For over a decade, the One Chicago franchise—comprising Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med—has cultivated one of the most dedicated fanbases on television. We celebrate the victories, mourn the losses, and, most importantly, become deeply invested in the lives of the first responders and medical professionals who put their lives on the line every day.
But there is a darker side to the One Chicago world: the constant, gut-wrenching departures. Fans have been conditioned to live in fear of a sudden character exit, whether by tragic death, a move across the country, or an abrupt off-screen dismissal.
Right now, as a new season approaches, the familiar chill of panic is setting in. With a fresh wave of confirmed and rumored departures hitting the airwaves, we revisit the goodbyes that still ache and dive into the latest casting rumors that have the fandom bracing for the worst.
🔥 The Goodbyes That Still Burn: The Most Painful One Chicago Exits
Some exits are satisfying finales to a character’s arc, but others feel like a sudden, unjust amputation. These are the departures that, years later, still leave a profound, unfillable void in the franchise.
1. Leslie Shay (Chicago Fire)
The Exit: Killed in the line of duty during the Season 3 premiere. The Pain: Shay’s death was the franchise’s first major, shocking loss. As Kelly Severide’s best friend and a beloved paramedic, her bubbly personality and rock-solid loyalty were the heart of Firehouse 51. The way her death was written—a random, tragic consequence of a building explosion—made it feel particularly cruel, leaving Severide’s grief to resonate for seasons to come. The initial shock and the lingering sorrow make her death arguably the most devastating in Fire history.
2. Brian “Otis” Zvonecek (Chicago Fire)
The Exit: Died from injuries sustained in a factory fire in the Season 8 premiere. The Pain: Otis was the lovable, quirky heart of the firehouse, a founding member who provided endless comic relief and genuine friendship. His death was drawn out and intensely emotional, with his best friend Joe Cruz by his side. The final, heartbreaking scene where Otis whispers a Russian phrase to Cruz—“Brother, I will be with you always”—before passing away is one of the most tear-jerking moments in all of television. The memorial statue outside Firehouse 51 serves as a constant, permanent reminder of his loss.
3. Alvin Olinsky (Chicago P.D.)
The Exit: Stabbed to death in prison in the Season 5 finale. The Pain: Olinsky’s exit was a massive gut-punch for P.D. fans. A dedicated veteran detective and Sgt. Voight’s trusted confidant, Al was a man of quiet integrity and unwavering loyalty. His death, which stemmed from a fallout related to covering for Voight, was tragic and deeply unfair. It was a brutal, non-heroic end for a fan-favorite character that felt like a betrayal of his loyalty and a major change to the Intelligence Unit’s core dynamic. His loss remains a source of fan debate and grief, and the subsequent fallout fundamentally changed Voight’s character forever.
4. Jay Halstead (Chicago P.D.)
The Exit: Abruptly resigned to take a job leading an Army unit in Bolivia in Season 10. The Pain: While Halstead didn’t die, his departure remains intensely painful because of its abruptness and perceived disrespect to the character’s legacy. As an original cast member and the moral compass of the Intelligence Unit, his exit felt rushed, leaving his marriage to Hailey Upton unresolved via an off-screen divorce. Fans felt betrayed by the lack of a proper send-off for such a central figure, especially after nine seasons of watching his growth.
5. Dr. Will Halstead (Chicago Med)
The Exit: Resigned from the hospital to reunite with ex-fiancée Natalie Manning in Seattle. The Pain: After eight seasons as a key original cast member on Med, Will Halstead’s departure left a gaping hole. While he left on his own terms—resigning after sabotaging faulty hospital technology—the finality of his exit, and the loss of his fiery, compassionate moral center, was hard for viewers. The joy of him reuniting with Natalie was mixed with the sadness of losing a character who was truly the face of the show for years.
😱 The New Exit Rumors: Who is Leaving One Chicago Next?
Unfortunately, the cycle of grief continues. Recent seasons have delivered one shock after another, and the latest news for the upcoming seasons has fans in a fresh panic.
Chief Wallace Boden (Chicago Fire)
The Status: Confirmed Departure (as a Series Regular) The news that Eamonn Walker stepped away from his role as Chief Wallace Boden at the end of Season 12 sent shockwaves through the fandom. Boden was the original paternal figure of Firehouse 51, a man whose booming voice and steady leadership were constants since the very first episode. His exit was thankfully a happy one—he left to become the new Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department. Though he is expected to return for guest appearances, the firehouse will never feel the same without their Chief’s daily presence.
Sylvie Brett (Chicago Fire)
The Status: Confirmed Departure Kara Killmer, who played Paramedic Sylvie Brett since Season 3, made her final appearance mid-Season 12. Her character’s exit was tied to a long-awaited reunion: she finally married Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) and moved to Portland to be a family with him and her adopted daughter. While a beautiful ending for the ‘Brettsey’ ship, it meant the loss of Ambulance 61’s senior paramedic and one of the show’s most grounded characters.
Hailey Upton (Chicago P.D.)
The Status: Confirmed Departure The impending exit of Tracy Spiridakos’s Detective Hailey Upton after Season 11 of Chicago P.D. has been highly anticipated and dreaded. Upton became a key figure in the Intelligence Unit, known for her complex emotional struggles and intense partnership with Voight. Her exit is expected to be a dramatic one, potentially tied to the fallout from her divorce from Jay Halstead or her growing disillusionment with the job. Her departure represents the complete end of the iconic ‘Upstead’ era.
Maggie Lockwood (Chicago Med)
The Status: Confirmed Departure After years of anchoring the Emergency Department (ED) at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, Marlyne Barrett is confirmed to be leaving her role as Charge Nurse Maggie Lockwood in the upcoming season. Maggie is one of the last remaining original cast members on Med, and her wise, witty, and fiercely protective presence in the ED will be deeply missed. Her exit is rumored to be for personal reasons, with no on-screen details revealed yet, leaving fans nervously hoping for a peaceful send-off.
Kiana Cook (Chicago P.D.)
The Status: Confirmed Departure The relatively new face, Officer Kiana Cook, played by Toya Turner, is also confirmed to be leaving P.D. after a short tenure in the Intelligence Unit. Her swift departure—especially following the losses of Halstead and Upton—highlights the current instability of the unit and the continued high turnover across the franchise.
📉 The Real-World Pressure: Why The Cast Keeps Leaving
While on-screen reasons vary, the recurring pattern of sudden exits often boils down to a few key real-world pressures:
- Contract Negotiations & Actor Choice: Many actors, after years on a long-running series, choose to step away to pursue other projects or opportunities. This was the case for many of the major departures, including Jesse Spencer (Matt Casey) and Sophia Bush (Erin Lindsay).
- Budgetary Constraints: Rumors consistently circulate that the Dick Wolf shows, despite their success, are pressured to trim the budget each season. Writing out a long-running main character, particularly those whose contracts have matured over many seasons, can be a cost-saving measure that allows the network to introduce newer, less expensive series regulars. This is rumored to have played a role in recent Fire exits.
- The Unspoken Rule: One Chicago has established a pattern where no character is truly safe—no matter how popular. This unpredictability, while a source of drama for the showrunners, is the primary source of fan anxiety.
The One Chicago franchise is built on the drama of high-stakes life and death situations, and unfortunately for the fans, this drama extends off-screen as well. As viewers brace for the next season, the hope remains that the beloved characters will get the proper, respectful farewells they deserve, and that the newest arrivals can somehow, someday, fill the massive voids left behind.
