Chris Mansa’s exit from Chicago Fire remains a mystery

Chris Mansa joined Chicago Fire during the 10th season (after a one-off appearance in season 9), and we expected him to stick around for a while. The character of Mason seemed like a natural fit for both the team and the fans. Plus, it’s not like we knew much about him, so we were all waiting for the new season to see more of him in action.

Then, season 11 rolled around. Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) was brought in to fill the gap left by Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer), and Mason, the character who seemed pegged to get more screen time in the season prior, was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t just demoted, he was written off the show altogether! One Chicago had orchestrated swaps before, but rarely had they axed a new character in such a short window of time. What gives?

Why did Mason leave Chicago Fire?

In the season 11 premiere, we learn that Mason Locke decided to leave Chicago. He’d originally come to the Windy City to be with family. He worked as a firefighter in Colorado, but it was part of a prison program. Due to him being a felon, he couldn’t work as a firefighter in Chicago. It’s actually the reason Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) was uncertain about him joining 51 in the first place.

A conversation between Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) and Kidd revealed that Mason has gone back to Colorado. He wants to fight the forest fires out there, and it’s not something either of them can argue about. That was how he found his calling in the first place, and there’s a nice symmetry in him coming full circle as a character. It just came at an unexpectedly early point.

Unfortunately, little has been revealed about the decision to write Mason out of show. Generally, the showrunners and executive producers behind Chicago Fire will talk about cast changes, and whether it was a decision made on the part of the actor (i.e. they wanted to leave) or the part of the writers (i.e. they had a storyline in mind). This sort of clarification was provided when people like Otis (Yuri Sardarov) and Leslie Shay (Lauren German) left the show, though admittedly, they were a bigger part than Mason ever was.

While the circumstances of Mansa’s early departure remain unclear, the actor is continuing to thrive in the industry. He appeared in the 2021 short film Beyond the Veil, and is slated to play a major role in the upcoming sports drama Black Spartans opposite Neal McDonough.

For the latest Chicago Fire season 12 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.