NBC’s Chicago P.D. is seeing the return of an original cast member in season 14, but in an entirely different role. The One Chicago franchise is looking at what could be a transformative year ahead of it, with Firehouse 51, Gaffney Medical, and Intelligence set for some major changes. For Hank Voight’s team, that includes losing a long-time cast member, shrinking down his most trusted allies.
The procedural is getting off to a bittersweet start in season 14. LaRoyce Hawkins, who has been part of the One Chicago cop drama’s cast from the very beginning, will exit. Unlike Tracy Spiridakos and her exit as Hailey Upton, Hawkins isn’t getting one full final season as Kevin Atwater. On the plus side, however, another original cast member will be back in time to send Hawkins off as a series regular. His return won’t be for the reason most fans would expect. Hawkins’ final episode is expected to be the second one of the new season in NBC’s fall 2026 premiere schedule.
Jesse Lee Soffer is returning to the One Chicago in Chicago P.D. season 14, for the first time since he reprised his role as Jay Halstead for the franchise’s epic crossover in the previous cycle. That said, instead of stepping back into the shoes of his fan-favorite character, Soffer is taking on a fairly fresh endeavor.
Jesse Lee Soffer Is Returning As A Director In Chicago PD Season 14
Instead of returning to Chicago P.D. as an actor, Jesse Lee Soffer is stepping behind the camera. He directs the second episode of season 14, which meant that LaRoyce Hawkins’ longtime co-star was heavily involved in his One Chicago swan song. Soffer’s return happening behind the scenes means that the focus will be squarely on Hawkins’ last outing as Atwater, rather than Soffer getting all the buzz for coming back as Halstead.
This will be Soffer’s fourth episode as a director. In fact, a Chicago P.D. episode of season 10 was his debut as a director, and aired in the same season that he left the show as a cast member. He then directed an episode in season 11 and season 13. Episode 2 of the new season is called “Don’t Blink,” and NBC’s logline sheds some light on what will lead to Atwater leaving the Intelligence Unit:
A significant turning point in Atwater’s life prompts him to make a decision about his future.
The most likely in-universe explanation for Atwater being written out of Chicago P.D. has always been that the birth of his child would motivate him to leave Voight’s unit. “Don’t Blink” will air on NBC on Wednesday, October 14 at 10 p.m. ET. This broadcast will occur seven months after Soffer was back in One Chicago as an actor in the three-part crossover, and just over a year since the episode he directed in season 13. As usual, P.D. immediately follows Chicago Fire on Wednesday night.
Will Soffer Ever Reprise Halstead In Chicago PD?
Jesse Lee Soffer’s return to Chicago P.D. as Jay Halstead in season 13 was promoted by NBC as a TV event, thanks to his on-screen reunion with Tracy Spiridakos as Upton. In fact, the crossover felt at times more like a showcase for the former P.D. stars than a three-show special. The crossover ended with Upton accepting Halstead’s long-awaited apology, and didn’t conclusively reveal where he was headed next. The door was open for Halstead to come back, but less so for Soffer as an actor.
Despite the cancellation of FBI: International as Soffer’s first starring role after Chicago P.D., the actor is booked for another CBS project. He signed on to star in and executive produce Strike Force. After playing a police detective on Chicago P.D. and an FBI agent on FBI: International, Strike Force would follow Soffer as an experienced DEA Agent in Kansas City. While Strike Force hasn’t yet been ordered to series at CBS, the drama reunites Soffer with Matt Olmstead, the original showrunner and co-creator of Chicago P.D.
The actor may simply be too busy working on a new show on a different network to return to Chicago P.D. as Halstead. The crossover certainly gave the character a better exit than he got the first time around, and as happy an ending as possible after how One Chicago previously left his love story with Upton. If he only ever returns to the franchise as a director, fans can at least remember how he reprised the role one last time for the crossover.
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- Release Date
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January 8, 2014
- Showrunner
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Derek Haas
- Directors
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Nick Gomez, Eriq La Salle, Carl Seaton, Fred Berner, Vincent Misiano, Bethany Rooney, Rohn Schmidt, Sanford Bookstaver, John Hyams, Nicole Rubio, Terry Miller, Takashi Doscher, Brenna Malloy, Lisa Robinson, Marc Roskin, Charles S. Carroll, David Rodriguez, Holly Dale, John Polson, Lin Oeding, Mykelti Williamson, Paul McCrane, Alik Sakharov, Charlotte Brändström
- Writers
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Craig Gore, Tim Walsh, Timothy J. Sexton, Mike Weiss, Mo Masi, Tiller Russell, Eduardo Javier Canto, Jamie Pachino, Mike Batistick, Cole Maliska, John Dove, Tiffany Bratcher, David Hoselton, Maisha Closson, Kim Rome, Katherine Visconti, Daniel Arkin, Todd Robinson, David Rambo, Denitria Harris-Lawrence, Mick Betancourt, Bryan Gracia
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Marina Squerciati
Kim Burgess
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
