Exiting Chicago Fire Season 15 Star Gets Candid About Being Written Off
After it was revealed that Dermot Mulroney would be leaving Chicago Fire, the actor has opened up about the reasons behind the decision.
Mulroney joined Chicago Fire during season 13 as Dom Pascal, who became Firehouse 51's battalion chief. His personal life hasn't been easy-going, as he lost his wife in a car accident. Aside from serving out his duties as battalion chief, Pascal also dealt with the FBI arresting him and being fired as a result of his conduct.
When Pascal is next seen on-screen, it'll be his farewell at the firehouse after the recent announcement that Mulroney was departing Chicago Fire early on in season 15. During the 2026 Flashback Weekend, Chicago's horror convention, the actor opened up (via TV Insider) about leaving the NBC series and revealed that he's only coming back for one more episode, which he filmed at the end of July, to give his character a proper goodbye.
As Mulroney explained, "They write the character off. So we gave it our all for two seasons. They wrote an incredible storyline. I love every minute. Sad to see it go." He also mentioned that Chicago Fire is very "meaningful" to the first responder community and their families, adding, "[It] makes it that much more—I don't say bittersweet—bitter to have to leave that."
“They write the character off. So we gave it our all for two seasons. They wrote an incredible storyline...I love every minute. Sad to see it go. How meaningful that is...makes it that much more—I don’t say bittersweet—bitter to have to leave that.”
During his two-year journey on the show, Mulroney "became friends with this incredible crew of people." He gave shoutouts to Taylor Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo, who play Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd, respectively, and called the Chicago Fire cast "incredible."
“Loved every minute of it, became friends with this incredible crew of people. Some have been there 15 years. Taylor Kinney, the great star of the show, Miranda Rae [Mayo], leading off that an incredible cast.”
Regarding the storylines his character was a part of, the death of Pascal's wife proved to be "incredibly challenging" and "devastating." Mulroney is used to filming movies that have a known shooting schedule with a beginning, middle, and an end. Once production has wrapped, "That's the end of it." With TV, a series could run for several years with no end date in sight, as Chicago Fire has.
Once Monica Pascal (KaDee Strickland) was written off the show, the process "starts to feel really heavy" as more weeks go by and "she's [still] dead next week too." Mulroney believes that everything the producers and writers asked of him regarding these challenges, he stepped up and "delivered."
“They gave me incredibly challenging scenes. It’s devastating. But you’re doing it in a movie and guess what? That day’s over, and it’s gone. You shot that scene, and then they end the movie, and that’s the end of it. On TV, guess what? She’s dead next week too...And it starts to feel really heavy. And they asked that of me, and I delivered.”
Mulroney's exit isn't the only major shakeup heading into Chicago Fire season 15. Joe Miñoso, who's played Joe Cruz since the Dick Wolf-created show debuted in 2012, is leaving as well after appearing in some additional episodes next season. Behind the scenes, showrunner Andrea Newman is departing, with Victor Teran taking over.
Chicago Fire season 14 ended on a major cliffhanger after several firefighters were trapped inside a burning building. It's already been confirmed that Kinney and Mayo are coming back next season, but the fates of the other characters are still up in the air.
Before Chicago Fire, Mulroney was best known for roles in My Best Friend's Wedding, August: Osage County, Young Guns, Insidious: Chapter 3, Scream VI, Shameless, The Purge and The Hunting Wives. As Pascal, he also guest starred on Chicago Med and Chicago PD.
Chicago Fire season 15 premieres Wednesday, October 7 at 9 p.m. EDT on NBC.