Chicago Fire Reaches Episode 300, and Joe Cruz Says Goodbye

Chicago Fire airs its 300th episode on Wednesday, November 4, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC. The episode is called "Three Hundred," and it is also the last episode for actor Joe Miñoso as firefighter Joe Cruz, according to Variety.

The firefighter drama started in 2012. Taylor Kinney, who plays Kelly Severide, has been in the show from the start and has appeared in every episode up to this one. Kinney told Variety he never thought a run of 300 episodes over 15 seasons seemed possible for him. He also said filming the final Severide and Cruz scene left him with a "visceral, raw" reaction.

Miñoso has been part of the series since its first day. Cruz is paralysed from the waist down after a warehouse fire collapse, and he has been in a wheelchair since that storyline. NBC described the character's injury in an October interview with the network. Variety reports that Miñoso is scheduled to direct his first television episode later this year.

Season 15 premiered on October 7 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock, the streaming service that carries NBC's shows, so this episode will be available there on Thursday, November 5, for viewers who miss the live broadcast. NBC Insider has the full season schedule.

Chicago Fire is one of several NBC series set in Chicago. Its sister show, Chicago P.D., also airs on Wednesdays on NBC, with episodes streaming on Peacock the following day.

For longtime viewers, the episode is a round number for a show that has run for more than a decade. For the cast and crew, it is also a point where one of the original lead characters changes. Miñoso's exit and his directing debut are the two threads to watch as the season continues.