Why Steven R. McQueen's Jimmy Borrelli Left Chicago Fire

Steven R. McQueen joined "Chicago Fire" as Jimmy Borrelli back in season 4, but he only lasted a couple of seasons before he was written out of the show. Why such a short tenure? Well, aside from the fact the series' writers have long since established their willingness to write out major characters at the drop of a hat, Jimmy became a casualty of their goal to depict the true danger of firefighting, with the character becoming seriously injured ahead of his departure.

Ever since it premiered back in October 2012, "Chicago Fire" has seen numerous major cast changes. Some of those changes happened early in the show's run, with Charlie Barnett's Peter Mills leaving after three seasons and Teri Reeves' Hallie Thomas lasting just one season. Later, there came a major switch up when several stars left the procedural in a short space of time. In season 12, longtime star Kara Killmer departed the firefighting series alongside Alberto Rosende and Rome Flynn. That same season also saw new firefighter Jack Damon (Michael Bradway) joining Firehouse 51, only to leave ahead of season 14.

Then, there was McQueen. The "Vampire Diaries" star and grandson of his namesake, the great Steve McQueen, joined the show back in season 4 as Truck 81 candidate Jimmy Borrelli. Alas, the new recruit would only last a couple of seasons. After his older brother Danny (Andy Ahrens) died in a building collapse during the season 4 finale, the following season saw Jimmy feuding with Deputy Fire Commissioner Wallace Boden Jr. (Eamonn Walker) before being involved in a car bomb incident that resulted in him losing his eye. The beleaguered firefighter then departed the firehouse after the second episode of season 5.

Why was Steven R. McQueen so hastily written out of "Chicago Fire?" Well, it seems much of it came down to the show's writers simply wanting to depict the dangerous reality of firefighting accurately, as well as the fact Jimmy Borrelli's feud with Wallace Boden had reached an impasse.

Speaking to TVLine in 2016, co-creator Michael Brandt explained that the series' writers always keep in mind the dangers faced by the characters they depict. "We've wrestled with this over the last four years," he noted, "in terms of threats and real dangers to people in the firehouse. There are times when people get injured, or really bad things happen to them." Brandt's comments echoed those of "Chicago Fire" showrunner Matt Olmstead when he spoke about ex-"Friday Night Lights" cast member Dora Madison's departure from the show as Jessica Chilton. As Olmstead told The Hollywood Reporter that same year, "You can't just save up the big moments and departures and entrances for characters at episode 1 and episode 22." So, while it may seem as though McQueen was given short shrift with his brief "Chicago Fire" tenure, the procedural's writers have clearly never been afraid to dismiss characters spontaneously — something that likely factored into their decision to write Jimmy out of the show.

But beyond that, Brandt pointed to Jimmy and Boden's feud as a reason for bidding farewell to the firefighter. "It just felt like he needed to stand up for what he believed in," the producer explained. "But Boden needed to stand up for what he believed in, and those two things couldn't live together. It was driven by the story and who the characters have evolved into."

Michael Brandt elaborated on the decision to write Jimmy Borrelli out of "Chicago Fire" in an interview with Entertainment Weekly (via People). According to the co-creator, while McQueen "has an incredibly bright future," he and the series' other producers felt that the actor "deserved to be a bigger part on a show than probably we can give him." Brandt continued, "We were, as writers, finding it hard to feed all the mouths that we have on the show [...] We wanted to get a little leaner and meaner in terms of our storytelling and what characters we were focusing on. So, Jimmy leaving was a byproduct of that."

Thankfully, the way in which Jimmy's story wrapped up felt like a natural conclusion for his character, who had been facing increasing pressure and hardship since joining his fellow crewmembers, losing his brother, and constantly clashing with Wallace Boden. He also had a brief relationship with Dora Madison's Jessica "Chilli" Chilton, which fizzled out after they were warned against too much PDA around the firehouse. The accident was really just the final straw.

Since leaving "Chicago Fire," Steven R. McQueen has appeared in an episode of The CW's "Legacies" and an episode of Netflix's "Medal of Honor," playing a recipient of the titular award, Joseph Vittori. In 2020, he also appeared in "The Warrant," a Western TV movie for digital cable network INSP. He hasn't directly addressed his "Chicago Fire" exit and has spent much of his time working with charities, including marine conservation groups and nonprofits aiming to bring safe drinking water to underserved communities and groups working with foster youth.