‘Chicago P.D.’: Where Is Torres? Is Benjamin Levy Aguilar Leaving the Show?

Chicago P.D. is back, but one familiar face was missing during the show’s season 11 premiere on Jan. 17. Benjamin Levy Aguilar, who has played Officer Dante Torres since season 9, was conspicuously absent from “Unpacking.”

The last time we saw Torres was in season 10 episode 21, “New Life,” when he very nearly crossed the line when interrogating a suspect. So, did Torres’ questionable actions get him booted from the intelligence unit? Is he gone from Chicago P.D. for good? 

The ‘Chicago P.D.’ Season 11 premiere explained where Torres is 

Torres didn’t appear in the Chicago P.D. Season 10 finale, nor was he in the season 11 premiere. But he hasn’t left the show for good. Early in “Unpacking,” the show delivered a brief explanation for his absence.

Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) is pressuring Voight (Jason Beghe) to fill some empty spots in the IU. Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) has been out on medical leave following a near-fatal shooting at the end of season 10. As for Torres, he’s dealing with some family issues. 

“It’s been six months, Hank,” Trudy says. “Your team can’t go for a vacancy for this long. We’ve already got Torres out on his furlough helping his mom.” 

Torres goes undercover on this season of ‘Chicago P.D.’ 

So far, there’s no word on when Torres will be back from his leave. But Aguilar is not leaving Chicago P.D. Showrunner Gwen Sigan recently teased a major storyline for his character that will play out in future episodes. 

“We’ve got a really fun Torres undercover world that he’s going into with some great guest stars that again will shake him up,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s going into this undercover narcotics world that is very unpredictable, very wild, very high stakes for him.”

Given Torres’ past as a gang member, going undercover into the drug world will likely put him in some difficult situations. But now that the rest of the IU knows about his past, he should be in a better position to deal with those challenges. 

“He feels more in it now, like there’s more to go,” Aguilar told TV Insider in 2023. “I think there’s more that he can handle maybe and navigate and learn how to navigate things. And there’s more people to trust because I think that when Jay [Jesse Lee Soffer] left, there was a void Voight is kind of filling right now, besides everyone else, too. But after that scene with Voight, there’s a moment that he’s able to trust someone again at that level. So yeah, I think there’s a lot of potential now for this next year in Intelligence.”

New episodes of Chicago P.D. air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock. 

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