10 Years Ago Chicago Fire Made the Worst Mistake Fans Still Can’t Forgive

Summary:

• Leslie Shay, portrayed by Lauren German, was the first character to leave Chicago Fire.
• As much as viewers love the entire cast, Shay's abrupt death remains one of the least popular decisions in the fandom.
• Shay's sexuality also leads Chicago Fire to embrace the hurtful ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope.

While cast changes are inevitable on any ensemble show that lasts as long as Chicago Fire, it's not often that characters are killed off as early as season three. Chicago Fire's decision to kill off Lauren German's Leslie Shay was never popular with the fandom, and as the years go by, it seems to be hurting more and more.

Here's what started the history of Chicago Fire's messiest casting changes 10 years ago, back in 2024, and how it affects the show we watch today.

Why Did Chicago Fire Kill Leslie Shay?

Portrayed by Lauren German, who later went on to lead another extremely popular TV show, Lucifer, Leslie Shay was a paramedic with the Chicago Fire Department who was assigned to Ambulance 61 at Firehouse 51. She was best friends with Taylor Kinney’s Kelly Severide and worked alongside another character, who later exited the show, Gabriela Dawson.

Straightforward and brutally honest at times, Shay was the exact type of friend Severide needed battling his issues during the first Chicago Fire seasons, and by killing her off the writers put to an end more than one very important storyline. So, why did they need to kill Leslie Shay, and what was the real reason behind Geraman’s departure?

Opposite to popular belief, the Lucifer casting had nothing to do with Chicago Fire’s departure but was simply a rather fortunate coincidence for the actress. In fact, German never wanted to leave the show, but her death was a deliberate writing choice. According to the executive producer Matt Olmstead, the tragedy was supposed to ‘make an impact’:

“You’re having to weigh the pros and cons of each one. Some we moved off in two seconds, said that wasn’t going to happen. Others we debated, but we gave everybody a day in court. We came back to Shay because it affected the most people,” he explained.

While this is true, and Shay's death did affect most people, it affected them in a more hurtful way than was expected. Leslie Shay being an open lesbian made her a very important representation for the large group of people.

To kill her off first for any kind of impact was a hasty decision that played into the "bury your gays" trope, whether Chicago Fire implied it or not. 10 years later, with an example of a show like 911 that manages to keep the stakes high and its queer characters alive for 7 seasons now, this departure seems even less necessary.

If you are still interested in seeing what Firehouse 51 is up to without Leslie Shay around, tune in to Chicago Fire’s new episodes each Wednesday on NBC.

Source: TVLine