Chicago P.D. went through a major change in Season 7 due to the departure of Jon Seda, who played Antonio Dawson going all the way back to Chicago Fire Season 1. Antonio didn't get an on-screen farewell, and Seda's final episode of P.D. to date was the Season 6 finale that saw Antonio on the verge of falling off the wagon and taking a pill. Unfortunately for fans who want Antonio back as soon as possible, he's probably not returning any time too soon.
In the first half of Season 7, Chicago P.D. revealed that Antonio went to join his sister in her relief work, and Gabby Dawson's return for the Chicago Fire Season 8 fall finale provided an update on how he's doing. Now, P.D. showrunner Rick Eid spoke to TVLine about future mentions of Antonio:
We kind of wrapped that up last fall. He left Chicago, and there’s no plan in the foreseeable future that’ll mention him. But if you’d asked us this same question about Sean Roman a couple years ago, we would have said the same thing. And now he’s the subject of our Fire/P.D. crossover which airs on Feb. 26.
Based on Rick Eid's comments, the immediate future is bleak for diehard fans of Jon Seda's Antonio Dawson. If there are no P.D. plans for Antonio to even get a mention, then it's hard to imagine he'd just turn up out of nowhere. Gabby did say that he was enjoying his work with her organization's crisis response team in the Bahamas. Honestly, I couldn't blame the man if he'd want to stay out of the Windy City in the winter!
Fortunately, Rick Eid didn't rule out future mentions or appearances from Jon Seda as Antonio. The Chicago P.D. team did want to get him back for the Season 7 premiere to tie up loose ends, and Antonio does still have family in Chicago, if not his sister.
Rick Eid also made the point that former P.D. regular Brian Geraghty is returning as Sean Roman for the upcoming Chicago Fire/Chicago P.D. two-parter, and he hasn't been seen since Season 3! As long as Chicago P.D. doesn't end any time soon, the possibility for Antonio to return is there, and I'm guessing NBC isn't looking to get rid of any One Chicago series any time too soon.
P.D. may generally be third in the immediate ratings, but it beat both Med and Fire in delayed viewership. Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas has expressed interest in bringing back Monica Raymund as Gabby Dawson in the future as well, so if Gabby returns to Fire, at least P.D. fans can hope for another Antonio update from her. It wouldn't be quite as satisfying as seeing Jon Seda back on screen as Antonio, but any update is better than nothing!
For now, fans can look forward to seeing Roman back in the mix in the crossover, which brings him back in a "seedy" way that rubs Ruzek the wrong way. Despite any seediness, Marina Squerciati revealed there's still "love" between Burgess and her former flame/partner. Severide will seemingly become pretty suspicious of Roman as the crossover continues, and there's a lot for One Chicago fans to look forward to.
The Chicago Fire/Chicago P.D. crossover kicks off on Wednesday, February 26 with Fire at 9 p.m. ET and P.D. at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. Chicago Med won't be part of the crossover, but viewers can count on some serious drama unfolding on that show at 8 p.m. ET as well.
