Changes are coming to Chicago Fire, and I'm not thrilled about it. When the show returns on the 2026 TV schedule for Season 15, the cast will be looking a little different, as OG star Joe Miñoso is exiting. Now, along with him, Dermot Mulroney will be saying goodbye to Firehouse 51, and he does not sound super happy about it.
Following a brief absence from Season 14, it’s officially been announced that Mulroney, who plays Battalion Chief Dom Pascal, is set to exit Chicago Fire toward the beginning of Season 15. The news is not too surprising, given Pascal’s future at 51 and the CFD was still up in the air by the finale after he was fired. However, it's still a bummer. So, as he prepares to say goodbye, Mulroney looked back at his time on the NBC drama during a panel at Flashback Weekend in Chicago. The show was his first time doing a 22-24-episode network series, and he was able to really dig into certain stories. Reflecting on his time and his upcoming exit, he said:
Now, this season, sadly, I have one episode, and I finish on Tuesday. And they write the character off, so we gave it our all for two seasons. They wrote an incredible storyline that put me as an actor in a high challenge. I loved every minute of it.
Whenever someone new joins Firehouse 51, you never know how they’ll fit in because everyone is such a tight-knit family. While things were a bit bumpy at first with Pascal, he really became a great part of the team. So, the fact that we’re already going to have to say goodbye to him, even though he only joined in Season 13, is disappointing. Mulroney is sad about it too, as he told the panel host, who had initially asked what it was like to work on Chicago Fire:
Thanks for asking, I’m sad to see it go.
Overall, it sounds like Mulroney is not ready to say goodbye to Chicago Fire. However, he's also grateful for his time on the show and the impact it has on fans, as he explained:
I’ll come to a convention and find that out across the country, how much all three shows mean to [first responders], their families. I can’t tell you how many people come up, and they’d much rather have an autograph on Scream 6, but they’re getting Chief Pascal for their dad. It’s an amazing thing to see. And that’s how meaningful that is, which makes it more – I won’t say bittersweet – it’s bitter to have to leave that.
Chicago Fire has been around for 14 years, and even though Mulroney was only around for two of those, he made a great impact. To me, that makes it even more heartbreaking that he’s leaving. He could always come back in the future, in whatever way, shape, or form, depending on how Pascal’s story wraps up. I just hate that we’re losing even more people.
The series has seen quite a few exits in recent years, and there doesn’t seem to be any slowing down. Already, we’re losing two big characters at the beginning of Season 15, and who knows who else might be next, especially following the Season 14 cliffhanger. Fans will just have to wait and see what happens and how Pascal’s story wraps up when Season 15 premieres on Wednesday, October 7 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.
