Chicago P.D. wrapped Season 10 back in May with a frustrating cliffhanger for Ruzek, and the wait is currently on for the Intelligence Unit to return for the eleventh season. The current WGA writers strike casts some doubt on whether P.D. will be able to return in September as per usual, but LaRoyce Hawkins didn't make fans wait until fall to learn a fun story about his son watching the hit NBC show.
LaRoyce Hawkins has of course been playing Officer Kevin Atwater on Chicago P.D. going all the way back to Season 1 (and he is also ready for his character to get the promotion to detective). Unlike Ruzek, Atwater's life wasn't hanging in the balance at the end of Season 10. Now, during summer hiatus, the actor revealed that there's another fan in the family: his 6-year-old son, Roman John. Speaking with Us Weekly, Hawkins shared what happened when his son was at a sleepover recently:
The other day he was spending the night [at] one of his homies’ cribs, and I just called him to say goodnight. And his little homie’s dad was, like, ‘Yeah, they’re watching you on TV right now. It’s gonna be hard for me to get him in the conversation. [When] he got on the phone, he was like, ‘Dad, are you coming up in this next part?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know even know what episode he was watching.’ But I was like, ‘I’m pretty sure I’m in there somewhere, bro!'
I don't often say that things are cute in relation to what is inarguably the darkest and most serious show in NBC's One Chicago lineup, but how cute is that story about LaRoyce Hawkins' son watching Chicago P.D. with his friends and wanting to see his dad in action? Even if P.D. isn't exactly aimed at the 6-year-old demographic, it sounds like his son is a big fan!
Plus, with Hawkins credited with more than 200 episodes of Chicago P.D. after the show hit that milestone during Season 10, it really is a pretty safe bet that Atwater was going to appear at some point, no matter the episode! The actor has also spoken about the importance of portraying the layers of Atwater's challenges as a Black police officer in Chicago on P.D., and it's hard to even imagine the show without the character at this point. He went on to tell the outlet:
I think early on I became intentional about wanting to portray roles that will help us preserve Black boy joy and protect Black women, you know, uplift the image of the Black man. I think you can do that playing any role, it’s just the intention that you put on it. Plus, like I said, my son and his friends, they watch me at their sleepovers. So, I obviously want to do things that they’ll be proud of [and] that can inspire them, because that’s just the pocket that I’m in. And I love that. I love that responsibility and that awareness.
Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any need to worry that Atwater is going anywhere on Chicago P.D., even if the 2023-2024 TV season is expected to feature less of the stars of One Chicago and the Law & Order franchise. LaRoyce Hawkins was among the actors who celebrated the renewal for Season 11 and previewed why he was optimistic for what comes next for his character. The biggest question at this point may be when P.D. and the other One Chicago shows will be able to return to the airwaves, in light of the ongoing writers strike.
For now, fans can always revisit the first ten seasons of Chicago P.D. streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription. Season 10 said goodbye to Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead while welcoming Benjamin Levy Aguilar as a series regular to play Dante Torres on top of delivering the 200-episode milestone, so there are certainly episodes worth revisiting during the wait for Season 11.
