Chicago Fire ended Season 6 on a rather wild note, as series regular Gabby Dawson got into a fight with her husband Casey over their potential future children, and then shipped off to Puerto Rico to volunteer. With contract negotiations happening behind the scenes for all the core cast members, the finale gave actress Monica Raymund a potential easy exit, and now it looks like fans have actually seen the last of Gabby on Chicago Fire. Raymund announced she's moving on with the next chapter in her life by penning a thankful letter to her fans.
The note seems to officially mark the close of Monica Raymund's six-season run on Chicago Fire, and we're assuming that means the end of Gabby Dawson on the series. Fans on Twitter were understandably upset by Raymund's decision, although more of the expressed concern appeared to be pointed at Chicago Fire, rather than the actress herself. Many who responded expressed that the series wrote Dawson off in a poor way, and that it really did a disservice in not resolving the ongoing storyline between her and Casey.
Rumors of Monica Raymund's impedning departure started swirling before the Season 6 finale of Chicago Fire. Sending Dawson off to Puerto Rico in the midst of a heated argument with her husband Casey may not have been the best storyline, given Raymund's contract was set to expire at the season's end. Chicago Fire almost definitely won't be recasting the role, so the goal now will be to craft the best explanation possible for Dawson's lack of a return, assuming Raymund's note indeed means she's moving on from the series for good, without any plans to return for a final appearance.
Chicago Fire could just keep up with the pretense that she's off doing volunteer duties throughout Season 7, relatively ignoring the problem. Another option involves the finale reveal that Dawson has an aneurysm that made giving birth a potentially life-threatening act; it's always possible the show could kill the character off using that as the excuse. The latter option would at least provide some finality to the relationship between her and Matthew Casey, however depressing it may be. Plus, that outcome could give Chicago Fire some potential paths to take his character down in Season 7. Jesse Spencer, who plays Casey, signed a one-year extension on his contract with the show, so he'll need a great storyline to earn more seasons.
Chicago Fire will return to NBC for Season 7 on Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what else NBC has scheduled for its fall programming, check out their schedule right here. For a list of shows that are coming to television much sooner than that, head on over to our summer premiere guide.
