One Chicago stars who were written off their shows
One Chicago fans are shocked by Jon Seda and Colin Donnell’s exits, but see other Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and Chicago Med actors who were also let go.
The One Chicago fandom was rocked on Friday by the news that Jon Seda, Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling were leaving the franchise—and that it wasn’t their decision.
The trio of stars were removed from Chicago PD and Chicago Med respectively, due to “creative reasons” that mean it was the producers’ choice not to bring them back next season. It’s a huge shocker, given that two of the three were original cast members on their shows, and also some of the most popular cast members in the franchise.
But the reality is that this isn’t new; One Chicago has been letting go of actors for years, and it’s just happening more frequently—and to more high-profile stars—now.
Click through this slideshow to look back at all of the other Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago PD series regulars who were dismissed from their respective shows.
Lauren German
Who she played: Leslie Shay on Chicago Fire
When she was written out: German was only a series regular for the first two seasons, but she made a guest appearance in the season 3 premiere to tie up her character’s storyline.
What happened to her character: Shay wasn’t the first main character to be killed off Chicago Fire (that distinction goes to Dr. Hallie Thomas, Casey’s first fiancee), but her death was the first that truly shocked One Chicago fans. She was killed in the second season finale, when she was struck in the head by a falling beam during a call to a burning building.
In the third season, it was revealed that the fire wasn’t just an accident: Shay was the victim of arsonist Adrian Gish (played by Prison Break star Robert Knepper). Or at least, that was what he was called, because Chicago PD later found out that wasn’t even his real identity. Gish got what he deserved, though, as he was eventually shot and killed by Antonio Dawson.
Why it happened: For dramatic effect. Then-executive producer Matt Olmstead told the media at the time that killing a character in the season finale was one of the ideas tossed around in the writers’ room, and that it eventually “gained momentum.” But at least Shay’s name is permanently memorialized on the door of Ambulance 61?