Chicago Fire is bracing for another big change at Firehouse 51. Dermot Mulroney, 62, who plays Battalion Chief Dominick “Dom” Pascal on the long-running NBC drama, is taking a planned break from the series in the latter half of season 14, leaving fans to wonder how the show will handle the sudden absence of its newest chief — and what it means for the future.
Dermot Mulroney to take hiatus from “Chicago Fire”
Mulroney will continue to appear for now. He is set to be on screen in the next four episodes of Chicago Fire season 14, including the three-show crossover with Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. airing on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. After that, his character steps away from Firehouse 51 for the final stretch of the season, with one episode expected to air without a battalion chief at all before his temporary replacement arrives.
Entertainment coverage has indicated that Mulroney’s last regular appearance before the hiatus is scheduled as the fourteenth episode of season 14, the hour immediately following the March 4 crossover. Scripts for the season’s final episodes are still being finalized, and there is a possibility he “may return” as Pascal as the season wraps, but for now fans should prepare for a noticeable gap in the firehouse command structure.
Mulroney joined Chicago Fire in 2024 at the start of season 13, stepping in after Eamonn Walker scaled back his role as Battalion Chief Wallace Boden following 12 seasons. Walker led Firehouse 51 from the show’s 2012 debut and even returned for an episode in season 13, underscoring how central the battalion chief’s office is to the series’ identity. The idea that Mulroney could step away “after two seasons” adds extra weight to his absence, which also arrives “after multiple cast exits” have already shaken up Firehouse 51.
It remains unclear whether Mulroney will be back full-time for season 15, or whether this stretch off-screen marks the beginning of a larger transition for the character. For part of NBC’s season 14, Dermot Mulroney’s character, Chief Dom Pascal, will be absent from the screen, and Chicago Fire is clearly planning to use that gap to introduce a very different kind of leader.
Who replaces Chief Dom Pascal in Chicago Fire season 14?
In Pascal’s absence, Rob Morgan is joining the ensemble as Battalion Chief Hopkins. Hopkins will not appear immediately after Pascal steps away; instead, he arrives in episode 16 and is expected to recur in three episodes plus the season 14 finale, for a total of four episodes.
Hopkins is described as someone who “has a long, haunted past in overseeing several Chicago firehouses and is quick to assert authority over his colleagues,” a logline that sets him up as a forceful presence who is not afraid to throw his weight around. That backstory of moving through multiple Chicago firehouses hints that he is intimately familiar with the politics of the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) — and may be less sentimental about Firehouse 51 than Pascal has become.
The Sun’s reporting notes that Mulroney will appear in the March 4, 2026 One Chicago crossover before leaving the screen for a period, while Morgan’s Hopkins takes over the chief’s chair for the final episodes. The same reporting emphasizes that the hiatus is part of a planned storyline, not an abrupt creative split, suggesting the door is open for Pascal to walk back into 51 at some point.
Morgan brings serious credentials to the role. Viewers know him from Netflix’s Marvel series and from Stranger Things, and he has a long résumé of grounded, authoritative characters that make him a natural fit for a no-nonsense CFD officer. On Chicago Fire, he will represent the brass in a very different way than Pascal or Boden, which should create friction with firefighters who are already weary of City Hall meddling in their house.
Chicago Fire season 14 cast around Chief Dom Pascal
Mulroney’s hiatus lands at a time when Chicago Fire is already juggling changes in its core cast. The NBC drama, part of Dick Wolf’s hit Chicago franchise alongside Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med, continues to center Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg), Randy “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte), Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso), Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith), and new paramedic and firefighter additions.
- Dermot Mulroney as Battalion Chief Dominick “Dom” Pascal, who joined in 2024 at the start of season 13 and quickly became a fan favorite.
- Eamonn Walker as former Battalion Chief Wallace Boden, who led Firehouse 51 for its first 12 seasons and briefly returned in season 13.
- Brandon Larracuente as Sal Vasquez, the new firefighter in Firehouse 51 this season, helping reshape the dynamic on the rig.
