Chicago Fire Mystery: The *Real* Reason Not One But Two Original Characters Were Suddenly Missing
Not one but two original members of Firehouse 51 were missing from this week’s episode of Chicago Fire. But where were they and what happened to them? The answer is more simple than you think.
What happened to Herrmann and Cruz on Chicago Fire?
Joe Cruz and Christopher Herrmann — two original Chicago Fire cast members — were missing from Season 13, Episode 6, “Birds of Prey.” (Firefighter recruit Kylie Estevez was also missing from the episode.) The episode saw major storylines for most of Firehouse 51’s members including Lieutenant Kelly Severide (who feuded with new Chief Dom Pascal over a seemingly corrupt fire investigation), firefighter Sam Carver (who was put on leave by Lieutenant Stella Kidd for a series of rookie firefighter mistakes), and firefighter Randall “Mouch” McHolland, who was, well, dealing with a pigeon who had become his arch nemesis.
When it came to Herrmann and Cruz, however, two of Firehouse 51’s longest-running members were nowhere to be seen. So where were they? While Chicago Fire didn’t confirm why Herrmann and Cruz weren’t in “Birds of Prey,” the most popular theory for how the show will explain their absences if that they’re studying for their respective promotions. Cruz revealed in the Chicago Fire Season 12 that he was studying for the lieutenant test, while Firehouse 51’s former chief, Boden Wallace, told Herrmann in the Season 12 finale that he wanted him to replace him as the head of the firehouse.
Though Herrmann revealed in the Season 13 premiere that he didn’t take the captain exam because he didn’t feel ready, there’s still a chance for him to become captain — especially as Firehouse 51 (and viewers) start to turn on the new chief, Dom Pascal, as the mystery around him shows him looking shadier and shadier.
“I only realised cause when Mouch whines and moans, Herrman is his echo. Cruz wasn’t there either. They’ll probably say studying or some s—,” a Reddit user wrote.
As for why Cruz and Herrmann were actually missing from the episode, it could be because of budget cuts affecting all primetime shows, including the Dick Wolf universe. Deadline reported in April 2023 that six Dick Wolf shows — Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Organized Crime — had been renewed with the caveat that cast members will have fewer guaranteed episodes.
The episode guarantees — essentially each series regular is entitled to each season per their contract — were renegotiated so that actors were not taking per-episode pay cuts, but would have their overall compensation go down as they’ll appear in fewer episodes in order to save costs.
Along with the Law & Order and One Chicago franchises, Deadline reported in May 2024 that series regular actors on FBI and FBI: Most Wanted — two shows also created by Wolf — had their minimum guaranteed episodes cut by two episodes for Seasons 7 and 6, respectively, as a way to save costs. The news followed reports reports that veteran cast members on Grey’s Anatomy also had their episode counts cut by three to four episodes as a way to save costs.
Because of this cost-saving trend across primetime, it’s possible that Joe Minoso, who plays Cruz, and David Eigenberg, who plays Herrmann, were excluded from Season 13, Episode 6 in order to save Chicago Fire money, given the many major storylines already in the episode. Also, considering that both Minoso and Eigenberg are original cast members on Chicago Fire, their salaries are likely higher than other cast members, like Jake Lockett (who plays Carver) or Dermot Mulroney (who plays Pascal), which would explain why they were the first to be written out of the episode.
