Chicago Fire Just Got One Step Closer to Resurrecting a Dead Character (2024)

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<p>Plenty of actors have come and gone on <em>Chicago Fire</em> since the series first debuted in 2012. While we’re still mourning the exits of some of our favorite firefighters and paramedics, there are plenty of other shows the stars can be seen on. Keep reading to see <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/chicago-fire-cast-then-now/" target="_blank">where the alums of <em>Chicago Fire</em> are now</a>.</p><p>Created by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, with <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/law-order/" target="_blank"><em>Law & Order</em></a> producer Dick Wolf, <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/chicago-fire/" target="_blank"><em>Chicago Fire</em></a> is NBC’s long-running procedural that follows the professional and personal lives of emergency responders at the fictional Firehouse 51 of the Chicago Fire Department. The series is one of leading primetime dramas and has spawned several spin-offs, including <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/chicago-pd/" target="_blank"><em>Chicago P.D.</em></a>, <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/chicago-med/" target="_blank"><em>Chicago Med</em></a>, and the <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/673768/why-chicago-justice-cancelled/" target="_blank">now-cancelled <em>Chicago Justice</em></a>.</p><p>In the years since <em>Chicago Fire</em> premiered, several of the show’s stars have left the series — from long-standing fan-favorites to characters who were killed off too soon. Although their time on the hit drama may have ended, the actors have not slowed down since and several of them even found their way back to network TV.</p><p>Below, see what the <em>Chicago Fire</em> stars who left the show have been up since they took their final bow.</p>

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<p>Jesse Spencer left the series during Season 10, but reprised his role as Captain Matthew Casey in several Season 11 guest appearances. He is also set to return to the show in an upcoming episode of Season 12.</p><p>When he’s not stepping back into the <em>Chicago Fire</em> world, the Australian actor is busy at work in his home country. In 2022, he guest starred in <em>Neighbors</em>, the Australian soap opera that started his career, and reprised his role as Billy Kennedy. He is also set to star in the upcoming Australian Western series<em> Last Days of the Space Age</em>.</p>

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<p>Monica Raymund starred as paramedic Gabriella Dawson for seasons 1-6. Raymund left the show shortly after Dawson got divorced from Matthew Casey, and fans are still not over their breakup.</p><p>Since exiting, Raymund has found success in both television and film. She appeared in the 2022 comedy <em>Bros</em> and the 2023 legal drama <em>The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial</em>. Raymund currently stars on the hit Starz series <em>Hightown</em>.</p>

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<p>Lauren German starred as paramedic Leslie Shay for the first two seasons before her character was killed off in one of the most heartbreaking deaths in the show’s history. During the Season 2 finale, Shay tragically died in a fire that was started by an arsonist who was stalking her. Unlike Spencer and Raymund, it <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/666176/leslie-shay-leave-chicago-fire/" target="_blank">was not German’s decision to leave</a> the show and her character was written off intentionally.</p><p>Former executive producer Matt Olmstead told <a href="https://tvline.com/interviews/lauren-german-leaving-chicago-fire-shay-killed-off-549958/" target="_blank"><em>TVLine</em></a> at the time that they had to kill off Shay, who was a central character, because it packed a bigger punch. “We knew if we were going to do it, it had to be someone who was going to give us a big impact, as opposed to going for a lesser-known character, which would equate to a pulled punch,” he explained. “So, as opposed to approaching it with timidity, we thought we’d go for it.”</p><p>German quickly bounced back, however, and landed a role on the Fox series <em>Lucifer</em>. She starred on the show for its entire six-season run, including its Netflix resurrection after it was canceled by Fox.</p>

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<p>Charlie Barnett also didn’t leave by choice and his character, rookie firefighter Peter Mills, was written off the show during Season 3. His final episode featured Mills moving to North Carolina to open a restaurant with his family. During an interview with the <a href="http://ticket.heraldtribune.com/2015/05/07/chicago-fire-star-focuses-on-new-challenges-in-leaving-hit-show/" target="_blank"><em>Sarasota Herald-Tribune</em></a>, Barnett revealed that it was “a normal day of filming” when he was informed that Mills was going to be written off. “I hadn’t heard anything about it and then they pulled me into a room, sat me down and apologized,” he said. “They expressed that it wasn’t about me or myself as an actor or my personality … But they felt that Peter had reached a plateau and the writers didn’t know where to take him because he’s done so much already.”</p><p>Barnett went on to star in Netflix’s <em>Russian Doll</em> as Alan Zaveri and the short-lived NBC series <em>Ordinary Joe</em> as Eric Payne. He also appeared on <em>You</em>, <em>Arrow</em>, <em>Secrets and Lies</em>,<em> Code Black</em>, <em>Orange Is the New Black</em> and <em>Valor</em>.</p>

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<p>Brian “Otis” Zvonecek’s death is another death that fans are still reeling from. Played by Yuriy Sardarov, Otis was the beloved driver of Truck 81 and he died a hero during the Season 8 premiere. After an explosion in a mattress factory, Otis risked his life to save his team and the factory workers. Sardarov later told<a href="https://telltaletv.com/2019/09/yuriy-sardarov-opens-up-about-that-devastating-chicago-fire-season-8-premiere-and-why-it-was-necessary-exclusive-interview/" target="_blank"><em> Tell Tale TV</em></a> that his dramatic exit was a combination of him feeling ready to move on and the writers wanting to kick off the season in a big way. “I think those two things met at the perfect time,” he said, noting that Otis’ death was “necessary.”</p><p>These days, Sardarov is still dabbling in primetime. He has guest starred on ABC’s <em>The Rookie</em> and CBS’ <em>FBI: International</em>, the latter of which is also a Dick Wolf-created show.</p>

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<p>Dora Madison’s Jessica “Chili” Chilton briefly replaced Peter Mills as a paramedic during seasons 3 and 4, but she was ultimately fired for drinking on the job. In real life, Madison is an accomplished actress with tons of post-show credits. After leaving the series, the <em>Friday Night Lights</em> alum went on to star in the films <em>Everybody Wants Some!!</em>, <em>Night of the Babysitter</em>, <em>Big Boys</em> and <em>Christmas Bloody Christmas</em>. She also appeared in the TV shows<em> Into the Dark</em>, <em>Dark/Web</em> and <em>What Would Diplo Do?</em></p>

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<p>Teri Reeves had a brief run on <em>Chicago Fire </em>during Season 1, but her time on the screen was impactful nonetheless. She starred as Doctor Hallie Thomas, the former fiancée of Matthew Casey. The pair were in an on-off relationship for eight years and had just reconciled before Thomas was found dead inside the locked security cage at the hospital after a fire broke out.</p><p>The actress has kept very busy since exiting the series; she’s guest starred on countless network TV shows, including <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em>, <em>NCIS</em>, <em>Castle</em>, <em>Scandal</em>, <em>Once Upon a Time</em>, <em>9-1-1</em> and even her former co-star’s show, <em>Lucifer</em>.</p>

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<p>Alberto Rosende, the most recent cast member to exit the show, left during the Season 12 premiere. His character, rookie firefighter Blake Gallo, learned that he had long lost family members in Michigan and moved away to get to know them. Prior to his departure, the <em>Shadowhunters</em> alum revealed that the decision to leave “wasn’t easy,” but according to <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/11/chicago-fire-alberto-rosende-exit-season-12-1235643344/" target="_blank"><em>Deadline</em></a>, his exit was “fully amicable.”</p><p>Rosende has yet to work on any new projects since leaving the show, but he has been busy planning his wedding to his fiancée and former <em>Shadowhunters</em> co-star Tessa Mossey.</p>