The One Chicago franchise may be wildly popular, but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its share of problems. As a whole, one of its biggest is a constantly rotating cast, with all three shows that make up the franchise seeing cast members come and go with alarming (no pun intended) frequency. It makes it difficult for fans to really engage with any new characters, especially on the assumption that they’re not likely to stick around anyway. It’s a fair assessment, especially when you consider how one character, Detective Martel (Victoria Cartagena) of Chicago P.D., who debuted in the Season 12 premiere, didn’t even make it to the end of the episode.
The OG characters are becoming scarce, and Chicago P.D. is no exception, with only five original cast members – Amy Morton‘s Trudy Platt, Jason Beghe‘s Hank Voight, Patrick John Flueger‘s Adam Ruzek, Marina Squerciati‘s Kim Burgess, and LaRoyce Hawkins‘ Kevin Atwater – still on the show. Otherwise, it’s been a steady stream of beloved and “hardly knew ye” characters that have left the show. But in the Season 13 episode “Miami,” the specter of another character leaving the show, one of the five original members no less, was raised. While that character, Officer Kevin Atwater, is not leaving – at least that we know of – it’s still a scary proposition, and the series simply can’t lose another beloved character who gets up and walks away.
Kevin Atwater Muses on Leaving Chicago in ‘Chicago P.D.’s “Miami”
In the episode, Atwater is paired with a former police academy classmate, Officer Tasha Fox (Karen Obilom), for a one-day patrol detail. The pair catch up on the years since they last met, when Fox drops the news that she’s leaving Chicago for a new job in Miami. She talks about being unfulfilled and disrespected in the Windy City, and wanting more than just being a beat cop, there to take the abuse while being powerless to make a difference. Fox challenges Atwater about what he’d do if he left Chicago, but before he can answer, a bomb goes off, setting in motion the intense manhunt for the bomber that composes the bulk of the episode.
After tracking down the bomber in a closed-down building, Fox gets injured when a bullet grazes her arm, but the brief moment allows Atwater the shot he needs to take the bomber down. With the threat eliminated and no more bombs to be found, the pair celebrate by doing the ol’ Windy City back at his apartment. The next morning, he finally gives her an answer, and fans hold their breath:
It’s not the definitive answer that fans wanted to hear – a “hell no, I won’t go” would have gone a long way – but it’s not a resounding acceptance of the idea either. And if Atwater’s never really thought about it, then it isn’t front of mind, and the status quo remains unchanged. Fox does extend the invitation to visit her anytime in Miami, but to date he hasn’t taken her up on the offer.
‘Chicago P.D.’ Needs To Keep Its Original Characters
Had Atwater left, he would have been the latest in a litany of major characters that have left the show: Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush); Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda); Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas); Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer); Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos); and Kiana Cook (Toya Turner), who left after only one season. That’s not including characters like Martel, who only stick around briefly, either. And it recently came to light that Patrick John Flueger is leaving the show and taking Ruzek with him, but is still expected to return.
Characters like Atwater, who have been there from the beginning, provide an anchor for fans as other characters come and go, and every time one of those anchors leaves, there’s one less character that fans trust and have come to lean on. They’re a steady presence, allowing new characters time to attract engagement from viewers. In that regard, they stand in for the audience, and if a guy like Atwater can accept the newcomer, so can we, a shortcut that allows fans to buy into the new character sooner than they may otherwise. And while we may get burned once or twice, we know that our anchor character, too, feels the same. Here’s hoping the last five stick around: if Chicago P.D. loses another of its anchors, it won’t be long before the series drifts away.
