Why did Jesse Spencer leave Chicago Fire after 200th episode?
Of course, trying to understand the reasoning behind the departure is another part of the equation. This is a guy who was with this show from the very beginning and a key part in all that transpired. It was not easy to see him go!
Now, let’s try to piece together why this happened, since it’s the last thing that most fans wanted to see. Speaking to reporters via TVLine, Jesse confirmed the exit was his decision, and one that was based around him wanting to be with his family do different things:
“I realized I’ve been doing TV for a long time. I added it up, and I think this year is my 18th year of network television … I called [showrunner] Derek [Haas] and broke him the news, said I thought it was time to leave the show, and he agreed that we should at least get Casey to 200 episodes. It was a difficult decision because I’ve loved the show from the start, but there are other things that I would like to do in the future, and there’s some family that I need to take care of, and 18 years is a long time.”
The door is clearly open for Jesse to return down the road. Otherwise, the writers would have killed the character off! We do understand his reasoning, though, especially given how difficult the past year was with the pandemic. The rest of the cast will still be there, so at least there are opportunities for a lot of familiar faces to be present moving forward.
Related – Be sure to get more news on Chicago Fire, including what happened with Sylvie Brett
Are you going to miss Jesse Spencer on Chicago Fire moving forward?
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