It’s officially the end of an era for Chicago PD. LaRoyce Hawkins has filmed his final episode of NBC’s long-running crime drama, bringing an end to his run as Officer Kevin Atwater after over 200 episodes and 13 seasons.
As One Chicago Center previously reported, Hawkins will make his final appearance as Atwater in the second episode of season 14, set to air on October 14 at 10/9c. While the plot details for Hawkins’s final episode remain under lock and key, with the cast even going as far as to not post much on their social media accounts during filming of the episode, Hawkins’s costars and the Chicago PD crew made sure his final episode was marked with a celebration.
To commemorate Hawkins's final day of filming on Friday, August 14, the cast and crew came together to celebrate him with a surprise sendoff from the set.
“Yesterday, LaRoyce Hawkins filmed his final episode of Chicago PD. His hard work paid off with 13 seasons on the show. He was celebrated all day (and night). We will miss Det. Atwater! However, I can't wait to see what unfolds next for you, my friend. Bravo,” wrote executive director of the CineCares Foundation at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios Sheila R. Brown, who documented the celebration via Instagram.
The following day, Hawkins’s costars came together to send him off with a celebratory dinner which brought together members of the Chicago PD family, including both past and present members, as well as one longtime member of the Chicago Fire team.
“Sending off one of the best,” wrote Hawkins’s longtime scene partner and costar Marina Squerciati, who offered up a look at the special sendoff dinner.
Joining the celebration in addition to Squerciati were current cast members Benjamin Levy Aguilar, Arienne Mandi and Jason Beghe, former Chicago PD stars Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer, and Chicago Fire star Miranda Rae Mayo. The group came together to celebrate Hawkins’s run on the show, and we cannot imagine a more fitting sendoff. The only thing that would have made it even better was if Patrick John Flueger had been able to make it to the celebration as well.
While there have been many sendoffs in the past, this is certainly one of the more public group sendoffs we’ve seen from the One Chicago franchise. It’s only fitting, though, that Hawkins be sent off with such a celebratory spectacle, as his impact on the franchise is truly immeasurable.
Since the very first season of Chicago PD, Atwater has been a pivotal part of the show’s DNA and a beloved character. It still doesn’t feel real that we’re going to be losing such an incredible character and we’re going to miss having Hawkins on our screens every Wednesday night once his time on the show comes to a close in episode 2.
We’re definitely eager to see how the show writes his character off, but we’re optimistic that the door will be left open for Hawkins to return in the future. Fans are already frustrated with the decision to cut Hawkins from the show over reported budget cuts, and doing so could truly spell the downfall for the series. Hopefully, the writers avoid that grave mistake, as it could be a plot decision the show won’t be able to come back from.
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