# ‘Chicago Fire’ 300: Taylor Kinney Reflects on the Milestone He Never Thought He’d Hit and His ‘Visceral’ Goodbye to Joe Cruz

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/chicago-fire-300-taylor-kinney-reflects-on-the-milestone-he-never-thought-hed-hit-and-his-visceral-goodbye-to-joe-cruz/
- Published: 2026-11-04T18:35:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T05:09:27+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/chicago-fire-300-taylor-kinney-cruz-1236937912/
- Topics: Entertainment, TV

## Key points

- “Chicago Fire” reached its 300th episode.
- Joe Miñoso’s Joe Cruz leaves the series.
- Taylor Kinney called their farewell scene raw and unforgettable.

## Summary

Taylor Kinney says reaching 300 episodes of “Chicago Fire” seemed unlikely when he began the series in 2012, after years of uncertain auditions and struggling to get around Los Angeles. The milestone episode also marks the departure of original cast member Joe Miñoso as Joe Cruz, making it a personal moment for Kinney and the long-running cast.

Kinney described filming the final scene between Cruz and Severide as raw and deeply emotional, reflecting their years of working closely together. Executive producer Peter Jankowski said Miñoso is expected to direct his first television episode later this year; the show’s leaders credit its grounded characters and bonds of community for sustaining its appeal. “Three Hundred” aired on NBC on 4 November at 9 p.m. ET.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.