LaRoyce Hawkins is leaving “Chicago P.D.,” ending an 11-season run as Officer Kevin Atwater, a role he has held since the NBC drama’s 2014 debut. His exit will come in an early Season 14 episode, though NBC has not set a date. The season premiered Wednesday, Oct. 7. The premiere’s closing moments mark the beginning of the end for Atwater, according to showrunner Gwen Sigan.
Hawkins is among the last original cast members. Variety first confirmed the departure with sources after Deadline reported it, and noted that Hawkins also played Atwater in crossovers with NBC’s other “One Chicago” series. Reports in July said the show was casting a new series regular, and Hawkins would return to wrap up his character’s storyline.
The story had seeds in Season 13. Atwater reconnected with Officer Tasha Fox, played by Karen Obilom, and the two became romantically involved. She later appeared at his door and told him she was pregnant with their child. That thread gives the writers a natural reason for a change in direction. tvline
The producers have planned a notable send-off. Jesse Lee Soffer, who played Jay Halstead and left the show in Season 10, returns to direct the exit episode, titled “Don’t Blink.” His character does not appear. It is his fourth directing credit on the series. Sigan said the team wanted to give Atwater the best sendoff it could.
Sigan described the season as one of transition and reinvention. Atwater’s exit is part of that shift, and new faces will join the cast. She has also teased a mysterious FBI agent who closes in on Sgt. Hank Voight.
The departure carries weight beyond one character. Atwater has served as a steady presence in Intelligence, and viewers have responded online with a mix of sadness and worry about the show’s direction. Some commenters on one entertainment site argued that losing him could cost the series viewers, a concern the network has not addressed publicly.
The series has lost several principal players in recent years, which makes Hawkins’s departure part of a longer turnover. How the writers fill the gap, and whether the new regular can win over loyal fans, will test the show’s staying power in its 14th year.
