Summary
NBC’s One Chicago television shows, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med, are returning with new seasons in 2024, and at least one cast member from each will be exiting their respective series in the upcoming episodes, while one is coming back. These shows are not unfamiliar with the prospect of characters leaving, seeing as there seems to be a revolving door of series regulars every season that goes by. Characters have died, quit their jobs, left the Windy City, and so on since Chicago Fire premiered in 2012. No one is safe, and anyone (even if they have been there from the very start) could exit Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise at any time.
Following the end of the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes, production has resumed on every One Chicago show. Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med are all set to premiere their new seasons on January 17, 2024. While fans will finally get answers to questions from the previous finales, they will also have to say goodbye (and hello) to many beloved characters.
5 Nick Gehlfuss
Will Halstead in Chicago Med
Nick Gehlfuss surprised everyone when his character, Will Halstead, quit his job at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center in the Chicago Med season 8 finale. Gehlfuss had been a series regular in the One Chicago series since the pilot episode in 2015, and he was one of the few remaining original cast members. However, the actor decided to exit the show after appearing in 157 episodes, so Halstead will not be returning to Chicago Med in season 9 in 2024.
Halstead handed in his letter of resignation to Sharon Goodwin at the end of the season 8 finale because he was determined to take the fall for purposefully sabotaging OR 2.0 during Jack Dayton’s surgery, which let Grace Song off the hook. The doctor felt okay about taking the blame because he had been upset with the direction the hospital had been going in for a while. So, Halstead packed up his things, walked out of the hospital while his former colleagues gave him a round of applause, and hopped on a plane to Seattle, where Halstead reunited with Natalie Manning and her son, Owen.
4 Kara Killmer
Sylvie Brett in Chicago Fire
Given how the Chicago Fire season 11 finale concluded, it was not completely surprising to learn that Kara Killmer, who played Sylvie Brett, was leaving the NBC drama series. The previous episode featured Matt Casey unexpectedly proposing to Brett (even though they had previously broken up because of the strain of a long-distance relationship) and ended before the audience could hear her answer. Since Casey still had priorities to attend to in Oregon (and Brett had just adopted a baby), it seemed like the worst time for him to propose. However, Killmer’s exit suggests that Brett agrees to marry Casey.
Killmer announced she would leave Chicago Fire in 2024 after being a series regular for nine seasons. Details surrounding her character’s departure are unknown (even the episode that will serve as her swan song). But it would make sense if the season 11 finale cliffhanger related to Brett deciding to leave Firehouse 51. She likely won’t die, given her new status as a mother (and possible fiancée), but only time will reveal the explanation behind Brett’s exit.
3 Alberto Rosende
Blake Gallo in Chicago Fire
Following the news that Killmer would no longer be a Chicago Fire series regular in season 12, NBC announced that Alberto Rosende wouldn’t return to the show full-time in season 12. Rosende’s character, Blake Gallo, has been a main character in the drama series since he was first introduced in season 8. The season 11 finale contained no indication of Gallo leaving, so the news surrounding Rosende’s departure was shocking. In fact, he didn’t have much of a storyline in the last few episodes.
Gallo was Brian “Otis” Zvonecek’s replacement on Truck 81 following Otis’s death, and while his character has never been at the forefront of the show, Gallo has been an intriguing addition. However, he will exit Chicago Fire during the season 12 premiere in 2024. Like many others on this list, it’s unclear how Gallo will leave, but viewers won’t have to wait long to find out. Hopefully, he won’t be killed off the series just like his predecessor.
2 Tracy Spiridakos
Hailey Upton in Chicago PD
After Hailey Upton’s husband, Jay Halstead, exited Chicago PD early in season 10, it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before the two got a divorce. He was miles away in Bolivia while she was still in Chicago with the Intelligence Unit. However, despite marriage troubles, Upton remained committed to maintaining the relationship (until she took off her wedding ring in episode 20). Now that Tracy Spiridakos, who portrays Detective Upton in the NBC show, is leaving, those who love Upton and Halstead’s relationship should be optimistic about their future.
Spiridakos, a Chicago PD series regular since season 5, is set to exit the show following season 11. NBC has not confirmed the actress’s episode count in the upcoming season, but viewers should be prepared to say goodbye to Upton in 2024. Additionally, the network has not revealed the explanation behind Upton’s departure, but one could infer that it will include Halstead. Perhaps Upton will quit the Intelligence Unit and join her husband in Bolivia, or Halstead will return to the United States, and he and Upton decide to move away from Chicago.
1 Taylor Kinney
Kelly Severide in Chicago Fire
Even though One Chicago fans must bid farewell to Will Halstead, Sylvie Brett, Blake Gallo, and Hailey Upton in 2024, they will be able to welcome one popular character back with open arms. Taylor Kinney has starred as Kelly Severide in Chicago Fire since the series premiere and has been one of the constants on the show. However, Kinney had to step away from the series halfway through season 11 to deal with personal matters, and many wondered if he would ever return. Thankfully, NBC confirmed that Kinney is reprising his role as Severide in season 12.
The details behind Kinney’s return (like how many episodes he will appear in) are unknown. The actor might be a series regular in the upcoming season, or he could be a recurring player. Whatever the case, viewers will see Severide back on their screens in 2024. It sounds as if Stella Kidd’s efforts to bring her husband home following the Chicago Fire season 11 finale were successful.
The One Chicago shows premiere with new episodes on January 17, 2024, on NBC.
