Erin Lindsay is a

fictional character In fiction, a character is a person or being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction o ...

from NBC's ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' TV franchise, as a lead character in '' Chicago P.D.'' and a recurring character in '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' Chicago Fire'' and ''

Chicago Med ''Chicago Med'' is an American medical drama series broadcast by NBC and created by Dick Wolf as the third installment of the ''Chicago'' franchise. It stars Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, Colin Donnell, ...

''. Portrayed by

Sophia Bush Sophia Anna Bush (born July 8, 1982) is an American actress. She starred as List of One Tree Hill characters#Brooke Davis, Brooke Davis in The WB/The CW, CW drama series ''One Tree Hill (TV series), One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012), and as Erin Li ...

, she was introduced as a detective in the Intelligence Unit of the

Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest Law enforcement in the United States#Local, ...

Background and characterization

In season 1 of '' Chicago P.D.'', it has been established from the very beginning that Lindsay shared a special relationship with

Hank Voight Henry "Hank" Voight is a fictional character in the television series '' Chicago P.D.'' He appeared in a recurring capacity in '' Chicago Fire'' and as a main character in ''Chicago P.D.'', as the head of the Chicago Police Department's Intelligen ...

, head of the Intelligence Unit. Her unwavering loyalty to Voight is explained as her background is gradually revealed. She is generally unfazed by the gangsters, drug lords, and physically intimidating suspects the unit encounter on a regular basis. She has mentioned that her stepfather was in prison and that he would hit her and her mother, Bunny, who was an on-and-off

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

. Through Bunny, she has a half-brother, Teddy Courtney, who was taken by a

pedophile ring A child sex ring is a group of adults who are simultaneously involved sexually with multiple minors during the same general time frame. The dynamics of these rings differ from those of more common one-on-one intrafamilial cases in that they are m ...

at age 13 and was found by

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

detectives ten years later working as a prostitute. Lindsay grew up on the street, and by the age of 14, she had already been arrested five times on charges including misdemeanor, simple battery, retail theft, solicitation, and unlawful possession of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

. She became a

confidential informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...

for Voight, who, along with his wife, eventually took her in as her legal guardians. Actress

described the character: "Lindsay comes from the street so she already knows how all these people work." She completed high school at St. Ignatius College Prep and joined the

. After graduating from the police academy, she spent four years on the west side of Chicago as a patrol officer, which she said was all the education she needed. Because of her background, Lindsay is compassionate and sympathetic towards vulnerable young victims, especially girls, as she can relate with their situation. For example, she tries to get a 17-year-old prostitute and

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

addict, Nadia, to enter drug rehab twice. Eventually, she succeeds in convincing Nadia to stay clean and helps her get a desk job at 21st District headquarters.

Character arc

''Chicago Fire''

The character was first introduced in '' Chicago Fire'', as one of the

Chicago PD The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United ...

detectives the firefighters of 51 regularly come into contact with. She began a relationship with Kelly Severide, the lieutenant of Squad 3. They eventually break up when he spirals out of control following Leslie Shay's death.

''Chicago P.D.''

When '' Chicago P.D.'' premiered, it was established that she has been partnered with

Jay Halstead This is a list of fictional characters in the television series ''Chicago P.D. (TV series), Chicago P.D.'' The article deals with the series' main, recurring, and minor characters. Main characters Overview : = Ensemble cast, Main cast (credit ...

for the past month. The first season coincided with the second season of ''Chicago Fire'', during which she was still dating Lieutenant Kelly Severide from Squad 3. In season 2, Lindsay was recruited for a

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

task force. In the episode "Disco Bob", Lindsay becomes disillusioned with the task force, with its seemingly-endless bureaucracy and the menial tasks her handler assigned to her (she was to spend a number of weeks with the target's girlfriend, simultaneously pumping her for information and keeping her out of the task force's way), leading her to resign and return to the Chicago PD and Intelligence. Lindsay's spiral downward begins with Nadia Decotis' death in the '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' crossover episode "

Daydream Believer "Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

". Nadia is murdered by

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

Greg Yates, who had intended to target Lindsay. With this knowledge, Lindsay feels responsible for Nadia's death. She begins drinking and becomes addicted to painkillers, enabled by her ne'er-do-well mother Bunny. In the season 2 finale " Born into Bad News", she turns in her badge and resigns; it is revealed in season 3 that Voight actually filed for a three-week sabbatical on her behalf instead of accepting a resignation. She returns in the season 3 premiere after learning that Halstead's undercover operation had been compromised and that he was being held hostage and tortured by a drug kingpin wanted by the Chicago PD. She gets sober, moves back in with Voight, and cuts Bunny out of her life as part of Voight's conditions for returning to Intelligence. Since breaking up with Severide, Lindsay's main love interest in the show is her partner

