Hanging on By a Thread: Chicago PD Failed Kevin Atwater Long Before LaRoyce Hawkins’ Exit

Just because some news is expected doesn’t mean it’s welcome.

Variety officially confirmed that LaRoyce Hawkins will exit Chicago PD after 13 seasons, and as a diehard Atwater fan, I couldn’t be more frustrated.

One Chicago’s revolving cast door has conditioned us to expect these departures. Budget cuts. Creative decisions. Contract negotiations. Whatever the reason behind Hawkins’ exit, one thing is undeniable: Chicago PD failed Kevin Atwater long before it wrote him out.

According to Variety, Hawkins will be in Chicago PD Season 14 just long enough to wrap up his storyline in an episode or two.

They’re vague about what that is and how long that will be, but it perfectly encompasses what’s been so frustrating about the series’ treatment of Atwater this entire time.

News of the series writing him out, whether it was a network or show decision or Hawkins himself, doesn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider the fact that the series hasn’t properly used the character since Chicago PD Season 8.

One of the primary criticisms of the series thus far has been that they have severely sidelined Atwater, who could go entire episodes without anything beyond a single line.

His character-centric arcs, you know, the ones that are killing the momentum of the series slowly and painfully, are always treated like an afterthought.

Nothing highlighted this more than Chicago PD Season 13‘s arc, which was essentially him finally getting a semi-decent romance after a few failed, half-assed attempts, and impregnating the compelling Tasha Fox.

But Atwater had the most disconnected personal arc of the season, with his episodes operating as standalones and no references in between. Atwater, who is best friends with both Ruzek and Burgess, didn’t even tell them that he was expecting a child.

They found out in blink-and-you-miss indirect moments damn near at the end of the season. It wasn’t even logical, nor did it honor the dynamics that have been essential to the show for so long.

The past couple of seasons have been just barely remembering that Burgess and Atwater were former partners and best friends, and the endearing Ruzwater bromance that dominated a large chunk of Hawkins’ tenure on the series has dwindled to nothingness for no sound reason.

It’s those friendships and their absence that have largely contributed to the constant criticisms about how disjointed the team feels as a whole.

The sad reality is that Chicago PD hasn’t known what to do with Atwater for a long time. But the frustration lies in the fact that there were a plethora of options afforded to them; the series just never really seized them.

Ultimately, after coasting on seasons of demanding more and better for the character, treatment that he deserves, kicking him to the curb leaves us mourning the loss of potential.

Chicago PD could’ve done better with Atwater; they just never really cared to, and that’s infuriating.

One of the issues is how often the series rested almost exclusively on the same plot beats for the character.

For Atwater, who spent the majority of the season not only as one of the few characters of color but as the only Black one, the series never shied away from exploring how race affected him on the job.

The summation of Atwater’s plots can often circle around a similar theme of Black versus Blue: the difficulties he often faced as a Black cop where policing as an infrastructure has a race issue, and neighborhoods and communities Atwater is part of are wary of his position as a cop.

At the height of the series, they orchestrated an entire arc that explored just that, with Atwater essentially taking on CPD, drawing a line between him as one Black officer stepping outside the Blue Line for a bigger purpose, and facing the potential wrath of the policing institution.

And then they just dropped that.

An arc that took real roots at a time in society when policing and race were put under a microscope, fell to the background, unfinished, unpacked, and unexplored like Black Squares of Solidarity on Instagram.

But Atwater was always so much more than just Chicago PD’s resident Black character, even when his identity was a major factor in how he navigated spaces within the stories.

He was also an older brother who served as a caretaker for his siblings, his neighborhood, his friends, and more.

He operated a space as one of the more morally driven but not morally righteous characters on Intelligence, where others mostly operated in the gray.

And he had a real knack for undercover work, which made him one of the more compelling characters to watch in the field, especially since he often got to navigate parts of Chicago that other members of the unit couldn’t always access.

Soft heart. Good soul. And a man ruled by sympathy, Atwater has always been a stalwart character on the series.

One of the most likable, brimming with potential unreached, which is why the series sidelining him so much has been such a source of frustration.

It’s no surprise that the character is leaving the series.

Chicago PD Season 13 was simultaneously one of his worst yet in regards to being treated like an afterthought, while also setting up a potential exit as he starts a new chapter of his life as a husband and father.

And even his tried-and-true arcs that delved into race, culture, community, and the badge were no longer siloed; they were exported to Torres alongside his faith arcs.

The reality is that, given all of that, there wasn’t much left for Chicago PD to do with him.

Because apparently, the next chapter of his life as a man starting his own family and thriving is of no narrative value, presumably because that’s what Ruzek is for.

And the possibility of him climbing the ranks in the job isn’t possible onscreen when they barely manage to show that with Burgess.

Kevin Atwater is a good character, inspiring, valuable, an essential piece of a police procedural for everything he represents, not just physically, but in his values, motivations, and characteristics.

But for a while, Chicago PD has treated Atwater as the place where creativity, motivation, and interest go to die when it comes to character building.

As one of the standout actors of the series, LaRoyce Hawkins has deserved more, so in that sense, like a caged bird, I’m fine with him flying and reaching new heights elsewhere if that’s what he desires.

But as an Atwater fan, I’m disappointed. He’s a character who has been there since the beginning. We’ve watched him grow and evolve.

Like Hailey, he too deserved a full season of exploration to properly send him off, not to be on the fringes while newer characters dominate.

That’s what makes this exit sting so much. Kevin Atwater isn’t leaving because the character had nowhere left to go. He’s leaving because Chicago PD stopped imagining where he could go years ago.

The saddest part isn’t losing Atwater. It’s knowing the show never came close to reaching his full potential.

Writing Atwater out feels uninspired, and that’s the biggest blow of all.

Maybe you’ll see me around Chicago PD Fanatics. Maybe you won’t. I’m hanging on by a thread these days, but I’m curious to see your thoughts about this. So let’s discuss!