We’re starting to wonder what is going on with the Intelligence Unit of the Chicago Police Department, as the turnover rate for the department is quite alarming. In the last few seasons we’ve seen at least one prominent member of Chicago PD’s core ensemble exit the show, and that trend will sadly continue in season 14.
During the annual summer hiatus, NBC announced that LaRoyce Hawkins would be exiting Chicago PD at the top of season 14, bringing an end to his time as Officer Kevin Atwater. Hawkins has, of course, been a part of the show’s ensemble since the very beginning, originating the role in the season 1 premiere.
Over the years, we’ve gotten the chance to watch Atwater grow from a new officer in the CPD working patrol to a seasoned veteran of the Intelligence Unit. He’s been a mainstay for the show and a fan favorite both as a character but also in the Chicago community.
His exit is one that caught many by surprise and left them to wonder why the show is writing him out. Unfortunately, this decision seems to be a cost reduction move.
Chicago PD seems to be writing Atwater out of the show due to budget cuts
A growing trend that we’re seeing within the television industry, in particular on broadcast, is networks forcing long-running shows to make cuts to their budgets in order to keep the shows cost-effective. This has led to shortened seasons with fewer episodes, series regulars no longer appearing in every episode of the show, and the departures of longtime cast members.
The One Chicago shows have been among the shows impacted by such changes, and sadly LaRoyce Hawkins’ exit appears to be the latest impact of the budget reductions.
This certainly makes the most sense given that there was no indication that there were plans to write Atwater out of the show as season 14 came to a close. In fact, his future in the show seemed more certain than after Tasha decided to move to Chicago so they could get to better know one another in the months leading up to their child’s birth and make a real effort with their relationship and co-parenting plan.
If the show were looking to write Atwater out, it would have been easy for the writers to have him decide to move to Miami as the season ended rather than for Tasha to move back to Chicago. That didn’t happen, which suggests Hawkins’ future was not decided until during the summer hiatus in the lead-up to season 14, and there have been no indications that Hawkins requested to leave.
It’s a shame that shows like Chicago PD must continue to navigate such a difficult path and have to say goodbye to beloved cast members to keep costs within budget.
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