Chicago Fire season 14 was yet another season of change for Firehouse 51. As has been the case in many of the show’s recent seasons, there were a lot of comings and goings leading to some really surprising cast exits.
While perhaps not surprising in their nature, as we saw them coming due to word of the actors’ departures breaking online before the characters were written out of the show, these exits still managed to take the fandom by surprise. A large part of this surprise came from the fact that we just couldn’t believe that these amazing characters and actors were written out of the show, and so suddenly at that.
Now that Chicago Fire season 14 is complete, let’s take a look back at the four Chicago Fire cast exits that we still can’t believe happened, starting with the one that stings most because we never got a proper goodbye.
Michael Bradway as Jack Damon
Our first major cast exit came via the exit of Michael Bradway, whose Jack Damon was transferred to another firehouse between the events of the season 13 finale and the season 14 premiere. Damon was written out of the show after Bradway stepped away from the series to film Prime Video’s Every Year After, which resulted in the sudden exit storyline for his character.
What was so disappointing about Damon’s exit was the sudden nature. We knew that Bradway was likely leaving the show the minute he was cast in Every Year After, but we hoped that we’d at least get a final goodbye. Instead, we got a quick one-line update about Damon transferring to another firehouse, and then it was as if he never existed.
The show failed to bring Damon up at any point through the season, failing to even mention him when Severide was facing off against Chief Hopkins. It was particularly disappointing given that the storyline saw Hopkins coming for Severide’s job due to his history with Benny, who happens to be Damon’s dad as well. It was a perfect opportunity to bring Damon back, and it was a shame the show wasn’t able to make it happen or even mention Damon through the story arc.
Jake Lockett as Sam Carver
Of the season 14 cast exits, Jake Lockett’s wasn’t entirely surprising in the sense that we knew he was exiting the show before season 13 even came to an end. Word broke that he was one of two actors leaving the show ahead of season 14, and then the season 13 finale actually introduced his exit storyline by revealing he had put in a request to transfer to a firehouse in Denver to get a fresh start.
Carver exited the show off-camera but would eventually drop in for a guest appearance that ended up doing more harm than good.
When Carver returned, it just drudged up all the unresolved feelings we had about his exit, particularly those connected to his relationship with Violet. The show took us on quite a rollercoaster ride with the couple, with season 13 going the slow-burn route, which we thought was going to end with the pair finding their way back to one another. That happened, but it came with the news that Carver was leaving town, which quickly put out the rekindled flame.
It feels like Carver had just hit his stride at 51 and we were eager to see if he and Violet could find happiness with a second chance, but sadly his exit robbed us of that opportunity. Hopefully, Carver might return in the future, but it’s not something we see being in the cards.
Daniel Kyri as Darren Ritter
Daniel Kyri’s exit was also announced ahead of the season 13 finale; however, unlike with Jake Lockett, the show did not lay the groundwork for his exit in the finale. There was absolutely no hint that Ritter was looking to leave town, and his character was not in any danger as the season ended, leaving fans to wonder how the show would write him out.
Thankfully, the writers managed to bring Kyri back for a few episodes at the top of season 14 to give Ritter an exit storyline. Said exit storyline would come in the form of Ritter choosing to move to New York after his longtime boyfriend, Dwayne, was injured in the line of duty. The storyline was sudden and unexpected, but it gave Ritter a rare happy ending in his exit as we knew that he was moving to be with Dwayne.
What hurt so much about his exit, though, was knowing the untapped potential the character had that was never fully realized during his time on the show. Ritter was never given the chance to shine like so many of his fellow firefighters at 51, often being used as a background character, which was such a criminal move by the writers—especially considering that Ritter was the show’s sole LGBTQ character and they missed so many opportunities to tell impactful and meaningful storylines through the character.
Ritter deserved so much better, and we wish the show had taken the chance to give him his time in the spotlight rather than writing him off due to budget cuts. This was a character who brought a much-needed level of diversity to the show, and it’s disappointing that when it came time to write two characters out, it was Ritter that ended up on the chopping block.
Jeanine Mason as Lucy Zambetti
Our final shocking exit came via a character we didn’t even expect to meet in season 14. Jeanine Mason debuted late in season 14 as Lucy Zambetti, who came to Firehouse 51 in the wake of Chief Pascal’s firing with the CFD messed up their paperwork in hiring her as Pascal’s assistant after his firing.
Upon arriving at 51, Lucy quickly won over fans and those at 51 as she immersed herself in the firehouse and became a strong ally for Severide. In fact, it was her allegiance to Severide that ended up costing her her job after Lucy signed off on Kidd’s request for the file connected to the call that led Benny to reprimand Hopkins. Her going behind Hopkins’ back and giving his approval for the CFD files being released led to him firing her on the spot.
We hoped that Lucy would fight to get her job back and that with Hopkins exiting 51, she might have a chance to make her way back to 51; however, that proved not to be the case. Lucy was fired, and the character disappeared immediately after.
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