NBC Has No Choice But To Break One Chicago’s 10-Year Tradition In 2026

Few shows reach a triple-digit episode run; even reaching 100 episodes is a cause for celebration. Chicago Fire has gone two steps further, celebrating its 300th episode, aptly titled “Three Hundred,” with a beautiful goodbye to Cruz. After his life-changing injury was revealed in the Chicago Fire season 15 premiere, Cruz found a reason to work through rehab before realizing that his family needs him more than his firehouse crew.

As bittersweet as that arc was, something within Chicago Fire season 15’s milestone episode fell flat. The series had to break a trend it had followed in previous milestone episodes, and it shows that the series’ heart has been missing for a while.

Several notable characters were absent in this important episode, including Boden, whose absence hurt Chicago Fire‘s legacy. The other glaringly absent character was Severide’s best friend at Firehouse 51, Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer).

Chicago Fire’s 300th Episode Breaks Its Casey-Focused Story Trend

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In previous milestone episodes of Chicago Fire, Casey was always at the center. The 100th episode included Casey and Dawson applying to adopt Louie, while the 200th episode focused on Casey’s exit from the firehouse.

This tradition made sense; from the beginning of the series, Casey has been one of the most central and well-developed characters. Casey took Andrew Darden’s loss hard in the series premiere, and the 200th episode featured the perfect connection back to him.

Chicago Fire season 15 had no choice but to move on from the Casey-focused story trend in episode 300. Spencer has moved on from the series. While he has returned for small storylines here and there, they have always been connected to Brett, who he was in a relationship with when he left Chicago for Portland. With Brett now gone and Dawson on missions helping people around the world, he has no major ties left at the firehouse.

Whenever a character returns, there needs to be a meaningful story behind it. Coming back just because it was Episode 300 isn’t enough. With Cruz’s exit set up, there wasn’t room for Casey. Of all Chicago Fire‘s characters, Otis and Severide were the closest to Cruz, and only one could realistically be included in person.

Why Chicago Fire’s 300th Episode Falls Flat Compared To Its Predecessors

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Casey’s absence was certainly felt, along with Boden’s. A milestone episode is usually a chance to look back at how far a series has come. The 300th episode should be a monumental moment, as so few shows get to reach this point. Even before streaming, it was rare for a series to reach 300 episodes. It’s a testament to how viewers have connected to the characters.

Casey’s arcs were always meaningful to the firehouse as a whole. His decision to leave during the 200th episode connected back to the show’s opening in a way nobody could have predicted. He stepped up as a father figure, sacrificing everything for someone he still missed and felt guilty about losing. Everyone felt that loss, while Cruz’s exit really only affects Severide and Squad 3.

While Chicago Fire season 15, episode 5 delivered some poignant and meaningful moments for Cruz, the rest of the hour fell flat. It largely focused on the new probies, and while it was great to see Kidd step up more as a leader, the arc seemed more about getting Marcus to fit in with Firehouse 51 and want that family. Severide’s arc shows him floundering a little as captain, and he could use someone like Chicago Fire‘s Boden to step in and help guide him.

Even the humorous photo plot didn’t quite capture the heart of other fun moments from previous milestone episodes. The only benefit this time was that Herrmann already had a photographer to capture that beautiful ending. Chicago Fire has lost a bit of its spark, and this 300th milestone episode proves it.

New episodes of Chicago Fire season 15 air Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on NBC.

Release Date

October 10, 2012

Showrunner

Andrea Newman

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  Taylor Kinney

  Kelly Severide

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  David Eigenberg

  Christopher Herrmann