5 reasons Chicago PD will regret losing Antonio Dawson

4. The end of the Dawson storyline

Here’s something that isn’t a huge deal to Chicago PD, but it will be to the One Chicago fans who have followed the franchise all along: getting rid of Antonio Dawson also means closing the door on one of the families who made One Chicago what it is today.

The Dawson siblings have always been a huge part of this fandom, starting with Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund) being the female lead of Chicago Fire, and then Antonio going on to be the co-star of Chicago PD. It was their family connection that helped set up many early crossovers between the two shows, because Gabriela could call Antonio if Firehouse 51 needed some help from the police.

But when Monica Raymund decided to leave Chicago Fire after last season, that understandably began to erode. Gabriela made one final appearance in her show’s season premiere and has been mentioned a few times since on Fire, but his sister’s absence hasn’t really come up for Antonio on PD. And their father Ramon (Daniel Zacapa) has disappeared from canon, too, since Antonio didn’t have much of a relationship with him anymore.

It’s a shame to see all of that history essentially go away because the writers can’t figure out what Antonio’s future would look like. Antonio was one of the keystone characters of the franchise, able to move from one show to another, and create that common history that’s become One Chicago’s biggest selling point.

Now other characters are getting the big crossover appearances, and Antonio is getting shown the door. Will he get mentioned after he leaves, or likewise just fade into the past?