Chicago Fire fans are reacting to the latest casting shake-up.
It was announced that after playing Jack Damon for two seasons, Michael Bradway is leaving Firehouse 51.
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He is the latest actor to exit the NBC drama, following Jake Lockett and Daniel Kyri, who departed as firefighters Sam Carver and Darren Ritter in the Season 13 finale. News came as a surprise, and not just because two actors have already departed, but Damon has really grown to be part of the 51 family and growing closer to half-brother Kelly Severide. Additionally, his departure comes ahead of Severide and Stella welcoming their first child together, meaning fans won’t be able to see Uncle Jack in action.
Although Fire just cast Brandon Larracuente as a new firefighter at 51, this still leaves at least two open spots at the firehouse, but No-Attention-6005 on Reddit thinks the show will “probably just staff the rigs with extras, kinda like how they used to do on Engine before season 7. They’re getting desperate, at this point. I would’ve just canceled the show at this point.”
Some fans are hoping that Bradway’s departure opens the door for Lockett or Kyri’s return, whose exits were purely due to financial reasons. “They need to walk back Carver is exit,” Fun_Abraod7618 said. “Jake Lockett, loves the show, I truly hope they can find a way to somehow bring him back. Alberto (Gallo) too, would even love Daniel back.”
Most fans, however, are upset that Chicago Fire is seeing yet another exit, which is just one of many over the last few years. “That does it for me,” OllieCollie2000 expressed. “I’ve barely been hanging on since Casey left, but this is the last straw (especially after cutting Carver and Ritter). Love the characters, but the writing has absolutely sucked the past couple seasons. Just put the show out of its misery already.”
While an exact reason for Bradway’s departure has not been given, it’s likely due to his latest role. He was just cast in the Prime Video adaptation of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. The new series will probably be taking up most of his time, giving him less opportunity to appear on Chicago Fire. That being said, some fans are still excited to see what’s to come for Bradway and this new show of his.
“that’s something I’m going to tune in for, specifically for him!” CallMeWhatYoudLike- said in response to a Reddit thread about Bradway’s Every Summer After casting. “I wanna see how he does on other projects!”
As of now, it’s unknown how Chicago Fire will address Jack Damon’s absence, but the series will be back on NBC this fall for Season 14, so fans won’t have to wait too long. In the meantime, all 13 seasons of Chicago Fire are streaming on Peacock.