NBC Repeats The Fatal Mistake That Nearly Killed Chicago Fire
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Chicago Fire season 15 is once again committing the same mistake that nearly ended its run. In a couple of weeks, NBC's fall 2026 lineup will officially debut. While the portfolio has some of the most exciting shows on traditional broadcast, there's a particular interest in what comes next for Firehouse 51 after a rather busy off-season, with multiple personnel exits, both in front and behind the camera.
As with many long-running shows on TV, the One Chicago franchise, in general, is not new to cast departures. That said, the last several years have been particularly brutal in this regard for Chicago Fire. Firehouse 51 lost long-time characters and a couple of inaugural ones, such as Jesse Spencer's Matt Casey and Eammon Walker's Wallace Boden. That trend continues in Chicago Fire season 15 with the impending exit of Joe Mińoso's Joe Cruz, but Dermot Mulroney is also stepping away as Dom Pascal, which is a much trickier situation to handle.
Chicago Fire Season 15 Is Bringing In A New Firehouse 51 Chief
Pascal was Chief Boden's replacement on the heels of Walker's Chicago Fire exit. Admittedly, the character's introduction was met with skepticism, considering how Christopher Herrmann was handpicked by his predecessor to take over Firehouse 51. Even with that not happening, there was an argument that Kelly Severide was better poised to hold that position. NBC did a great job, eventually endearing Pascal that learning about his exit was heartbreaking. That said, Chicago Fire would have saved all this unnecessary drama had it not overcomplicated the situation and kept the selection in-house.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like NBC has learned its lesson from Pascal's introduction and looming exit. Now that Mulroney is confirmed to be leaving, the Peacock Network is reportedly bringing in a new character to be his replacement, per official casting posting for the procedural. When the character was suspended in Chicago Fire season 14, he handpicked Severide to be his successor, but once again, NBC is going a different route. Instead of laying the road for Taylor Kinney's character's promotion, they're spending time doing another story hurdle, which, at this point, is not only repetitive, but also distracting.
It's no secret that network TV has been experiencing budget cuts across the board, but it has been more impactful in the One Chicago franchise. Aside from rotating the cast every week, decreasing the number of episodes that a series regular per year, it's also one of the primary reasons why there have been several ensemble shake-ups in the last few years. Mulroney has been vocal about his exit not being his decision, meaning he would have stayed if it was up to him.
Considering this, the best way to address the tightening purse and instability of the series, the best way to address both issues is to focus on the existing characters in Chicago Fire season 15. This will result in a more focused narrative, with increased prominence for players that long-time viewers are already invested in instead of introducing new ones. A smaller ensemble is better, especially if it's dominated by established characters, rather than a bloated one under these circumstances. In any case, it isn't like Firehouse 51 doesn't have qualified contenders to step into Pascal's soon-to-be vacated position. If not Severide, Herrmann is also an option.
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Chicago Fire
- Release Date
- October 10, 2012
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Andrea Newman
- Directors
- Michael Brandt
-
Taylor Kinney
Kelly Severide
-
David Eigenberg
Christopher Herrmann
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