Dermot Mulroney Exits Chicago Fire: Chief Pascal Leaves in Season 15

Dermot Mulroney is officially exiting Chicago Fire early in the upcoming Season 15. If your head is spinning from the sheer speed of this casting turnaround, you are definitely not alone.

Mulroney only recently stepped into the firehouse as Battalion Chief Dom Pascal, tasked with the impossible job of filling Wallace Boden’s massive, beloved shoes. Apparently, that tenure is getting cut aggressively short. The veteran actor will return briefly when the new season premieres on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, but only to clean out his locker and give his character a proper, permanent send-off.

Chief Pascal was playing with fire from the jump, and not the kind he was trained to put out. By the end of Season 14, his questionable decision-making reached a boiling point when he openly defied FBI orders during a high-stakes bioweapon investigation. That little stunt cost him his job with the Chicago Fire Department, leaving his professional future in absolute shambles.

When we last saw Pascal in the finale, he was deep in conversation with Kelly Severide about his next steps. Naturally, a massive warehouse fire interrupted that chat, leaving Severide and the rest of the crew trapped under a collapsing roof while Pascal watched safely from the pavement alongside the paramedics. Season 15 will use its first few episodes to wrap up that cliffhanger and deal with Pascal’s workplace fallout before Mulroney walks out the door for good.

In the real world, Mulroney’s quick exit makes total sense. The actor is incredibly busy keeping up with his series regular obligations on the Netflix drama The Hunting Wives, which is already deep into production on its second season. There are only so many hours in a television production day, and Firehouse 51 simply lost the scheduling war.

Mulroney’s sudden departure is actually just the tip of the iceberg for a series experiencing an existential crisis heading into the fall. The behind-the-scenes revolving door is working overtime right now. Original cast member Joe Miñoso—who has played the lovable Joe Cruz since the 2012 pilot episode—is also leaving early in Season 15. Just like Mulroney, Miñoso will only stick around for a handful of episodes to conclude his storyline. Losing a fresh face like Pascal is one thing, but losing an original pillar of the show like Cruz is going to sting the fandom for a long time.

To add even more upheaval to the mix, longtime showrunner Andrea Newman is stepping down after 14 seasons of guiding the drama. Co-executive producer Victor Teran is stepping up to take the reins, meaning the literal creative DNA of the show is shifting.

It is not all bad news, though. The series is injecting some fresh blood into the lineup with actor Da'Vinchi, who is joining the main cast as Marcus Burke. Described as a funny, roguish, and slightly defiant candidate, he should bring some needed energy to the floor. Plus, fan favorites Taylor Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo have signed new deals, ensuring Severide and Stella Kidd remain firmly in place to anchor the upcoming episodes.

Chicago Fire has always excelled at surviving cast turnover, but losing a chief and a legacy firefighter at the exact same time feels incredibly risky. Pascal barely had time to establish his presence, and discarding him this quickly feels like a narrative whiplash that the audience didn't necessarily need.

Still, if there is any show that knows how to turn behind-the-scenes scheduling conflicts into high-stakes television, it is this one. We will be watching closely to see how Teran steers the ship through these massive creative transitions.

Make sure to keep your eyes locked on The TV Cave for full recaps, character breakdowns, and updates on the Season 15 premiere this October.