Watch: Chicago Fire Loses 3rd Cast Member Ahead of Season 14Chicago's onscreen police force is temporarily down a member. Patrick John Flueger-who portrays Office Adam Ruzek on Chicago P.D.-is taking a step back from filming the current 13th season, multiple outlets reported. The sudden and unexpected leave of absence is reportedly due to a personal matter, and Patrick is expected to return later this season. No additional details have been confirmed. E! News has reached out to reps for Patrick as well as NBC for comment but has not yet heard back. Patrick has been with the NBC series since its first season in 2014, his character becoming an integral piece of the intelligence team. Throughout his time on the series, viewers have watched as his character's friendship with fellow officer Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) blossom into an on-again, off-again romance, with the characters finally tying the knot at the close of season 12. The onscreen couple also share daughter Makayla, whom they adopted during season 8.readChicago Fire Loses 3rd Cast Member Ahead of Season 14Ahead of their onscreen nuptials, Marina reflected on why she thinks her and Adam's characters-as well as their relationship-became such a fan-favorite piece of Chicago P.D. "I think it's because Paddy and I have great chemistry and he's my best friend in the whole world," she told People in January 2024, before joking, "I sound 7 years old. He truly is one of my closest friends and I think that that chemistry just shows. And we love working together."Elizabeth Sisson/NBCAs for why this third engagement for the characters was the one to stick, Marina joked the series had "toyed with the audience's emotions enough." Plus, she thought Adam's simple proposal to Kim proved how much they've grown. "They're just both adults," she explained. "It's not schmaltzy. There's not a dozen roses. It's just like, 'This is right.' And I feel that that's right. That's who they are. They know they want to be with each other forever, and that's how they do it." And with the show having just celebrated ten years at the time of Marina's interview, she also reflected on Chicago P.D.'s impact.
Lori Allen/NBC"I mean, what a life I've gotten," she gushed. "Unlike many actors, I get to act almost every day. I've heard there are shows that have hostile sets, but our set is just-I've made my best friends. I feel like I've met five new best friends late in life. How lucky am I?" While Patrick is expected to return as Adam, there are many actors who shocked fans with their permanent departures from beloved series. Read on for more. (E! and NBC are part of the NBCUniversal family.) Virginia Sherwood/NBCMehcad Brooks, Law & OrderMehcad Brooks shocked fans in 2025 when it was revealed he was leaving the NBC crime drama ahead of season 25. Brooks, who joined the show in 2022, portrayed Detective Jalen Shaw for three seasons.
BravoJax Taylor, The ValleyJax Taylor announced he will not be returning to The Valley for season three amid growing concern from fans about his behavior during the show's second season. "Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting," the Bravo star-who is embroiled in a nasty divorce from estranged wife Brittany Cartwright-shared in July 2025. "Taking this time is necessary for me to become the best version of myself-especially for our son, Cruz."Mike Coppola/NBC via Getty ImagesMichael Longfellow, Emil Wakim & Devon Walker, Saturday Night LiveThe Saturday Night Live stars all announced within days of each other that they would not be returning for the sketch comedy series' 51st season. Longfellow and Walker each spent three seasons on SNL while Wakim exited after just one season.
Todd Williamson/NBCHeidi Gardner & Ego Nwodim, Saturday Night LiveWeeks after Longfellow, Walker and Wakim left SNL, longtime fan-favorites Gardner and Nwodim also confirmed they would not be returning for season 51 after eight and seven seasons, respectively.
Disney/Bahareh RitterSofia Mattsson, General HospitalSofia Mattsson exited the long-running soap opera in summer 2025 after seven years playing Sasha Gilmore. Her character left Port Charles for Paris.HBO Max/Warrick PageTracy Ifeachor, The PittThe Pitt star Tracy Ifeachor walked away from the hit HBO Max series after the medical drama's breakout first season. "It was an absolute privilege to play Dr. Heather Collins in such a groundbreaking season and piece," the actress posted on Instagram July 10. "Thank you to everyone who has watched & supported Season 1 & shared their stories with me."Liane Hentscher/HBOPedro Pascal, The Last of UsWhile fans maybe should have been aware that the days were numbered for Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller, considering his April 2025 death was quite similar to how it unfolded in The Last of Us Part II, the 2020 video game season two of The Last of Us is based on, the moment his character was brutally impaled still stunned. Pascal, meanwhile, who also died onscreen