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After his shocking exit from Chicago P.D. and FBI: International‘s controversial cancellation, Jesse Lee Soffer has found his new starring role.
Multiple outlets confirmed on Wednesday, August 12, that CBS is developing Strike Force (working title), which is a potential drama series that Soffer, 42, would star in and executive produce.
Soffer would play a “battle-tested DEA agent” in the possible project, who “returns home to Kansas City to lead a multi-agency strike force targeting the violent criminals now trying to exploit America’s heartland,” according to the official synopsis.
If picked up to series, Strike Force is slated for a spot on the network’s 2027-28 lineup. It will also be a reunion between Soffer and Matt Olmstead, who previously cocreated NBC’s Chicago P.D and was an executive producer on CBS’ FBI: International.
Soffer became a fan-favorite after playing Jay Halstead for 10 seasons on Chicago P.D. before he departed the show.
“I was ready for more. Eventually, you know the character so well, there’s not much that can shift or transform,” he told Variety in 2023. “I really wanted to grow and expand, and we’ve only got this one trip. If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, ‘You know what? It’s time to take a risk.’”
The actor remained in the Dick Wolf world after scoring a role as Wes on FBI: International.
“On [Chicago] P.D., Halstead had a lot of baggage by the end of 10 seasons,” Soffer exclusively told Us in October 2024 of his former detective character. “There’s someone [who has] gone through a lot of traumatic stuff.”
Soffer teased how Wes was “totally new” with a “different demeanor” and a “different attitude.”
CBS is breaking viewership records with shows such as Justin Hartley‘s Tracker and the Yellowstone spinoff Marshals — but the network is also saying goodbye to a handful of shows in 2026. Before releasing its schedule for fall 2026, CBS confirmed there would be some absences with Ghosts, Matlock and NCIS: Sydney having their premieres […]
“Obviously, I love Wolf films and they’re near and dear to my heart. To get this opportunity was like, ‘Oh, no, this was not on my radar at all, but OK, let’s do it,’” he recalled. “[There was] no way of predicting it. No way of knowing.”
CBS ultimately canceled FBI: International in March after four seasons. Soffer, for his part, returned to One Chicago earlier this year for their crossover special, which reunited him with onscreen love interest and rumored girlfriend Tracy Spiridakos.
Spiridakos, 38, meanwhile, left Chicago P.D. one season after Soffer. She is now starring on USA Network’s Anna Pigeon — and weighed in on the chances of Soffer making a guest appearance in a future episode.
“I’ve heard [fans] say that they want Jesse to come and play a villain on the show,” she told Us earlier this month. “I’m up for that. So that would be fun.”
