As the Chicago Fire’s 2021-2022 season enters fall break, some fans have been looking back at previous seasons, and now, they want to be reminded of why Lauren German left the Chicago Fire in Season 2.
Leslie Shay, who Lauren played until her character’s tragic death, was a vital part of the series. And since she was killed off, fans are curious if Lauren had anything to do with how her character left the show.
Since Shay was killed, Lauren has no chance to return to Chicago Fire. Barring any flashbacks involving other characters from the explosion that left Shay dead, Lauren’s time in the world of Chicago One is now over. But that doesn’t mean fans still don’t love Shay and often wonder about the events that led to Lauren leaving the show.
Shay was killed in the ‘Chicago Fire’ season 2 finale.
At the end of Season 2, Shay’s life hangs in the balance during an explosion caused by the building collapsing in a fire. Although Boden makes up the majority of Firehouse 51 during the incident, Dawson and Shay are noticeably absent. It wasn’t until the Season 3 premiere that it was revealed what happened to Dawson and Shay during the explosion.
Just as fans feared at the time, Shay is dead. Dawson tries to revive her, but Shay is killed. It was a fitting end for the fictional hero. But that also means that Lauren leaves Chicago Fire with no hope of returning. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like it was the result of a problem with the actress. Instead, it was a creative decision made because of the show’s plot.
Severide and Shay in ‘Chicago Fire’
But why did Lauren German leave ‘Chicago Fire’?
Lauren’s Chicago Fire exit had nothing to do with her personal decision to leave. It’s more about killing off a main character in a primetime drama. Of course, shows like this are on par – just look at the main character’s body count in Grey’s Anatomy.
At the time of Shay’s death and Lauren’s passing, executive producer Matt Olmstead told TVLine that he was grateful for Lauren’s good news.
“She was very professional about it,” he told the outlet. “She joked that she wouldn’t miss a Chicago winter. She’s a California girl. So it’s nice to know she can joke about that a little bit.”
He also admitted that the intention of killing Shay was because it would leave “a big impact, rather than going for a lesser known character”.
Where is Lauren German now?
Luckily for Lauren, leaving Chicago Fire might be the best thing that happened to her career. Shortly after leaving, she took over the role of Chloe for Lucifer. And unlike her Chicago Fire role, Lauren’s time on Lucifer spanned multiple years and seasons.
She may still be remembered by Chicago One fans, but Lauren is far from finished acting on TV.
