Chicago Fire returns tonight and there’s a whole lot of shaking going on in the Windy City now that Chief Boden (Eammon Walker) has left Firehouse 51 and moved up the chain of command and Chief Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) will be replacing him at the helm.
“I really think the fans are going to have a blast this year,” Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman tells Parade. “Dermot is so fun to watch and what Pascal does, all the impacts he has on all the characters, it’s a lot of new stuff with people we love and know well, so that’s a beautiful combo. We go deep on character this year for sure. I keep saying it’s our soapy roller coaster year, but character deep for sure.”
That said, while there are changes with the characters, it’s business as usual when the first responders head out on calls. You would think after 12 seasons, there wouldn’t be anything new, but Newman says Season 13 will still have fresh calls.
“The truth being stranger than fiction thing really works for us because we have all these real firefighters on the show and the producers and actors,” Newman says. “They come to us with stories of what happened yesterday and it’s like, ‘I can’t believe we’ve never done that, let’s do that.’ So, the stories keep coming because life keeps happening and people keep doing crazy stuff, thankfully.”
As mentioned, Boden was promoted to head all of the firehouses in Chicago, so he can no longer make his home at Firehouse 51, but has had to move downtown to the main office.
“People come and go,” Newman says. “I know Boden said that and it is a part of life. But there is that element of once you’re a part of 51, you’re always a part of 51, too. So, Boden’s presence is still very much felt. And the opportunity to bring in somebody at the top like this is different than bringing someone in on a rig or a floater. It’s really the tone of the firehouse.
“It’s like an earthquake hits basically when Chief Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) comes striding into the firehouse for the first time. And it’s going to affect all the characters. We do see it, as writers, as an opportunity for new dynamics and new relationships and seeing sides of people you haven’t seen before.”