- Jocelyn Hudon in a recurring role tied to the house’s evolving roster and personal storylines.
- Rob Morgan as incoming Battalion Chief Hopkins, whose “long, haunted past” with multiple Chicago firehouses and assertive leadership style will define the back half of season 14.
The wider Chicago Fire universe also includes key players at City Hall and within CFD command. Annette Davis (Annabeth Gish), the mayor’s chief of staff, has been pushing controversial changes, including decommissioning Firehouse 51’s engine, a move that already ripped veteran firefighter Mouch away from his long-time crew. That decision came from a tug-of-war between the mayor’s office and CFD leadership and has left Pascal caught in the political crossfire.
As always, the show’s ensemble connects across the One Chicago franchise. The March 4, 2026 crossover will once again bring together Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago P.D. for a single, high-stakes night of storytelling, with Firehouse 51 on the front lines of a massive emergency.
Why Chief Dom Pascal may be absent — and what’s next
Analysis: Story-wise, Chicago Fire has already been laying the groundwork for Pascal to be pushed into a difficult choice. Recent episodes have shown him clashing with Annette Davis and City Hall over the fate of 51’s engine. Annette told him that CFD made the call, while the department indicated that the pressure was coming from the mayor’s office, leaving Pascal stuck between two power centers and directly responsible for a decision that gutted his house.
At the same time, Annette has encouraged Pascal to look beyond being a battalion chief and consider his long-term future. So far, he has resisted, choosing the company-level work and his bond with Firehouse 51. Yet that encouragement, combined with the fallout from Mouch’s transfer and deepening distrust of City Hall, creates a believable path for Pascal to be moved, promoted, or even sidelined for “the good of the department.”
Enter Hopkins. A chief with years of experience “overseeing several Chicago firehouses” and a reputation for asserting his authority fits perfectly as the kind of leader CFD brass might send in to steady — or control — a restive firehouse. If Pascal has become too closely aligned with his firefighters, Hopkins may be the kind of top-down manager who reminds everyone that the city signs their paychecks.
The open question is whether Pascal’s time away is purely tactical storytelling or the beginning of the end for Mulroney on Chicago Fire. Scripts for the season’s final episodes are still in flux, and the creative team has left the door open for a brief return as season 14 concludes. For now, though, viewers should be ready to spend several weeks watching Firehouse 51 adjust to a new chief and a very different style of leadership.
What Dermot Mulroney is doing beyond Chicago Fire
Even as he steps back from Chicago Fire, Mulroney remains busy. He stars as Jed Banks in Netflix’s thriller series The Hunting Wives, produced by Lionsgate Television, and production on season 2 is already underway. Co-star Brittany Snow has promised that the new season will somehow top the first, teasing that the next installment is “wild” and that viewers are in for twists that will have them talking.
Mulroney’s résumé stretches back to the 1980s, with early roles in projects like Young Guns. Over the decades he has headlined beloved titles including My Best Friend’s Wedding, cult comedy Arrested Development, ensemble drama The Family Stone, and HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones. Taking on Chief Pascal in Chicago Fire added another major network drama to that list.
He has also been candid about how special the NBC drama has felt. At a PEOPLE-hosted event in December, he called working with the cast a “Christmas gift all year round” and said, “I literally joined a family there in Firehouse 51.” Those comments line up with the on-screen chemistry that has quickly made Pascal feel like part of the fabric of the show, even in a relatively short span.
That is why this hiatus stings for fans, even if it is only temporary. Mulroney has rapidly become a steady presence amid Chicago Fire’s many changes, and Chief Dom Pascal’s absence will be felt in every scene he is not in. But with a powerhouse like Rob Morgan stepping in as Hopkins, and with the March 4, 2026 crossover promising major stakes, season 14 is setting up to be one of the most volatile and intriguing chapters yet for Firehouse 51.
New episodes of Chicago Fire air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. Central on NBC.
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