. They share a close friendship, which has escalated to a more intimate relationship and cooled down at various times, due to Voight's vocal dislike for "in-house" romances. However, regardless of the status of their relationship, they remained loyal to each other as partners on the job and friends outside of it. Halstead is the only character other than Voight she has confided her past to in detail; likewise, she is the only character other than Mouse and Halstead's brother Will who knows about his traumatic past in the military. When Lindsay was on the federal task force, she starts seeing Halstead after work as they no longer had to worry about breaking

fraternization Fraternization (from Latin ''frater'' meaning "brother") is the act of establishing intimate relations between people or groups. It is generally used to refer to establishing relations that are considered unethical, controversial, problematic, or i ...

rules. In the season 3 premiere, Halstead is the only one who persistently tries to help her, even after Voight had given up. Following her return from her "sabbatical", Voight tells Halstead that he accepts his relationship with Lindsay as long as he is looking out for her. After some hesitation, she agrees to take the next step, and they go public with their relationship for the first time by kissing at Molly's. In the beginning of season four, they move in together. In "Army of One", she sticks her gun down a

pedophile Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puber ...

's throat in the interrogation room when a child is discovered to be found missing (and later found dead). In "Fork In The Road", she is brought to the review board when she was accused of assault. She leaves Chicago in "Fork in the Road" to join the FBI's New York Counter-terrorism Bureau in exchange for her mother's freedom after she is found in possession of pills that were stolen by her boyfriend and his associates. In "Chasing Monsters", Olinsky lets Lindsay know that the body of Kevin Bingham has resurfaced. In "Breaking Point", a witness identifies Olinsky and Lindsay as having been digging near the site where the body was found.

Partners

* Detective

(Seasons 1 – 4) * Detective Hailey Upton (Season 4, episodes 22-23)

Crossover appearances

In addition to her regular role on '' P.D.'', Lindsay has appeared in ''

Special Victims Unit A Special Victims Unit (SVU), also known as a Special Victims Division, is a specialized branch within some law enforcement agencies, typically police departments. These units focus on cases involving vulnerable or high-risk victims. Detectiv ...

'', ''

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

'', and ''

Med MED or med may refer to: Healthcare * Medical extrication device, a device for extricating an injured patient from an accident site, such as the Kendrick extrication device * Medication, often used in the plural "meds" * Medicine (or medical) * ...

''. * ''Chicago Fire'' (season 2) - **" Rhymes With Shout" (November 26, 2013) ** " Tonight's The Night" (January 21, 2014) ** " Virgin Skin" (February 25, 2014) ** " Keep Your Mouth Shut" (March 4, 2014) ** " A Rocket Blasting Off" (March 11, 2014) ** " A Dark Day (1)" (April 29, 2014) ** " Real Never Waits" (May 13, 2014) * ''Chicago Fire'' (season 3) ** " Wow Me" (September 30, 2014) ** " Nobody Touches Anything" (November 11, 2014) * ''Chicago Fire'' - " Some Make It, Some Don't" (January 3, 2017) * ''Chicago Fire'' - " Deathtrap" (March 1, 2017) *'' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' - " Comic Perversions" (February 26, 2014) * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' - " Chicago Crossover" (November 12, 2014) * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' - "

" (April 29, 2015) * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' - " Nationwide Manhunt" (February 10, 2016) * ''

'' - " Mistaken" (December 8, 2015) * ''

'' - "

Malignant Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse; the term is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous benign tumor, ''benign'' tumor in that a malig ...

" (January 5, 2016) * ''

'' - "

Alternative Medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

" (October 27, 2016) * ''

'' - " Inherent Bias" (November 3, 2016) * ''

'' - "

Free Will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...

" (November 10, 2016) * ''

'' - "

Prisoner's Dilemma The prisoner's dilemma is a game theory thought experiment involving two rational agents, each of whom can either cooperate for mutual benefit or betray their partner ("defect") for individual gain. The dilemma arises from the fact that while def ...

" (March 9, 2017) * ''

Chicago Justice ''Chicago Justice'' is an American legal drama series created by Dick Wolf, the fourth series of the ''Chicago'' franchise. It stars Philip Winchester, Jon Seda, Joelle Carter, Monica Barbaro, and Carl Weathers. It aired on NBC from March 1 ...

'' - "

Tycoon A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

" (May 14, 2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsay, Erin Chicago P.D. (TV series) characters Fictional characters from Chicago Television characters introduced in 2013 Fictional Chicago Police Department detectives American female characters in television Fictional alcohol abusers Fictional painkiller addicts Adoptee characters in television Fictional victims of domestic abuse