We Still Miss Charlie Barnett on 'Chicago Fire' — Why Did He Leave the Show Again?

Mar. sixteen 2022, Published 8:23 p.m. ET

We daresay the team of Rescue Squad Company 3 on Chicago Fire has never eaten better than when Charlie Barnett, who played Peter Mills, used to be a part of the group. Having been raised through a firefighting dad and restaurant-owning mother, Peter had the best of each worlds: courage and cooking. And whilst we have not observed Charlie as Peter since he left the display at the finish of Season 3, we're still considering of his time on Truck 81. Why did Charlie Barnett leave Chicago Fire? Le's break it down.

Why did Charlie Barnett leave 'Chicago Fire'?

When it came time for Charlie to leave Chicago Fire, he was if truth be told the last individual to know it used to be going down. He advised the Herald-Tribune that the day was once like any other, until he used to be pulled right into a room via writers and producers who advised him he used to be being written off the show.

"They expressed that it wasn't about me or myself as an actor or my personality ... But they felt that Peter had reached a plateau and the writers didn't know where to take him because he'd done so much already," said Charlie.

Evidently, the issue went beyond no longer having a plan for Charlie's Peter Mills, as the writers additionally wanted to introduce new characters at the display and, frankly, they needed the space for that. Executive producer Matt Olmstead chatted with TV Guide in April 2015, to provide more readability concerning the scenario. Matt said that having too many characters on the show turns it right into a "clown car" state of affairs. "The hardest part of this job is when you feel it's the right time to make cast changes," he said.

As a ways as how Charlie felt, he mentioned he used to be initially indignant. He printed to the Herald-Tribune that his first thought was once, "Why me?" Thankfully, he used to be in a position to acknowledge that being at the show gave him the enjoy he had to pursue different initiatives. He went on to look in numerous other TV presentations, including Secrets and Lies, Valor, Russian Doll, Tales of the City, You, and Red Frontier. Most just lately, he is been noticed as Eric Payne on NBC's Ordinary Joe.

"I got so much from the show, the connections, the family we created. It is beyond special and will never go away," he shared. "I learned so much about myself as an actor, about the business and what direction I want to go in, so it will always be a part of my backbone."

How did the writers get rid of Peter Mills on 'Chicago Fire'?

Thankfully Peter made it out of the show alive. Almost instantly upon returning to the squad after being injured, he made up our minds it used to be time to move on. The resolution wasn't simple, particularly after saving a life on his first call back, however Peter knew going to North Carolina to take over his dad's restaurant used to be what he needed to do.

In his ultimate episode, Peter instructed Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) that, "I don't know if my dad expected me to follow in his footsteps. I do know he'd be proud that I did. I also know that he would've wanted me to live my own life, find my own path. I can't keep chasing his ghost. I want to be with my family."

Peter's dad, Henry, was killed in the line of responsibility, which is partially why Peter decided to modify gears.

Fans were glad that Peter used to be shifting away and did not finally end up going the way in which of his father. Matt Olmstead said this made sense because "his departure [went] towards the original mythology we gave the character, which is that he had a dad die on the squad and his mom and sister had a restaurant."

Matt went on to mention that "ultimately, he makes the determination that he fulfilled his father's legacy to the extent that he wanted to, and he could check that box in terms of walking in the footsteps of his father who he never really knew."

Of course this undoubtedly leaves us with some hope that Charlie may just one day return to Chicago Fire, despite the fact that it's just as a guest star. Or perhaps the staff can make a distinct shuttle to North Carolina to seek advice from Peter at his father's restaurant. Either approach, we still have fond memories of him to these days and want he had stayed just a little longer.

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