Tracy Spiridakos is officially trading city streets for the rugged terrain of the Montana wilderness in the new series Anna Pigeon. After spending seven seasons as Detective Hailey Upton on Chicago P.D., Spiridakos now stars as a national park ranger in this adaptation of the Nevada Barr mystery novels.
Fans of her police procedural work might notice a familiar touch during the show's arrest scenes. Spiridakos revealed that she brought a specific handcuffing trick from her time on Chicago P.D. to the new set. To avoid causing injury to the actors playing suspects, she uses a technique where she allows the individual to hold the cuffs themselves during the process. This practical approach proved useful while filming in the remote environments of the Canadian Rockies.
Lea Thompson serves as executive producer and director for the show, which blends weekly mysteries with the personal growth of a protagonist dealing with past trauma. Spiridakos describes the tone as lighter than her previous work, balancing procedural elements with character-driven humor. The production filmed entirely on location, which meant working alongside wildlife and navigating the realities of outdoor sets.
In one standout sequence, Spiridakos performs her own tree climb to fix a webcam focused on a bald eagle nest. She noted that the experience was intense and required careful coordination with animal handlers. Outside of her professional roles, Spiridakos continues to share updates on her life with her partner, Jesse Lee Soffer, and their new rescued Rottweiler, Cali.
While Spiridakos recently returned to the One Chicago universe for a crossover event, she is currently focused on the potential for a second season of Anna Pigeon. With nineteen books in the original series, there is plenty of source material left to explore. The show begins its ten-episode run tonight.