The 200th Episode of 'Chicago Fire' Marks the Last Time [SPOILER] Will Be on Screen — for Now

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 10, Episode 5 of Chicago Fire.

With 10 seasons and 200 episodes, Chicago Fire has remained a mainstay for NBC. Sadly, the same cannot be said for more than a couple of its well-known cast members.

As the spinoff under the One Chicago umbrella continues going strong, numerous main players on the show have either been written off or left in some form or fashion. The last character to leave the show was Annie Ilonzeh, who played paramedic Emily Foster in Seasons 7 and 8.

In Season 9, Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) experienced a serious injury that had fans questioning his status with the show. Thankfully, Casey recovered OK and went back to work with Firehouse 51. But Season 10 is raising the question again of if Casey is getting ready to say his goodbyes. Is Matt Casey the next to leave Chicago Fire?

Season 10 brought in a surprise for Casey in the form of an old friend. For fans who don't remember, Andy Darden (Corey Sorenson) only appeared in the pilot, in which he was killed off. But his death impacted his good friend Casey very strongly, who helped Andy's widow, Heather (Chaon Cross), take care of her two boys. He even became their guardian when Heather did a stint in jail.

At the start of Season 10, one of those boys came back. Griffin Darden (now played by Cameron Scott Roberts) arriving back in Chicago throws Casey for a loop. Although some of the time is spent by Casey simply telling Griffin stories about his departed father, Episode 3 sees Griffin address what's been going on since his family left Chicago for Florida back in Season 2.

Griffin reveals that things haven't been so good for him and his brother, Ben. After getting another DUI, Heather is back in jail. The episode ends with Casey promising to take time off to help Ben and Griffin out.

After learning that Ben and Griffin are heading for foster homes (likely separate ones), Casey says that he's willing to do whatever it takes and wants to bring them back to Chicago. But now it looks like the only way to help is for Casey to go to Oregon, which is what Casey decides to do in the 200th episode.

Going into Season 10, the status of Jesse's contract was up in the air. In 2019, Deadline reported that both Jesse and Taylor Kinney, who plays Kelly Severide, inked a new deal that would allow them to stay on for two years, extending their runs to the end of Season 9. But with Season 10 underway and the two still on board, a lot of questions remained about how long they'd stay. Although Severide doesn't seem to be going anywhere, Casey is heading to take care of the Darden boys.

In an interview with TVLine, showrunner Derek Haas explained why Casey leaving is a good ending for the character. "The one thing that we’ve shown since Episode 1 was how much he wants to be a father and be a family guy. It fits his character that the thing he’s going to put first is the health and safety of those boys," Derek said.

As for Jesse, the real reason he left boiled down to the fact that he needed to take a break from TV. He told reporters ahead of his departure in a small press conference that he needs to see what else is out there, after having been on House until its conclusion in 2012 and joining Chicago Fire that same year. Both Derek and Jesse believe the 200th episode is the right time for him to leave.

For fans who were particularly excited about Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and Casey finally being together in Season 10, this is a hard pill to swallow. But if it's any consolation, the two intend to go long-distance for the time being — which is likely good news for anyone worrying that Casy is leaving forever.

For the time being, it's been confirmed that Jesse Spencer's time on Chicago Fire is up. But with Casey and Brett still trying to make it work, there's an easy way for him to rejoin the show. And Derek confirmed in the press conference that we'll see Jesse in the future, but he didn't want to ask him to make a cameo so soon after his departure. According to Derek, though we'll hear Jesse's voice in future Season 10 episodes, he won't be making any surprise onscreen appearances.

He said, "Look, Jesse's been more than generous, more than generous, so we didn't want to [ask him to do that yet]. I'm sure I'm gonna hit him up. But for now, he's finished for a little bit. We are going to hear his voice after the 200th."

Although it's so hard to say goodbye to our beloved Matt Casey, there's something wonderful about knowing that his story will continue on Chicago Fire as a new dad.

Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.