The latest episode of Chicago Fire has teased the return of fan-favourite character Matthew Casey.
Earlier this month, it was revealed the former fire captain, played by Jesse Spencer, would be returning for a one-off episode of the show on Wednesday, April 5.
And the latest instalment of the show (season 11, episode 17, ‘The First Symptom’) hinted at the character’s impending appearance.
In the episode, veteran firefighter Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and battalion chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) discuss Herrmann’s wife Cindy (Robyn Coffin) as she waits on her chemotherapy results.
The pair share a touching moment in which they discuss a certain former colleague keeping tabs on Cindy’s progress.
Chicago Fire’s latest episode hints at Matthew Casey’s return
“You know who’s been calling to check in regularly [on Cindy]?” Herrmann asks Boden. “Matt Casey.”
Boden says that it is “good to hear” Casey is still in touch with the couple and that he is “not surprised”.
“I heard Cindy talking to him again yesterday. It really cheered her up. I think she’s always had a little crush on him, to be honest,” Hermann continued.
Spencer left the show in 2021, during the 200th episode, after 10 years in Firehouse 51.
The episode saw Casey make the decision to move to Oregon and raise his late best friend Andy Darden’s young boys.
His return follows the exit of Taylor Kinney, who played lieutenant Kelly Severide. Kinney was confirmed to be taking a leave of absence from the show back in January in order to deal with a personal matter.
The star’s final scenes aired earlier this month on the show, as Severide left town to go to “the best arson investigation training program in the world”.
Chicago Fire airs on NBC in the US and on Sky Witness in the UK.