Chicago Fire Keeps Losing Its Veterans And Its Heart Along with Them

The ax hasn’t stopped swinging in the One Chicago universe.

We’re already frustrated with the exit of LaRoyce Hawkins on Chicago PD.

And now Chicago Fire Season 15 will mark the departure of veteran Joe Miñoso.

It’s getting harder to feel enthusiastic about the return of these staple series when the looming departures of fan-favorite characters hang heavily over our heads.

The constant revolving door of cast members has plagued One Chicago for quite some time.

With a big cast like Chicago Fire, a high turnover isn’t all that surprising. 

It’s especially unsurprising when we consider how so many of these decisions fall into place because of budget choices.

That makes them harder to swallow. It’s easier to accept it when an actor chooses to step away from a series on their own.

It’s also acceptable when it’s evident they’ve run their course with a character and can’t do much else with them.

When a character has a complete story, and there feels like a satisfying journey with closure, viewers can embrace the reality for what it is.

The problem is that hasn’t always been the case.

Chicago Fire getting rid of Carver and Ritter is a prime example of that.

No one believed for a second that there were no stories left to tell.

And following things up with replacing one of the characters with a similar character with the same archetype, Vasquez dispelled that.

In many ways, it’s not so much the loss of a character as it is the loss of the potential a series never fully reaches with that character. 

What’s most frustrating is this new habit of introducing a promising storyline for a character, only to suddenly decide they need to be written out.

Cruz is expecting twins with his wife. There’s a compelling angle to explore more when it comes to fatherhood and how he approaches it in this new way.

For a series that emphasizes “Found Family” so much, there’s something promising about exploring a more traditional family onscreen. 

But as it stands, we can likely expect a handful of episodes featuring Cruz after that harrowing Chicago Fire Season 14 Finale.

The finale left many lives hanging in the balance, including Cruz, and with the news of Miñoso’s impending exit, we’re left to speculate about his fate.

The series intends to wrap up his storyline in the first few episodes, and then we’ll likely move on to others.

And that includes the latest addition to shake things up: All American’s Da’Vinchi, who will play Marcus Burke.

That new character promises to be almost exactly what you’d expect from a new addition

He’s a firefighter candidate at Firehouse 51. Roguish and funny with a wry sense of humor, and he’s also a little defiant.

New blood comes with the territory, and Da’ Vinchi will be a great addition.

But I’m also still of the mind that a series that has already been flailing and showing its age loses bits of its heart when it casts off veteran characters like it’s a game of Survivor.

The veteran characters are who ground the series. They feel like the least disposable.

Or at least that used to be the case.

Now it feels like they’re the first to get their marching orders, with little thought for how their absence affects the series.

Because Chicago Fire has already been struggling so much, with tired and cyclical plot points, shoddy romance drama, and fewer action sequences and fires to keep our hearts racing, it’s the characters that hold everything together. 

Genuine attachment to these characters and their lives is what keeps loyal viewers tuning back in again even when everything else is falling by the wayside. 

Veteran characters like Joe Cruz are at the very heart of that.

When it feels like series aren’t valuing the characters or the fans of them, where do we go next?

There’s an apathy that these departures are sparking, and fresh faces aren’t a distraction.

Because if shows like Chicago Fire aren’t valuing the veteran characters, what hope is there for the new ones?

 And why should we still invest?