‘Chicago Fire’ Original Cast Member Joe Miñoso Leaving In Season 15 Of NBC Drama
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- Joe Miñoso is departing Chicago Fire in Season 15, with appearances in a handful of early episodes planned to wrap up Joe Cruz's arc; he originally guest-starred in the pilot and was promoted to series regular at the start of Season 2.
- Miñoso was one of just four original cast members still on the show, alongside Taylor Kinney and David Eigenberg (series regulars since Day One) and Christian Stolte, who like Miñoso began as a recurring in Season 1.
- Chicago Fire is adding BMF star Da'Vinchi as a Season 15 series regular playing a new firefighter, even as leads Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo signed new deals to continue on the show.
- Season 15 will run under new showrunner Victor Terhan, replacing Andrea Newman, who exited after 14 seasons.
- The Season 14 finale set up Cruz's exit with a double dose of family news: his wife was rushed to Gaffney with bleeding, and the couple learned she is expecting twins on top of their earlier pregnancy reveal.
- The finale's cliffhanger left multiple Firehouse 51 members trapped inside a storage facility fire as the roof began to collapse, with a Mayday called — meaning Cruz's farewell arc in Season 15 begins before the team learns who survives.
Why it matters: Miñoso's exit removes the third of four remaining Day-One cast members from Firehouse 51 in a single offseason, thinning the show's original ensemble ahead of a leadership change — new showrunner Victor Terhan — and a casting refresh that adds Da'Vinchi as a new series regular.
