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Is Olinsky Still Alive? All About the Detective's Return to Chicago P.D.
The beloved late Intelligence Unit cop seemed to return from the dead in the Season 11 finale. But is he back for good?
The new 12th season of Chicago P.D. may have just begun, but the premiere couldn't help but pepper in a bit of nostalgia.
Clearly still shaking off being kidnapped at the end of Season 11, Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) spares a brief glance at a photo of himself and Detective Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas) on his desk. The late cop is clearly still on Voight's mind after their brief and surprising a reunion. But how exactly did the supposedly dead Olinsky return — and is he still alive?
Find out everything you need to know, below.
RELATED: Inside Olinsky's Return to Chicago P.D. After 6 Years: "I Burst Into Tears"
Is Olinsky still alive on Chicago P.D.?
The short answer? No, Olinsky is not alive.
Things got a bit fuzzy for fans when the late detective appeared to return from the dead in Chicago P.D.'s Season 11 finale, "More." As Voight was fighting for his life in serial killer Frank Matson's cellar, Olinsky appeared in a hallucination encouraging him to stay alive.
"There's more," he told Voight. "You don't get to die yet."
We may owe his brief cameo to Voight's survival, but all the credit to Koteas' return goes to Beghe. The actor had been "fighting for years" to bring his friend back since Olinsky's death in Season 5. He even got emotional while filming their on-screen reunion.
"I don’t know if we’ll be able to bring him back again, but for me, I have a very special connection with him as a human being and certainly as an actor," the 64-year-old told us. "I can just say that on the first take, we cut, director called out something, and I didn’t respond and I didn’t know why. I just kinda walked onto the set, and, uh, I burst into tears, you know? ‘Cause it was just, it’s just a lot."
He continued, "Both Voight having that experience with Olinsky, and to some degree, you become your character on the set. But also, just Jason having the opportunity to reconnect with the artist Elias... it surprised me. I knew how deeply I felt about him, but I’m not a crier."
RELATED: What Happened to Elias Koteas' Character Alvin Olinsky on Chicago P.D.?
How did Olinsky die on Chicago P.D.?
After being stabbed in prison, Olinsky succumbed to his injuries in the Season 5 finale after an unsuccessful operation to save his life.
What makes the situation even more tragic is that Olinsky was taken into custody after his DNA was found at the murder scene of Kevin Bingham, the man who killed Voight's son, Justin. But it was actually Voight who killed Kevin.
Understandably, Voight has lived with unimaginable guilt, feeling largely responsible for the death of his colleague and closest friend. And as in Season 11, in Season 12 we'll see Voight continue to reconcile with his past and how it's affected him emotionally on the job and in his personal life.
"This was finally the perfect time to do it," showrunner Gwen Sigan said of Olinksy's brief return. "Because [Voight] was in the most vulnerable place and it made sense to have this vision of him sort of telling him to keep going and to wake up...".
