Chicago Fire boss reveals why Lauren German left the show

Chicago Fire has seen its fair share of heartbreaking deaths and departures over the years, but there is no denying that the departure of Lauren German‘s Leslie Shay still to this day stands out as one of the most shocking moments in the history of the show.

After leaving the lives of nearly every member of 51 hanging in the balance in the season 2 cliffhanger following an explosion, season 3 picked up right where the finale left with Boden (Eamonn Walker) frantically calling out to his team after watching the building they had ran into collapse before his eyes.

We quickly discovered each firefighter was present and accounted for with two glaring exceptions: Dawson (Monica Raymund) and Shay. When the pair were finally discovered by Severide (Taylor Kinney), our hearts were quickly broken as Severide walked in on Dawson trying frantically to revive Shay.

Unfortunately, it was too late as Shay had tragically died as a result of the injuries from the explosion. As a result of the storyline, Chicago Fire was forced to say goodbye to German who departed the series following the death of her character. The circumstances in which she was killed were clear to anyone watching, but the reason the character was written out is a bit more complicated.

Why did Lauren German exit Chicago Fire?

Lauren German’s departure from Chicago Med was, obviously, due to the decision to kill off her character on the show. Interestingly, the storyline was not a result of German’s desire to depart, but the writer’s desire to end Shay’s storyline in dramatic fashion.

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As executive producer Matt Olmstead revealed in an interview with TVLine at the time, the writers ultimately decided to bring Shay’s story to an end and make the difficult decision to write the character out of the show. However, as Olmstead revealed, German took the news like a pro and was even able to joke about it.

“She was very professional about it,” Olmstead assured. “She joked that she wasn’t going to miss the Chicago winters. She’s a California girl. So it was nice to know she was able to joke about it a little bit.”

Will Lauren German ever return to Chicago Fire?

It’s possible. Shay has returned once before, in the flashback episode “Always”. The episode went back in time to show her first day on the job, and showed how she met each of the characters who would go on to play crucial roles in her life.

While one can never rule out the possibility of a cameo via a flashback or via a previously recorded message — a troupe we’ve seen many shows turn to as a way to bring back a fan-favorite actor whose character was killed off —  there do not appear to be any plans for German to return to the show.

Chicago Fire is not really a show that relies on flashbacks, and “Always”, the aforementioned episode, is the exception to the rule. In the decade since the episode aired, the show has taken a more definitive stance on dead characters: once they’re gone, they’re gone. Just ask poor Otis.

Lauren German has done just fine for herself post-Chicago Fire. The actress continued to be a force on the small screen by starring in the acclaimed Netflix comedy Lucifer from 2016 to 2021.

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