Chicago Fireplace has come to an finish within the 2024 TV schedule with a fall finale that known as all the way in which again to Season 1 for Joe Cruz, however one thing necessary was lacking from the episode. That’s, someone necessary was lacking: Taylor Kinney was nowhere to be seen as Kelly Severide. In gentle of his extended absence within the second half of Season 11, it might be simple to fret that that is the start of one other Severide story that takes him away from Firehouse 51 for an arc. I do not assume followers ought to fear, although, because of a improvement from again in 2023.
How Chicago Fireplace Defined Severide’s Absence
There was a lot occurring within the fall finale, with arcs starting from the very severe like Cruz dealing with his previous to the extra lighthearted like Ritter contemplating transferring in together with his boyfriend. Chicago Fireplace did spare a number of moments to ascertain why Severide was MIA, and it is not due to an ongoing hearth inspection coaching program like in Season 11 that was used to clarify Taylor Kinney’s depart of absence.
To cite Cruz within the final episode of Season 13 in 2024 (which you’ll be able to stream with a Peacock subscription) earlier than the 2025 TV schedule picks up,”Severide’s acquired some hearth inspection boondoggle in Michigan.” Now, I do not know what qualifies as a “boondoggle” on this planet of One Chicago, however it definitely does not sound too dire! Plus, Stella had an replace on her husband later within the episode, when Violet requested how he was doing in Michigan:
Good, however he is determined to return again slightly early. Which, in fact, I am glad about.
Deciding to return again early sounds a complete lot higher for the Stellaride journey than when he saved prolonging his absence again in Season 11 with out even telling Stella! All in all, the storyline of the autumn finale arrange that Severide’s absence was very momentary, and the promo for the winter premiere in 2025 confirms that he’ll be again early within the new yr. And if I am proper, there is a fully harmless cause for his absence to finish 2024 that positively wasn’t foreshadowing one other model of what went down a pair seasons in the past.
Why Chicago Fireplace Forged Members (Together with Taylor Kinney) Have Missed Episodes
For why I am not the slightest bit frightened about Severide lacking a significant episode, we have to look again to April 2023, earlier than the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike started. On the time, Deadline reported that the renewals for NBC’s then-six reveals – Chicago Fireplace, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Legislation & Order, Legislation & Order: SVU, and Legislation & Order: Organized Crime – got here with a change: solid members would stay collection regulars however seem in fewer episodes to chop prices for an total season with out decreasing actors’ episodic charges.
On the time – which was nicely earlier than Organized Crime Season 5 was slated to launch on Peacock as a substitute of NBC alongside SVU – I took that to imply that One Chicago and Legislation & Order followers would see much less of their favorites within the subsequent seasons, however nothing extra severe than that. There isn’t any cause to imagine that the strategy modified from the 2023-2024 TV season to the present 2024-2025 TV season, and different Fireplace solid members have already missed episodes.
Maybe it was simply Taylor Kinney’s flip, though it is value noting that David Eigenberg instructed CinemaBlend that he “snapped [his] Achilles tendon” and that is why Herrmann “was out for a pair [episodes].” All in all, I feel Kinney lacking an necessary episode was on account of finances slightly than story, and the episode truthfully had a lot occurring that I do not assume it was lacking something with Severide in Michigan.
In case you’re already lacking Severide, although, you may revisit each earlier episode of Chicago Fireplace streaming on Peacock till One Chicago returns in 2025. All three reveals will probably be again with their winter premieres on Wednesday, January 8 on NBC, beginning with Med at 8 p.m. ET earlier than Fireplace at 9 p.m. ET after which P.D. at 10 p.m. ET.