EXCLUSIVE: Antonio Dawson is on the move. Chicago P.D. star Jon Seda, who plays Intelligence Unit detective Dawson, will be leaving the series to join the latest spinoff in the Chicago franchise, the upcoming Chicago Justice. On the legal series, Seda will reprise his character who will now be an investigator for the DA’s office. Dawson will be partnered with fellow investigator Lori Nagle, played by Joelle Carter.
In the planted Chicago Justice spinoff episode of Chicago P.D., Nagle was partnered with investigator Daren Okada, played by newcomer Ryan-James Hatanaka. With Seda’s Dawson taking over the role, Hatanaka is leaving.
I hear it was Chicago boss Dick Wolf’s idea to have Dawson move to Justice. It was a creative decision based on the natural trajectory of the character who had been hitting a wall on his intelligence beat and, as a single father, had been looking for a more stable, steady job.
The exact timing of Seda’s transition from P.D. to Justice is TBD. He is still on the cop drama, where his character will eventually depart for his new gig. On Chicago Justice, Seda also joins stars Philip Winchester and Carl Weathers.
Justice, which launches in midseason, will be the third Chicago series for Seda. He started off as a recurring on the mothership Chicago Fire. He and Jason Beghe were spun off to anchor spinoff Chicago P.D. as the leads, and Seda has been a series regular on the cop drama since Day 1.
Dawson (and Seda’s) migration among three series is an illustration of Wolf’s vision for the franchise as a homogeneous ensemble of interlinked characters moving seamlessly among shows. (For instance, Dawson has been romantically involved with Chicago Fire paramedic Sylvie Brett, played by Kara Killmer.)
Wolf introduced the model to a lesser extent on his Law & Order franchise, where the mothership series’ Jerry Orbach and Alana De La Garza reprised their roles on Law & Order: Trial by Jury and Law & Order: LA, respectively.
Seda is repped by APA and Morris Yorn.
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.