‘Big Decisions Are Being Made’: ‘Chicago Fire’ Showrunner on How the One Chicago Crossover Will Impact Stella and Severide’s Relationship

The One Chicago crossover has come and gone, but it seems that the effects of that day will linger long in the minds of the Windy City’s first responders. The three-hour-long event began with Chicago Fire, and a gas explosion, triggered as a cover-up for a nefarious act, rocked a high rise building. It required all hands on deck, including Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. to deal with the medical and investigating bits of the disaster respectively. The stakes were soon raised for all involved when Fire’s Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and P.D.‘s Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) were trapped underground. Having ultimately survived that ordeal, Chicago Fire showrunnner Andrea Newman, has confirmed that the experience will impact Stella and her husband, Kelly Severide’s (Taylor Kinney) relationship going forward.

“They’ve made some promises to each other to not be separated again and not be apart as much as possible, and then this episode does tear them apart,” showrunner Newman tells TV Line. “Moving forward, it’s kind of about figuring out where they are as a couple,” Newman continues, “and the conversations about family really come up in that. That’s something that they’re dealing with going forward, and big decisions are being made.” Fans of the show will recall that Stella had informed Severide earlier in the season that she wasn’t ready to have a child. However, a life-or-death crisis does have its way of making people reevaluate their decisions.

A recently released teaser for next Wednesday’s episode does capture the moment when Stella makes her thoughts clear to Severide. However, the crossover disaster won’t be the only thing affecting Stella’s thought process, as next Wednesday a visit from her cousin, who reveals a surprising family history, will also leave a trail in the lieutenant’s mind. Newman previews, saying:

“I think between the events of the crossover and the person from her past coming forward and talking about her past in a way that she hadn’t thought of it before, it’ll impact how she sees her relationship with Severide and how she sees the idea of family going forward.”

Stella and Severide Weren’t Alone in Their Ordeal

Stella and Severide weren’t the only couple affected by the crossover event. Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) and her husband, Mouch (Christian Stolte), were not spared the emotional rollercoaster, and neither were Ruzek and Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati). Given that fans of the show have longed ached for a Burzek wedding, it’d have been an unmitigated disaster had things gone the other way. “For Burgess and Ruzek and this crossover, there’s quite a lot they have to do, there is a lot on their shoulders throughout these three hours,” showrunner Gwen Sigan revealed previously. “And certainly, what you’ll see in the rest of our season, is that they reach a breaking point.” Well, as long as that breaking point results in a Burzek wedding, we are all for it.

Chicago Fire airs new episodes every Wednesday on NBC. You can also catch up with past episodes on Peacock in the US.