Yuriy Sardarov graced “Chicago Fire” for seven full seasons and some change, but all good things must come to an end eventually. His character, Brian “Otis” Zvonecek, was a fan favorite, known for providing comic relief to complement some of the show’s more dramatic moments. Sadly, though, Sardarov left the series after Otis died following a mattress factory fire in the Season 8 premiere. That being said, the writers felt his death had to happen to keep audiences invested in the show’s storylines.
While speaking to Us, co-showrunner Derek Haas said Otis’ death was necessary for adding legitimate stakes to the firefighters’ missions. “We’ve had characters injured, and characters leave the show, but if you keep pulling that football, then the audience just stops believing that the dangerous situations are actually dangerous. So we decided we should do it.” Haas noted that the show’s only real tragic moment before then was Leslie Shay’s (Lauren German) death in Season 3, so a heartbreaking demise was arguably long overdue.
Moreover, the tragic moment allowed the creators to explore the other characters in more detail, especially by looking at how each coped with their colleague’s death. Of course, it’s never easy to say goodbye to long-term cast members, but Sardarov didn’t try to protest the decision.
Yuriy Sardarov is the ultimate professional
During the interview with Us, Derek Haas explained that there’s no bad blood between Yuriy Sardarov and the creators of “Chicago Fire.” The actor accepted the news of being let go like a champ, but it wasn’t easy to kill off his character.
“It was a tough call, but talk about a guy who’s not only a young professional in the true sense of the words, but also understands creativity, and the creative process, and the needs of a show,” Haas revealed. “He was just grateful for the experience and said he was ‘playing with the house money at this point,’ which was great to hear.”
The actor has backed up these claims, too. Yuriy Sardarov believes Otis’ tragic death was necessary for adding more juice to “Chicago Fire” Season 8, as he was arguably the one member of the crew that viewers didn’t expect to die. Furthermore, after spending years playing Otis, Sardarov wanted to move on to other things, and the rest is history. Since parting ways with “Chicago Fire,” Sardarov has appeared on “The Rookie” and “FBI: International,” but he’s yet to join another series as a regular cast member.