Lisseth Chavez's time on Chicago P.D. was one of the show's most puzzling. The actor joined the NBC drama in the second episode of Season 7 as the street-smart Officer Vanessa Rojas. But before Season 8 premiered, it was announced Rojas wouldn't return to the One Chicago universe. Around the same time, Chavez booked a new role in another major TV franchise when she joined DC's Legends of Tomorrow as a series regular.
So was Vanessa Rojas written out of Chicago P.D. because the actor who played her landed another gig? Or were there personal reasons involved, like when Sophia Bush exited the series years earlier? Fans have continued to speculate because Rojas received the most low-key departure in One Chicago history. Here's what is known about Lisseth Chavez, Vanessa Rojas and why neither of them is part of the popular crime drama any longer.
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Who Was Vanessa Rojas on Chicago P.D.?
Rojas, Upton and Halstead have a conversation at a crime scene in Chicago P.D.
Vanessa Rojas was the replacement for Antonio Dawson after Chicago P.D. producers decided not to bring Jon Seda back to the series. (Seda moved on to star in NBC's sci-fi/fantasy drama La Brea, which is returning for Season 3.) Rojas' arrival in Season 7, Episode 2, "Assets," meant that Chicago P.D. still had a Latin-American character in the cast and added another female character. She started as an undercover cop working in drug lord Darius Walker's club before making the leap to the Intelligence Unit in her next episode.
Large parts of Season 7 focused on Rojas as the series integrated her into Intelligence. Her debut episode clarified that she was a potential girlfriend for the usually unlucky-in-love Kevin Atwater, while later in the season, Rojas moved in with Hailey Upton. Several cases of the week put Rojas front and center; in Season 7, Episode 14, "Center Mass," she bonded with a mentally ill suspect. And four episodes later, "Lines" had her ex-boyfriend as the prime suspect. Despite all this attention, Rojas did not return for Season 8, and her departure from the unit was never addressed in detail, nor did it seem to have much of an impact on her now ex-coworkers.
Fans were left confused by this general lack of resolution -- especially since she lived with Upton -- but it's unlikely that Chicago P.D. will ever provide more answers about Rojas since the series is now into its fourth season without her. She hasn't even been talked about since.
Vanessa Rojas checks her earpiece while performing a seizure of property in Chicago P.D.
The timing of Lisseth Chavez's departure from Chicago P.D. and her arrival on Legends of Tomorrow had some viewers thinking she may have left P.D. to pursue another project like Monica Raymund moved on from Chicago Fire. However, that's not the case; Deadline reported that, like Jon Seda, the Chicago P.D. creative team decided not to bring back her character. Their choice then made Chavez available to sign up for the CW series, which was canceled after Season 7.
Despite how much Chicago P.D. tried to give Vanessa Rojas a place by creating relationships with existing fan-favorite characters, she didn't entirely click with the producers. Lisseth Chavez's short run on the show was one example of how the series struggled to shake up its cast; after she left, they introduced the recurring character of Officer Andre Cooper,
who almost joined Intelligence to take Rojas' spot but instead disappeared just like her. In Season 9, the writers abandoned adding a new character and chose to focus on the existing members of the cast. Then, in Season 10, they added the character of Dante Torres.
It's theoretically possible that Chavez could guest star as Rojas someday (similar to how Brian Geraghty returned as Officer Sean Roman in Season 7). Still, since Rojas doesn't seem to be missed, it'd be a surprise if she turns up again.
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