentially resisted watching the series until the Covid era, explaining that as a devoted “Chicago Fire” fan, it was difficult to move past how badly Hank had been portrayed. They said they avoided “PD” for a long time because the franchise had made Hank seem so awful. Interestingly, viewers who discovered “Chicago P.D.” before circling back to “Chicago Fire” have also said they sensed there was something troubling beneath the surface. One fan shared that Voight always felt off to them, and after finally watching “Chicago Fire” years later, their reaction was basically, “Yeah, thought so.”
Still, Voight’s controversial past has not stopped “Chicago P.D.” from becoming a long-running staple of NBC’s “One Chicago” lineup. The series has remained on the air for more than a decade, and Hank Voight has continued to be a central presence. Even after off-screen controversy affected Jason Beghe’s public image, the character stayed put. Some fans have questioned that decision, but Voight remains one of the franchise’s most enduring — and divisive — figures.
Among those who do love Voight, the consensus is that he’s changed for the better. As one Redditor pointed out, “I hated him in ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 1 but he completely charmed me in ‘Chicago P.D.’ and now I love Hank.” Another mused that Voight was, “Both a complex and simple character which is what makes him great. The show is nothing without him.” Well, he’s certainly continued to be a talking point after all these years.