See the “Chicago Fire” Stars Who Are Leaving in Season 15

Emily BlackwoodWed, August 5, 2026 at 2:45 PM UTC

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Dermot Mulroney and Joe Miñoso in ‘Chicago Fire’Credit: Peter Gordon/NBC -

Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman has stepped down after 14 years with the series, passing leadership to Victor Teran

Joe Miñoso and Dermot Mulroney will exit during season 15, wrapping up their characters’ arcs in early episodes

Newman says cast turnover is essential for keeping the long-running series fresh and dynamic for actors and fans

Chicago Firefans will notice some changes to Firehouse 51.

Ahead of the NBC procedural’s 15th season, at least three key figures in the series announced that they were leaving the show. Showrunner Andrea Newman was the first to exit, sharing in April 2026 that co-executive producer Victor Teran would take over the reins for upcoming episodes.

Later that summer, Chicago Fire stars Joe Miñoso and Dermot Mulroney confirmed they were also departing from the show and would wrap up their characters’ storylines within the first few episodes of season 15. Though fans will be heartbroken to say goodbye to their favorite firefighters, Newman previously opened up to TVLineabout how turnover was a necessary element for a series as long-running as Chicago Fire.

“[In] storytelling and in terms of real life, 12 years is a long time and things need to change, just dynamic-wise. You want new characters and you want new dynamics,” she said in June 2024. “Actor-wise, 12 years is a long [time]. Nobody expects in TV [that] they’re going to be anywhere for 12 years, I can say that for sure, from all sides.”

Here’s everything to know about the stars leaving Chicago Fire in season 15, including what they’ve said about concluding their characters’ arcs.

Joe Miñoso as Joe Cruz

Joe Miñoso in ‘Chicago Fire’Credit: Peter Gordon/NBC

After playing firefighter Joe Cruz since the show premiered in 2012, PEOPLE confirmed that Miñoso was exiting Chicago Fireduring season 15. He will appear in a few episodes to wrap up his character’s arc.

On July 29, the actor shared an article announcing the news on Instagram.

Miñoso joined the NBC series as a guest star in the pilot, which aired in 2012. He was quickly promoted to a recurring cast member and became a series regular by the start of season 2.

Though the actor hasn’t commented on his departure, he told PEOPLE in November 2022 that he felt like he fulfilled a childhood dream of being a firefighter when he learned that he had landed the role of Cruz.

“I think every boy, at some point, sees a fire truck and is like, ‘That’s dope,’ but I think I was more like a kid about playing a firefighter in my 30s,” Miñoso said. “I was so excited about the potential. I don’t think we could ever imagine that this is where we would’ve gone.”

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Andrea Newman as executive producer and showrunner

Newman has been with the NBC series since it first aired, spending her last three seasons as showrunner before announcing that she was stepping down in April 2026.

“Working at Chicago Fire, with the absolute best cast and crew in the business, has been the highlight of my career,” she said in a statement.

Newman continued, “Like so many others, I was inspired to get into TV writing because of Dick, so what a thrill it’s been to work with him ... After 14 years, you really do become a family and working with this group will always feel like home.”

In 2012, Newman joined Chicago Fire as a co-executive producer and was promoted to executive producer in season 6. She served as a co-showrunner alongside Derek Haas in 2021 for two years before taking over the show entirely.

Dermot Mulroney as Dom Pascal

Dermot Mulroney in ‘Chicago Fire’Credit: Peter Gordon/NBC via Getty

Days after Deadlinereported that Mulroney would leave Chicago Fireearly in its 15th season, the actor confirmed the news during a panel appearance at the Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention on Aug. 2.

“I loved every minute of it,” he said in a video from the event shared by an attendee. “Now, this season, sadly, I have one episode. I finish on Tuesday and they write the character off. So we gave it our all for two seasons.”

The My Best Friend’s Wedding star added that he was grateful for the “incredibly challenging scenes” he got to play as Battalion Chief Dom Pascal, who took over Firehouse 51 in 2024. Though the actor took a brief hiatus in season 14 to film season 2 of The Hunting Wives, his character returned for the fiery finale episode.

“I can’t tell you how many people come up and they’d much rather have an autograph on Scream VI, but they’re Chief Pascal for their dad,” Mulroney said of his time on the series. “It’s an amazing thing to see and that’s how meaningful that is.”

Chicago Fire season 15 premieres Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”