It’s a big week for Chicago PD. On Wednesday night, the series will say goodbye to original cast member LaRoyce Hawkins, who is exiting the series after 13 seasons playing Officer Kevin Atwater. The episode is sure to be one of the show’s most emotional episodes in quite some time, and possibly in its entire run, as Chicago PD bids farewell to a beloved character who helped shape the show into what it is today.
In addition to serving as Hawkins’ final episode, it also will bring former Chicago PD alum Jesse Lee Soffer back into the mix. That’s right, Soffer plays a pivotal role in Chicago PD season 14, episode 2; however, his return to the series is not one that will be coming on-screen.
That’s right, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but fans will not be seeing Soffer back as Jay Halstead in the hour. This is because Soffer’s return was not in an on-screen capacity but rather as the episode’s director. While there are headlines circulating that might have you thinking Halstead will play a role in Atwater’s sendoff, that is not the case—as it should be.
As much as we’d love to see Soffer back as Halstead, his return would take away from the purpose of episode 2, which is to provide Hawkins with a deserving sendoff. Nothing should be drawing away attention from the celebration of Hawkins and his character, who deserve to be the primary focal point of the episode.
Yes, in the past the One Chicago shows have brought back a key original cast member for a sendoff episode, but those instances have typically come as a result of the show looking to give fans a happy ending for core couples. For example, Torrey DeVitto returning for Nick Gehlfuss’ final episode of Chicago Med to give Will and Natalie a happy ending. While Atwater and Halstead worked on the same team, they never really were the best of friends in the same way Atwater is close to Burgess and Ruzek, so there really would be no point in bringing him back for Atwater’s sendoff.
What does makes sense is having Soffer return behind the scenes to direct the episode.
While Halstead and Atwater might not have been the closest in the ensemble, Soffer and Hawkins formed a strong friendship during their time on the show, and we can’t think of anyone better to helm the episode than Soffer. Having Soffer behind the camera as director of the episode really goes to show that Chicago PD wanted to handle Hawkins’ final episode with care and put the episode into the hands of someone who has been in Hawkins’ shoes.
Soffer knows what it’s like to walk away from the show after over a decade with the series and all the emotions that go into filming not only the final episode but also the final scenes for a character who has been part of your life for so many years. Knowing that he was on set to help guide and support Hawkins during the production of his final episode was a brilliant move by the NBC team.
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