Chicago Fire said goodbye to another cast mainstay in its Wednesday, May 22, season finale, with Eamonn Walker appearing in his final episode as a series regular.
Walker portrays Battalion Chief Wallace Boden, who has led Firehouse 51 since the series premiered in 2012. Walker, 61, has appeared in 252 episodes over 12 seasons.
He is the third series regular to leave the show this year, following Alberto Rosende and Kara Killmer, who exited in the first half of the season.
“Eamonn was the first actor cast on Chicago Fire, and we knew once he said yes, that we were off and running. His character Chief Wallace Boden was the undisputed leader of Firehouse 51 and, offscreen, Eamonn has filled the same role with our ensemble cast,” producer Dick Wolf shared in a statement to Deadline.
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Chicago Fire wrote Boden off the show by promoting him to deputy commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, leaving the door open for him to pop into Firehouse 51 in a recurring role in the future. Before he left his post for good, Boden appointed Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) as his replacement.
“Eamonn is the most big-hearted, passionate, hard-working and dedicated actor (and human) I know, and he is like a father to every cast member and crew member of this team,” showrunner Andrea Newman told Deadline. “He is loved like no other. Any change in his position on Fire is going to be like an earthquake coming through. The vibe on set for the finale was just, hold onto Eamonn as tight as you can. Every minute with him is a gift.”
Chicago Fire was renewed for a 13th season in March, but its future remains murky. Newman promised fans, however, that they could expect “a lot of firehouse chaos.”
“Fire fans can rest assured it will be a lot more complicated, bumpier and emotional than anyone expects,” she said.
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Chicago Fire ratings dipped by 5 percent in season 12, and a source claimed to Yahoo that the cast shakeups are a means of saving money.
“None of Dick’s nine shows has been outright canceled, but pretty much all of them have let some of their mainstay actors go to control costs — especially after the actors’ and writers’ strikes cost them hundreds of millions of dollars,” the source said. “It makes good business sense, since shows like Chicago Fire are expensive to produce.”
Law & Order, another Wolf show, has also said goodbye to franchise stalwarts, including Sam Waterston, who appeared in over 400 episodes and was a key piece of the series’ reboot.
