NBC Is Lying About Chicago Fire Season 15’s Official New Release

Published Sep 6, 2026, 6:33 PM EDT Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. The long summer hiatus after Chicago Fire ended season 14 on a life-or-death cliffhanger is nearly over, and NBC is bringing the full One Chicago lineup back to primetime in just a matter of weeks. While it still remains to be seen if all the firefighters will survive after being caught in the explosion, some things have already been confirmed for what will happen in Chicago Fire season 15. Nevertheless, NBC is promoting the return as if everything will remain the same, and some fans will be in for an unpleasant surprise when they learn the truth this fall. The One Chicago Wednesday lineup, made up of Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET, and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET, will return in NBC's fall 2026 schedule on October 7. While changes are in store for all three shows this fall, Fire has the most harrowing cliffhanger to resolve, and the biggest goodbyes to say before the end of the year. Joe Miñoso and Dermot Mulroney are both leaving the hit drama, as Squad 3 firefighter Joe Cruz and Chief Dom Pascal, respectively. Even with Chicago P.D. losing a longtime regular, Fire losing two first responders in a short span of time is a big deal. For anybody who hasn't been keeping up on One Chicago news over the summer, and is basing their expectations on NBC's promotion of the new seasons, the Chicago Fire exits may come as a big shock. Chicago Fire Season 15's Poster Lies About Its True Cast Credit: MovieStillsDB The wait is still on for NBC to release a preview for any (or all) of the One Chicago series, but the network has revealed the first posters for Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D.'s new seasons. In addition to one poster celebrating all three shows, each one has an image of their own. On first glance, nothing seems amiss about the official post on the franchise's official Instagram page. On closer look, however, it's clear that NBC is hiding something about what's going to happen on Fire. Both the Chicago Fire portion of the One Chicago poster and Fire's solo poster include Joe Miñoso and Dermot Mulroney. While they're both several rows away from the front, they're clearly both present. For anybody who hasn't heard the news about Miñoso and/or Mulroney leaving, they would have every reason to believe that NBC is bringing them back for regular roles in season 15. On the one hand, this could allow NBC to drop some surprises on unsuspecting fans. On the other hand, the actors being included could give a false sense of just how long they'll be around in the fall. How Chicago Fire Might Write Out Cruz & Pascal Peter Gordon/NBC Both actors will be back for season 15, although not full-time. Dermot Mulroney revealed that Pascal will only be back for one episode, which he filmed in July. Joe Miñoso is expected to appear in multiple episodes. Details are scarce about how exactly Chicago Fire is writing them out, but Miñoso's exit as Cruz will be one of the biggest in the history of the show. He's had a key role on the drama ever since the pilot episode in 2012, and will be leaving the show just shy of its 300-episode milestone in season 15. Cruz was part of the explosive season 14 finale cliffhanger, and he was initially on the list of firefighters most likely to be killed off in the aftermath. That possibility was spoiled with the news that Miñoso would be back for Cruz to get a farewell arc, since it meant he wouldn't die early in the new season, like what happened to Otis in the season 8 premiere. The most likely reason is that Cruz chooses to step away from his work as a Squad 3 firefighter for the sake of his family. His wife, Chloe, has always struggled with her husband's deadly job, and the couple learned that they were expecting twin girls at the end of season 14. If a member of the Firehouse 51 team dies in the premiere, that could give Cruz even more of a reason to step back from the danger. He wouldn't necessarily have to leave the CFD for it; Boden switched to a new job in the fire department to accommodate Eamonn Walker's exit. As for Pascal, Mulroney only joined the cast in season 12, so he has far fewer attachments to Chicago that would be severed by an exit. That said, Pascal played a critical role from the start as the first permanent replacement for Eamonn Walker's Chief Wallace Boden. He was seemingly gone for good in season 14 after he heroically crossed lines to save lives in the crossover, then returned to give Severide a pep talk at the end of the season. He was one of few main characters who was not caught in the finale's explosion. Since Pascal was one of the few main characters who was not caught in the finale's explosion, Chicago Fire could explain his exit by simply sending him back to his new position at a firehouse in Arizona. He'd been fired by the CFD for conduct unbecoming, so sending him away would actually make more sense than bringing him back full-time as a battalion chief in Chicago. That's not to say that fans should rule out him dying heroically; he could race into the inferno to try and save the others, only to die himself. Whatever happens, it's worth revisiting the season 14 finale on Peacock before the season 15 premiere of Chicago Fire, at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 7. Release Date October 10, 2012 Network NBC Showrunner Andrea Newman Cast Taylor Kinney Kelly Severide David Eigenberg Christopher Herrmann Directors Michael Brandt Writers Michael Brandt Creator(s) Michael Brandt, Derek Haas