Chicago P.D. went through a major cast shakeup when Jon Seda was written out of the series as Detective Antonio Dawson. Seda had been in the Chicago mix from way back in the early days of Chicago Fire, before P.D. was even a show of its own. The good news was that P.D.'s explanation for Antonio's absence didn't make it impossible for him to return, and a recent development on the Chicago Fire front raises the question: could Antonio return sooner than we expected?
Of course, neither Jon Seda nor Chicago P.D. showrunner Rick Eid promised that Antonio would ever be back, although Eid did share with CinemaBlend that the goal for the Season 7 premiere was originally to bring Seda back to send off Antonio. Still, the fact that P.D. wrote Antonio out by revealing that he left Chicago to join his sister, former Chicago Fire leading lady Gabby Dawson (played by Monica Raymund), meant that there was every reason for him to drop by at some point in the future. Puerto Rico isn't the moon, after all, and Antonio did leave his kids behind!
So, what is the Chicago Fire development that has me wondering if we'll get to see Antonio back in the mix at some point this season? Against all odds considering how she left Fire, Monica Raymund is returning to the series in the not-too-distant future for an episode. Gabby will drop by Chicago to raise money for her aid organization, and in the process, she'll visit Firehouse 51, where she'll reconnect with the friends she left behind, see the memorial to Otis, and quite possibly make the Casey/Brett flirtation get super awkward super fast.
Could Gabby bring her brother back with her, even if only for a visit? There has been no announcement that Jon Seda will reprise his role, so P.D. fans shouldn't start planning viewing parties for Antonio's triumphant return to One Chicago. Still, even if Antonio doesn't come back to Chicago with Gabby, Gabby's return makes it clear that the Chicago universe doesn't consider the aid mission to Puerto Rico as a one-way trip. If Gabby can come back after nearly a whole season away, can't Antonio come back as well? We shouldn't rule it out.
At the very least, Chicago P.D. fans have pretty good odds of getting an update on Antonio when Gabby returns to Chicago Fire. While Monica Raymund is only reprising her role for a single episode at this point and she may have a lot to do in not a lot of screentime, surely she'll have a moment or two to explain what her brother is up to now that he's helping out in Puerto Rico! My fingers are definitely crossed, especially since P.D. didn't spend much time explaining Antonio's decision to leave Chicago. Fans got an explanation, but not really closure.
Gabby Dawson returns to Chicago Fire in the winter finale, so P.D. fans should stay tuned for at least an update of what Antonio has been up to. New episodes of Chicago P.D. air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following episodes of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET.
