Another season of Chi-Town centered mayhem is on deck - but unfortunately for some of the show's most beloved actors, a new spate of episodes means an exit is afoot. After rebalancing the casts of
all three branches of the One Chicago world during the 2025-2026 season, the 2026-2025 season looks to one of further restructuring -- with a number of familiar faces exiting the fold as fall turns into
winter. Fans of all three shows will be saying goodbye to some major veterans who helped ballast all of these dramas through some seriously dramatic waters.
The highest number of changes will be coming to Chicago Fire this year. After trying to coax viewers into falling in love with the gruff, complicated Chief Dom Pascal for two seasons, the character will leave the CFD behind sometime early in Season 15. It seems that Pascal just couldn’t hold a candle to the beloved, departed Chief Boden in the hearts and minds of OneChi fans the world over, and the series will be starting fresh with another new authority figure deeper into the season.
Actor Dermot Mulroney told fans at a Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention q&a that his feelings about the situation were definitely piquant—and he noted that it wasn't his choice to leave the show.
“They wrote an incredible storyline that put me as an actor on [a] high challenge. I loved every minute of it. Sad to see it go.”
While Pascal's future hangs in the balance, a much-beloved Chicago Fire veteran also won't be sticking around Season 15 for very long. Joe Minoso is one of a tiny handful of season 1 vets still sticking around the program, but this season will mark his exit from the show. What this means for Joe Cruz and his well-established family remains unknown as of this writing. But on a show that absolutely loves to kill its main characters off to tug at the heartstrings of its loyal viewership, don’t be
surprised if something shocking happens to Joe Cruz.
Chicago PD will also be losing a beloved series vet, as LaRoyce Hawkins' Kevin Atwater will not be long for season 14. He's another season 1 veteran who'll be leaving after decades of service to the One Chicago world. The actor will also film a limited number of scenes for season 14 before Atwater finally leaves the program.
Last but not least, Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut confirmed via her TikTok account that Dr. Naomi Howard won't be back for season 12 of Chicago Med. Since she had just begun tiptoeing her way into a relationship with John Frost, that's quite a shocker for fans. This casting move will leave Frost without a partner after another failed romantic assignment—an attempted crossover pairing between Frost and Chicago Fire’s Lizzie Novak.
At the beginning of every new season, the One Chicago world tends to shed a small number of cast members. It's an unfortunate part of life working on a long-running series. But if those characters don't pass away, at least they're likely to return at some point for a visit.
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