When word broke during the summer that Joe Minoso would be exiting Chicago Fire, fans were understandably heartbroken by the news. Minoso is one of only a small handful of original One Chicago stars still in the franchise, and his exit means Chicago Fire is losing one of the last remaining original characters.
It’s never easy saying goodbye to a character, especially one who has been a part of a show’s journey from the very beginning and appeared in nearly 300 episodes of the show. When you welcome a character into your home every week for over a decade, losing them is like losing a beloved friend. Just as you always want the best for your friends in real life, the same extends to those whose journeys you invest in via your favorite shows.
There is nothing that will lessen the pain of losing Cruz, but the hope among Chicago Fire fans is that the show will honor Minoso’s legacy by giving him a sendoff that is fitting to the character’s journey. Of course, this can be hard to do when there isn’t much time to say goodbye to a character. Miniso is expected to exit the show early in the season, with many speculating that the 300th episode will be his last episode on Chicago Fire, which means we could have up to five episodes for the show to craft a sendoff for the character.
Five episodes doesn’t feel like much time considering there had been no groundwork laid for Cruz to leave Firehouse 51, but Chicago Fire star Brandon Larracuente is assuring fans that the creative team will use the time wisely and will give Minoso a wonderful sendoff.
“Well, we left last season on a big cliffhanger, so we will give audience members some reprieve. We’ll know what happens there. There’s a few departures on the show that really impact the firehouse. The writers of our show did a wonderful sendoff for Joe Minoso,” Larracuente revealed to The TV Cave.
Of course, Larracuente couldn’t say much about how the show will send Minoso off, but he’s confident that the fans will appreciate the story the writers have crafted for one of the foundational members of the Chicago Fire team.
“I think the fans will really appreciate that,” Larracuente remarked. “He deserves it; he’s been here for the past 15 years. He’s a core element, like a foundational member of the firehouse.”
Larracuente is absolutely correct in his assessment. Minoso has been such a core part of the team from the very beginning and helped make the show into what it is today, and he’s gone on one of the best character journeys on the show. We watched as Cruz transitioned from Truck to Squad, where he’s worked so hard to prove himself and has grown into an amazing leader on the team.
Hopefully, the show has crafted a storyline that indeed gives Cruz a wonderful sendoff that will celebrate a character whose presence on the show is going to be greatly missed.
Chicago Fire season 15 premiere Wednesday, October 7, at 9/8c on NBC.
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