Why did Jon Seda leave Chicago PD?
Why did Jon Seda leave Chicago PD? Here’s why Jon Seda left Chicago PD and what happened to his character Antonio Dawson.
Why did Jon Seda leave Chicago PD? Fans were shocked when it was announced that Seda, one of the longest-tenured actors not just on his show but in the entire One Chicago world, was leaving at the end of season 6.
Seda originated the role of Antonio Dawson as a recurring guest star on Chicago Fire, then along with Jason Beghe moved over to launch the spinoff. He also was a main cast member on Chicago Justice for its one and only season. He’s as much a part of the One Chicago universe as anyone.
But producers confirmed in April that his character was not being brought back for season 7 this fall. Antonio was being dropped from the show for “creative reasons,” which means that it was the show’s decision to get rid of him.
Jon Seda did not want to leave Chicago PD; he was written out by the writers, making him the second actor in two seasons to have that happen to him (the other being Elias Koteas at the end of season 5).
So now you know why the actor left, but why did Antonio Dawson leave? That’s something that was never addressed on-screen. Antonio’s last episode was the season finale “Reckoning,” where he was last seen taking another pill—implying that he was relapsing after developing a drug habit this season.
He didn’t actually leave the Intelligence Unit and no mention was made of his fate, even though he had toyed with the idea of confessing to Internal Affairs in the previous episode. The show is going to have to explain where Antonio went in the season 7 premiere, but there isn’t any plan so far for Jon Seda to return so that fans can actually see Antonio leaving.
Jon Seda’s departure marks the end of an era not just for Chicago PD, but for One Chicago. He’s a fan favorite and was a huge part of the entire franchise, but the writers decided that they’d done enough with Antonio Dawson.
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