Few original cast members from broadcast television's procedural boom have lasted more than a decade in the same role.
LaRoyce Hawkins managed 13 seasons. The actor is now leaving NBC's Chicago P.D. as a series regular, and he has already finished filming his final episodes, with Sheila R. Brown of the CineCares Foundation at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios posting videos and photos of Hawkins being celebrated on set after wrapping.
"Yesterday, @laroycehawkins filmed his final episode of #ChicagoPD. His hard work paid off with 13 seasons on the show," she wrote.
Hawkins, born and raised in Harvey, Illinois, is an actor, stand-up comedian, spoken word artist, and musician. His career began with a role in the 2008 film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, the same year he appeared on Tyler Perry's House of Payne. He is best known for portraying Officer Kevin Atwater on Chicago P.D., a character he has played across 255 episodes since 2014.
Throughout the run, Atwater grew from a patrol officer into one of the Intelligence Unit's most respected detectives and a consistent fan favorite. That trajectory made the July 2 news feel abrupt.
Hawkins will return to wrap up Atwater's storyline in the first two or three episodes of Season 14, according to Deadline. The show is currently casting a new series regular described as a Black cop who is "an agent of chaos." A representative for Wolf Entertainment, which produces the One Chicago franchise with Universal Television, declined comment.
What made the exit feel stranger was its timing on screen. In Season 13, Atwater reconnected with police academy friend Tasha Fox, their night together led to an unplanned pregnancy, and the season ended with Fox moving back to Chicago so the two could build a future together. Those final episodes seemed to position Atwater for a new chapter, not a farewell.
Fans noticed. So did Hawkins' co-stars. Karen Obilom, who plays Fox, reposted a fan message on her Instagram Stories and appeared to suggest that the decision was not made by Hawkins but by the creative team.
"Thank you for always supporting. I didn't think it'd hit me this hard. But LaRoyce is such a class act and I sincerely wish things were different. We all do. But this means better things are on the horizon for our friend!" she wrote.
That line hit hard with fans, especially the phrase "I sincerely wish things were different. We all do," which fueled widespread speculation that the cast itself disagreed with the call. Marina Squerciati posted her own Instagram tribute with behind-the-scenes photos from their years on set together.
For weeks, Hawkins stayed silent. No formal statement went to any trade, and he did not comment on social media in any manner. When he finally broke his silence, he avoided fully addressing the departure, offering only a brief acknowledgment rather than the detailed statement fans had hoped for.
One more layer landed days ago. Jesse Lee Soffer, who played Jay Halstead for 10 seasons before departing in Season 10, will return to direct the second episode of Season 14. The timing immediately sparked speculation that Soffer could be helming Hawkins' final episode. Soffer has directed three prior episodes of the series since leaving the cast, and his Season 14 assignment will mark his fourth.
Hawkins joins Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos among the major cast members who have recently exited the long-running procedural. Cast changes between seasons have become commonplace across the One Chicago franchise.
Still, the show keeps performing. All three series scored early renewals at NBC for the 2026-2027 broadcast season, with Chicago P.D. heading into its 14th season, Chicago Fire its 15th, and Chicago Med its 12th, all returning October 7. A March crossover event pushed all three shows to season highs in total viewers.
Beyond One Chicago, Hawkins has appeared in Ironheart for Disney+ and Marvel, Power Book IV: Force, and Ballers. Soffer, meanwhile, has landed the lead in the upcoming CBS drama Strike Force, where he plays a DEA agent in Kansas City.
For a show built on ensemble chemistry, losing a 13-year original is not something viewers absorb quietly. The comment sections make that clear. Whether Atwater walks out of the Intelligence Unit toward fatherhood or some new opportunity, his exit closes one of the longest continuous arcs in modern network procedural television.
October 7 will tell us exactly how it ends.
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