Viewers will meet Wallace Boden’s replacement when Chicago Fire season 13 premieres in September 2024, and the new fire chief is expected to be very different from the former one, which is a great sign for the show. Boden has served as the leader of Firehouse 51 in the NBC procedural drama TV series since season 1. Sadly, Eamonn Walker left Chicago Fire ahead of season 13, and someone has to take his place. Some speculated that Boden’s successor would come from in-house, and Christopher Herrmann would become Firehouse 51’s chief, but that won’t be the case.
Chicago Fire season 13 will have 22 episodes and premiere on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
Chief Boden expressed that Herrmann was his preference for his replacement during the Chicago Fire season 12 finale. However, the producers evidently want to inject some new blood into the cast. As a result, an experienced fire chief from Miami will move to Chicago to take over Boden’s position at Firehouse 51. Based on early teases about the new character, he should be a breath of fresh air that Chicago Fire has so desperately needed in recent seasons.
How Chief Pascal Will Be Different To Boden
Dermot Mulroney Joins The Chicago Fire Season 13 Cast As Dom Pascal
NBC has cast Dermot Mulroney to play Boden’s replacement in Chicago Fire season 13. Mulroney stars as Dom Pascal, a veteran firefighter from Chicago who has been working as a fire chief in Miami for the past decade. He moves back to Chicago to accept the job as Firehouse 51’s new chief. Pascal is also estranged from his wife, Monica, which reportedly drives his story in the upcoming episodes. So, on the surface, it’s easy to see how Pascal differs from Boden. During an interview with TV Insider, showrunner Andrea Newman further elaborated on Pascal’s approach to leadership compared to Boden’s. She said:
“[Chief Dom Pascal] shakes everything up. What’s transpired to get him here is revealed in the premiere. He’s a totally different kind of leader from Boden, who was a father figure by the time he left the house. [He] is enigmatic, he wants to peel back the layers of the firefighters to find out more about them as firefighters and people, because knowledge is power to him. He’s got his eye out for people who cross the line. All our guys will have different reactions to him and there will be surprises in terms of who bonds with Pascal and who doesn’t.”
Since Pascal’s methods will differ from Boden’s in Chicago Fire season 13, the firefighters must adjust to this new way of thinking. As Newman mentions, some characters will strike an instant connection with Pascal, while others will be put off by his leadership values. Whatever the case, the change will ultimately be a good thing for Chicago Fire.
