Chicago P.D. will be back with season 10. And with this installment in production, it’s beginning to show the big changes to come for LaRoyce Hawkins’ character, Kevin Atwater, when the police drama premieres the next few episodes on NBC.

These experiences added depth and a greater understanding of Atwater as a character, but it also opened up additional questions. Is he going to grow as a romantic partner? Is his growing concern with police work going to affect his job?

Well, here’s what we know about Atwater’s future heading into season 10.

Is Kevin Atwater leaving Chicago PD?

For starters, Atwater will be back. The police officer is going to be as a reliable as ever in the field, and will continue to solve cases alongside Voight (Jason Beghe) and the rest of the gang. Hawkins has not discussed his current contract situation, but its presumed that he’s signed on for at least one more season.

The tricky aspect of acting contracts is that we don’t hear about them until they are reupped. This was the case with Marlyne Barrett, who recently confirmed that she had signed on to appear in the next season of Chicago Med.

Equally mysterious is the narrative direction of Chicago PD season 10. The show has yet to start filming, so there’s been little confirmed in terms of theme or long term intention. That being said, Hawkins has hinted at interesting developments for his character.

The most notable is the introduction of a new love interest. Well, not exactly new. The actor said that he would be interested in seeing a relationship play out between Atwater and Zora (Deanne Lauvin), who has made brief appearances as the sister of Dr. Scott (Guy Lockard) on Chicago Med.

Both characters are police officers, which would be a neat reversal/improvement on the secrecy and professional anxiety Atwater had in his last relationship. The possible romance has not been confirmed by PD producers, but it’s something that would work well, especially on the heels of a One Chicago crossover event.

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