Detective Antonio Dawson is on the move. Jon Seda, the actor who’s played the detective since Chicago P.D. started, will be leaving the police department soon, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
Fret not, Chicago P.D. fans, he’s not going far. He’s joining the cast of the upcoming Chicago Justice, the latest spinoff of the Chicago franchise that started with Chicago Fire in 2012.
Seda’s role in Chicago Justice, which is premiering sometime in the midseason, will be the same role he has on Chicago P.D., but instead of working for the intelligence unit, he’s working in the State’s Attorney office and will be an investigator with Joelle Carter’s character.
Seda’s move to Chicago Justice doesn’t mean the end of Detective Dawson’s potential future for appearing on Chicago P.D. All the shows in the Chicago franchise – Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med and the upcoming Chicago Justice – have their characters crossover to the other shows. It’s also likely that Seda will appear in Chicago P.D. in stand-alone episodes as the detectives and the attorneys will surely be constant contact with each other once the newest installment premieres.
He was a recurring character in the first season of the show before becoming a part of the main cast for the second season of the show. Seda’s last episode as a series regular on Chicago P.D. is unknown at the time.
He’s also appeared in 14 episodes of Chicago Fire as the same character, as his on-screen sister, Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund), is a paramedic-turned-firefighter at Firehouse 51. It’s unlikely that his role in Chicago Justice will prevent him from still doing appearances in Chicago Fire.
Seda isn’t a stranger to portraying a cop on the small screen. He had a role on Homicide: Life on the Streets, where he appeared as Detective Paul Falsone. He also appeared on the original Law and Order as the same character when the two shows did a crossover episode. He’s also appeared on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit as Antonio Dawson when the two Dick Wolf-produced shows have done their crossover episodes since Chicago P.D. appeared in 2014.
Chicago P.D. airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on NBC. When Chicago Justice premieres in the midseason, it will air Sunday nights at 9 p.m.