‘Chicago P.D.’: LaRoyce Hawkins Shares Message With Fans After Final Episode

Chicago P.D. said goodbye to an original cast member with the Wednesday, October 14, episode. LaRoyce Hawkins starred in his final episode as a series regular in “Don’t Blink,” and after the episode aired, he shared a video in his Instagram stories expressing his gratitude to the fans.

“Thank you. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for supporting the show. Thank you for the energy, the enthusiasm towards Chicago P.D. Thank you,” he said in the video.

Ahead of the episode, Hawkins also shared a photo of Jesse Lee Soffer, who exited in Season 10 and has since returned onscreen and to direct, including this installment, in his Stories. “@jesseleesoffer directed the last Atwater joint.. couldn’t have asked for a better blessing or a better brother on that battlefield.. don’t blink,” he wrote on the photo. Soffer also included that pic in his roundup of photos of himself and Hawkins ahead of air with a message of congratulations. See below.

LaRoyce Hawkins/Instagram

 

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A post shared by Jesse Lee Soffer (@jesseleesoffer)

“Look at these youngsters! I can’t believe it’s been 14 seasons man. I had the honor and the pleasure of directing @laroycehawkins in his last episode of PD and it airs tonight. He absolutely kills it! Congrats brother. Love you mucho,” Soffer wrote in the caption.

In his last episode, Atwater checked in with Voight (Jason Beghe) about a promotion, but by the time he learned that he could have one soon, he admitted that he realized he wanted something different after Tasha (Karen Obilom) gave birth to their son, Malcolm. When he brought up the possibility of teaching at the academy, Voight told him about a call he’d gotten last week about just — in Atlanta. At his farewell party, Atwater said, “I look around this room and the only word that comes to mind is gratitude. The Chicago police department will always be part of my heart, you are all my family. For the past 14 years, the 21st district has been my home. But raise a drink because I went ahead and made a new family, and it’s time we find a new home. From the heart, thank you.”

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Ahead of the premiere, showrunner Gwen Sigan told TV Insider, “We really wanted to give the best sendoff that we could. … We knew we wanted to make it positive, make it optimistic for him, make it something that for his character could be a choice and that he could almost author it and we could bake it into the episode in a way that felt like, OK, we’re giving this character something that maybe he’s been longing for or wanting for a long time and hasn’t admitted to. And so it felt like we got there.”

What did you think of LaRoyce Hawkins’ final episode? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chicago P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC