Why One Chicago's 2024 Cast Exits Were Necessary, According To A Showrunner

At the time of writing, One Chicago is still enjoying its reign of NBC supremacy, as the franchise has three shows airing Wednesday nights — "Chicago Med," "Chicago P.D.," and "Chicago Fire." However, all the series seem to be in flux, as they've each been losing cast members these past couple of seasons, which may be disheartening for fans. According to "Chicago Fire" showrunner Andrea Newman, such departures are opportunities to explore other facets of these dramas.

"Honestly, longevity is just part of it," Newman explained in an interview with TVLine. She said that keeping character dynamics fresh and mixing things up is vital, and also necessary from the actors' perspectives. "Actor-wise, 12 years is a long [time]. Nobody expects in TV [that] they're going to be anywhere for 12 years," she elaborated. For instance, Tracy Spiridakos is leaving "Chicago P.D." after Season 11 after joining the cast back in Season 4. Understandably, Spiridakos may want to explore other options in her career. 

That mindset is paralleled across the One Chicago franchise. Andrew Schneider, a co-showrunner for "Chicago Med," said in the same interview that these cast shake-ups are how it goes with Dick Wolf shows. "That's really what the Wolf [Entertainment] company likes to do is have characters leave and bring in new characters in an effort to keep the shows fresh or find new dimensions to the show and new dynamics," he stated, seemingly referencing similar series like "Law & Order."

Tracy Spiridakos isn't the only One Chicago mainstay heading off to other pastures. Alberto Rosende's Blake Gallo left the Windy City in the Season 12 premiere of "Chicago Fire" to head to Michigan. Meanwhile, Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) is also set to depart the series in 2024. Looper spoke with Andrea Newman about having to work around several characters leaving "Chicago Fire," and she explained how they did the best they could with the limited time they had with these long-running cast members. 

Newman teased what fans can expect out of Sylvie's final stories. "For Brett, it'll be sad to see her go, but we have her for a chunk of this season — and knowing that her time is limited, the character really throws herself into the job, and she has some exciting saves and action," she said. The showrunner also hinted at some new blood, with the character in question arriving on the January 24 episode of "Chicago Fire." She added, "We have a character coming in Episode 2 that has got a lot of layers, and we're going to peel back on him. Gibson is his name, and he is incredibly compelling."

Looper also chatted with the showrunners for "Chicago Med," which lost three characters in Season 8 — Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss), Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee), and Dr. Dylan Scott (Guy Lockard). Andrew Schneider revealed what they look for when filling the gaps, saying, "We're also not looking to replace an actor, but to find an actor, a character, with a different dynamic, a fresh dynamic, that will keep the show alive." Much like the city these shows are located in, One Chicago remains incredibly resilient.