One of Chicago Fire’s longest-tenured cast members is heading for the door. Joe Miñoso, who has played firefighter Joe Cruz since the very first episode of the NBC drama, is departing the series after appearing in a handful of episodes at the start of Season 15 to wrap up his character arc. The news comes ahead of the Season 15 premiere on Wednesday, October 7 at 9 p.m. on NBC.
Miñoso appeared in the pilot as a guest star, recurred throughout Season 1 and became a series regular in Season 2. He was one of four original cast members remaining on the show alongside Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg and Christian Stolte. His exit marks the end of an era for Firehouse 51.
The good news for fans is that the handful of episodes he will appear in suggests Cruz will not be among those killed in the resolution of the Season 14 finale’s massive cliffhanger, which left the entire Firehouse 51 crew trapped inside a burning storage facility with the roof threatening to collapse. The finale also revealed that Cruz and his wife Chloe are expecting twins, a personal milestone that could factor into his departure storyline.
Miñoso’s exit coincides with the arrival of BMF star Da’Vinchi, who joins as a series regular playing Marcus Burke, a new firefighter candidate at Firehouse 51. Season 15 also welcomes a new showrunner in Victor Teran, who takes over following Andrea Newman’s departure after 14 seasons.
The Season 14 finale delivered a string of major personal moments before the chaos hit. Herrmann re-proposed to his wife Cindy to renew their vows, Mouch signed a publishing deal for his romance novel, Stella and Severide’s foster son Isaiah revealed he had run away from home and Severide was on the verge of announcing a major career decision between becoming Captain of Firehouse 51 or Chief of Fire Investigation when the alarm cut him off. All of those threads, along with the fate of the trapped firefighters, will carry into the new season.
Chicago Fire Season 15 premieres Wednesday, October 7 at 9 p.m. on NBC.