Say Goodbye to the ‘Chicago Fire’ You Thought You Knew

For almost 14 years, Chicago Fire has kept its promise, as anyone who enters Firehouse 51 will find the house welcoming as home. However, that promise is becoming harder to keep. As NBC‘s series approaches its 15th season, it faces a new wave of cast exits, a new showrunner, and a firehouse very different from what viewers saw in 2012.

Joe Miñoso, who portrays firefighter Joe Cruz, will leave the series after a few episodes of the 15th season. Dermot Mulroney is also on his way out as Battalion Chief Dom Pascal, returning for one episode to wrap up his character’s story. Behind the camera, Andrea Newman is stepping down as showrunner, with executive producer Victor Teran taking over. After years of losing familiar faces, 51 is once again preparing to welcome a new crop of firefighters.

Joe Cruz’s ‘Chicago Fire’ Exit Is the End of an Era

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Miñoso’s departure will probably hit longtime viewers hardest. Cruz is one of the last remaining links to the show’s earliest days. He has been part of 51 since the beginning, evolving from a firefighter who spent much of the early series worrying about his younger brother into a veteran member of Squad 3, a husband, and eventually a father.

His Season 15 exit is especially significant. Cruz was among the firefighters caught in the terrifying Season 14 finale cliffhanger, when members of Truck 81, Engine 51, and Squad 3 found themselves trapped in and around a burning building. Because Miñoso is leaving shortly after that cliffhanger, the obvious question is whether Cruz survives — and, if he does, what could possibly convince him to walk away from the firehouse.

The series doesn’t necessarily need to kill him off. Chicago Fire has a long history of sending characters elsewhere when their stories have run their course. Still, Cruz’s departure will leave a sizable hole in 51; viewers can’t simply forget him, and he helped define what the firehouse became.

Dermot Mulroney Is Saying Goodbye to Dom Pascal, Too

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Mulroney’s exit is considerably newer, but Pascal’s departure adds another layer to the Season 15 reset. The actor joined Chicago Fire in Season 13 as the replacement for Eamonn Walker’s Wallace Boden, taking over as battalion chief of Firehouse 51. Pascal was never supposed to be Boden 2.0; his leadership style was harsher, his personality more guarded, and his history with the CFD gave him plenty of baggage to work through. Yet over two seasons, he became part of the show’s increasingly familiar ecosystem.

Mulroney confirmed at a Chicago fan convention that Pascal is being written out and that he will return for only one Season 15 episode. He described the character’s storyline as “incredible” and admitted he was sad to leave, especially because Chicago Fire has become so meaningfulto first responders and their families.

His exit also leaves Severide in an interesting position. By the end of Season 14, Kelly Kinney’s Kelly Severide had been offered a major leadership opportunity after Pascal’s departure, potentially putting one of the show’s longest-standing characters in an entirely different role.

Season 15 Is Bringing New Blood to Firehouse 51

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For all the talk about who is leaving, Chicago Fire is also making room for people who could become the next generation of 51. Among them is Da’Vinchi’s Marcus Burke, a new firefighter candidate described as funny, roguish, and somewhat defiant. Lyla Novak actress Jocelyn Hudon has also teased the arrival of multiple new probies, suggesting that Season 15 will have several new personalities competing for a place in the firehouse.

Chicago Fire has always used its newest firefighters to refresh the ensemble. The show has done it with Gallo, Carver, Ritter, and countless others over the years. Some became central pieces of the series; others lasted only a few seasons. Cruz’s exit follows recent departures including Daniel Kyri’s Darren Ritter, Jake Lockett’s Sam Carver and Michael Bradway’s Jack Damon. Even Pascal, who was brought in specifically to help fill the enormous leadership vacuum left by Boden, is already moving on.

The original Chicago Fire cast once included Jesse Spencer’s Matt Casey, Monica Raymund’s Gabriela Dawson, Lauren German’s Leslie Shay, Charlie Barnett’s Peter Mills, and Walker’s Boden, alongside Kinney, David Eigenberg, and Miñoso. Most of them are now gone. Even beloved supporting characters such as Otis, Sylvie Brett, Blake Gallo and Darren Ritter have moved on.

Taylor Kinney’s Severide and Eigenberg’s Herrmann remain, while Mouch and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) are still part of the core ensemble. Yet the emotional architecture around them has changed dramatically. The people they worked beside in the early seasons are largely memories now. With Cruz leaving, Pascal departing, and Teran taking over behind the scenes, Chicago Fire is entering its 15th season with fewer familiar faces and plenty of room for new ones.