Why did Charlie Barnett leave Chicago Fire?

It’s been over five years since Charlie Barnett stepped away from Chicago Fire, but there is no denying that even after all these years Firehouse 51 hasn’t quite been the same without his loveable rookie firefighter, Peter Mills.

Across the show’s first three seasons, Mills played a key role in the show’s many central storylines with his passion and determination to make it within the CFD as a way to honor his late father, a fellow firefighter who died in action. As the house’s rookie, audiences had the chance to grow with Mills and watch him flourish and come into his own.

Perhaps it was for this reason that audiences were so shocked when Mills decided to leave 51 behind to work at his family’s North Carolina restaurant. The story seemed to come out of left field and fans still couldn’t believe the news even when it was confirmed Barnett would be leaving the show.

Why did Charlie Barnett exit Chicago Fire?

While some actors have chosen to walk away from Chicago Fire, it turns out Charlie Barnett was not one of those actors.

During an interview with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune shortly after his final episode aired, Barnett was just as surprised as viewers where when he learned the direction the writers had decided to take Mills — a direction which ultimately was made as an exit storyline for the character.

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"“It was just a normal day of filming. I hadn’t heard anything about it and then they pulled me into a room, sat me down and apologized,” Barnett revealed. “They expressed that it wasn’t about me or myself as an actor or my personality. On the other hand, they kind of praised all that stuff, but they felt that Peter had reached a plateau and the writers didn’t know where to take him because he’s done so much already. They even apologized so much that they upped the ante in the first and second year and did more with Peter than they expected.”"

As executive producer Matt Olmstead revealed to TVLine at the time, the decision to write off Barnett’s character was made largely to help shake things up from a storytelling standpoint and pave the way for the show to introduce a new character to shake things up further.

Is Charlie Barnett coming back to Chicago Fire?

At this time, there have been no reports suggesting Charlie Barnett could be eyeing a comeback with an appearance in the show’s upcoming tenth season; however, there is some good news for fans hoping to see Barnett return to Chicago Fire. 

While Barnett hasn’t appeared in an episode of Chicago Fire since 2015, he’s made it clear in the past that he’s very much interested in the prospect of returning to the series which helped to launch his career which is promising.

During a 2019 interview with TVLine, Barnett was asked about the prospect of returning to the show in which he made it abundantly clear he’d be more than interested in revisiting the character of Peter Mills and a return to Chicago Fire.

"“I would be more than happy to return,” Barnett revealed at the time. “I love the show, it brought me [Arrow], everything I have. It was an incredible window in my career.”"

Given he’ll be appearing in the upcoming NBC series Ordinary Joe, it’s unlikely Barnett will return for season 10 but with the show’s 200th episode coming up it would definitely be a fun and welcome surprise.

For the latest Chicago Fire season 10 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.