In an interview with TV Line, "Chicago Fire" executive producer Matt Olmstead reflected on Leslie Shay's surprise exit from the series. While some stars — like Antonia Thomas from "The Good Doctor" — leave a show on their own accord to try something new, others are written off purely for the shock factor. This, explained Olmstead, was the case regarding German.
He said, "Going into it, we knew if we were going to do it, it had to be someone who was going to give us a big impact, as opposed to going for a lesser-known character, which would equate to a pulled punch. So, as opposed to approaching it with timidity, we thought we'd go for it." Pros and cons were considered for each character, but the final decision was made due to one factor: "We came back to Shay because it affected the most people."
According to Olmstead, Lauren German took the news very professionally and even joked that she was glad to be rid of Chicago winters. Still, a decade later, fans continue to mourn the loss of Shay. On Reddit, many agree that her death hits harder than other fictional losses, and that "Chicago Fire" hasn't been the same since.
