“Chicago Fire” said goodbye to firefighter Joe Cruz on Wednesday night, and actor Joe Miñoso left the NBC drama he has been part of since its 2012 pilot. The milestone 300th episode, titled “Three Hundred,” wrote Cruz out through family, not tragedy. After a serious injury in the Season 15 premiere fire, he spends the hour in physical therapy and nears clearance to return to work. His wife, Chloe, then gives birth to twins ahead of schedule. Watching his family dread his return to the job, Cruz tells Lt. Kelly Severide he will not come back to Firehouse 51.
The family is moving to the Minneapolis area, where Chloe’s parents can help with the babies and Cruz can get specialized recovery care. He credits Severide with teaching him everything and says the lieutenant will do the same for the new recruit. Cruz then visits the memorial for his late friend Otis and poses for a last photo in uniform with his squad.
Miñoso said the exit came from the producers, though he had felt it was time to move on after the twins storyline took shape. He praised new showrunner Victor Teran, who took over from Andrea Newman this season, and said the writers used a couple of his ideas, including the Otis memorial scene. Filming his farewell was an ordeal. He said he was “crying for a week straight.” He also revealed that writers weighed killing Cruz, with the death coming in the fifth episode and the earlier hours told in flashbacks. Teran has said that route felt unnecessarily cruel, and Miñoso said the final version served the character well.
The departure leaves the series thin on original cast. Only Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg and Christian Stolte remain from the first season. Da’Vinchi joined the cast this season as new firefighter Marcus Burke. Miñoso is not leaving the franchise entirely. He has shadowed directors and expects to direct episodes. Asked about a return as Cruz, he said talks have not gone beyond the possibility.
