How Antonio, Connor, and Ava Might Leave One Chicago

One Chicago will soon be a Dawson-free zone.

After Gabby's (Monica Raymund) heartbreaking departure from Chicago Fire at the start of Season 7, her brother Antonio (Jon Seda) is now following suit. Seda, who plays the seasoned detective, is reportedly slated to leave Chicago P.D. at the end of this season for creative reasons -- and he's not the only major One Chicago departure on the horizon. Chicago Med will also be down two series regulars when Connor (Colin Donnell) and Ava (Norma Kuhling) stage their exits in the coming episodes.

While the door is still open for all three to return for guest appearances -- should they survive this season, that is -- their departures as main characters leave voids that won't be easily filled. With the finales for Chicago Fire, Med, and P.D. quickly approaching and these major exits looming, we've got a few theories on how Antonio, Connor, and Ava will leave the Windy City.

Ava Bekker

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Ava's departure isn't all that surprising. Since arriving at the end of Season 2, her journey on Med has been a tumultuous ride filled with heated spats, medical breakthroughs, and major heartbreak. But her story has always been tied to Connor, first as a professional foil and then as a romantic interest, and the show never knew what to do with her outside of that. It makes sense that after her break up with Connor, a result of her sleeping with his dad to secure funding for his hybrid OR, Ava would seek out opportunities elsewhere to get away from all the drama. Because of her brilliant mind and relentless ambition, she'll have no trouble finding a job at another prestigious institution like the Mayo Clinic. Given the show's penchant for putting her through the worst imaginable scenarios, however, there's also a good chance she doesn't even make it out of that OR alive come season's end. After all, we're overdue for a major death, and since her time is almost up, she certainly fits the bill.

Connor Rhodes

Connor has been with Chicago Med since the beginning of the show, so this loss stings quite a bit. A risk-taker who always kept Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) on her toes, the show will be hard-pressed to find another doctor as innovative, handsome, and charming as him. Connor flirted with the idea of leaving at the end of Season 4, when he received the opportunity of a lifetime from the Mayo Clinic, but he stayed put to get his cutting-edge hybrid OR off the ground. With his project now a success, it's plausible that new opportunities have opened up for him and he'll reconsider leaving Med for greener pastures elsewhere.

That decision will be difficult, though, since he's been on the road to reconciliation with Robin (Mekia Cox), a move that would certainly keep him tethered to Chicago. Either Connor and Robin decide to give their relationship another shot elsewhere, or, in a worst-case scenario, their second chance is cut short by his untimely death. One Chicago rarely kills its main characters, though, so it's hard to believe Med would permanently dispose of someone as beloved as Connor, especially when there is room to bring him back down the line. What's more likely is that things don't work out with Robin and he decides to leave for a fresh start somewhere else.

Antonio Dawson

Pour one out for Antonio and his beautiful, oversized diamond earring. The suave detective is leaving Intelligence again, and this time his exit will stick. In contrast to Voight's (Jason Beghe) love of bending the rules, Antonio preferred to go by the book, and that unwavering honesty made him a trustworthy second-in-command. Earlier this season, he struggled with an addiction to painkillers that led to his daughter being kidnapped -- and to Antonio shoving her captor through a window to his death. Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) took the fall, claiming he killed the suspect in self-defense, and it looked like that issue was swept under the rug. However, showrunner Rick Eid alluded to that lie coming back to haunt Intelligence, and Antonio's impending exit suggests those repercussions will hit sooner rather than later. If the truth comes out, Antonio could be sent to prison, which would explain his absence from the show.

Of course, Intelligence has gotten pretty skilled at covering its tracks, so Antonio's departure probably won't have anything to do with that. The more likely scenario is that Antonio is promoted and moves to another unit, which is not unprecedented. He previously left Intelligence in Season 4 to head up an investigative unit on Chicago Justice, promptly returning to P.D. when the spin-off was canceled after one season. And I'm not going to entertain the idea of Antonio dying, especially since the unit is still reeling from the loss of Olinsky (Elias Koteas), which was almost too much to bear. It's doubtful the show would put the crew through that kind of grief again so soon, but then again, this is One Chicago, where anything can happen. Either way, Antonio's departure will be a rough one to get over.

Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC, followed by Chicago Fire at 9/8c and Chicago P.D. at 10/9c.