Is Ritter Leaving Chicago Fire? His Fate In Firehouse 51 Explained md20

Amid One Chicago’s cast reshuffling, Chicago Fire season 14 reveals the definitive long-term fate of Darren Ritter, although Firehouse 51 still isn’t committed to it. It’s no secret that the last few years in the Windy City weren’t stable in terms of maintaining its procedurals’ ensembles. As One Chicago enters a brand new year, concerns about more character departures plague the franchise.

The season opener for Firehouse 51 started with walking back on Stella Kidd and Kelly Severide’s baby news from last year. It snowballed into other exciting plots set up by the previous cycle also getting backtracked, including Violet Mikami and Sam Carver’s reconciliation. As Chicago Fire season 14 moves forward this week, it tackles another disappointing piece of news for Firehouse 51.

Ritter Leaves Chicago For New York To Save His Relationship In Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 2

Part of Ritter’s story in the Chicago Fire season 14 premiere was reconnecting with his ex-boyfriend, Dwayne. The pair dated for the most part of season 13, but they split up after the Firehouse 51 member was hesitant about moving in together. Apparently, Dwayne transferred to New York since then, where he was shot in the line of duty.

The whole experience forces Ritter to be more introspective about their relationship after he accidentally met his whole family in New York. Talking to Violet, who shares her take on the matter after her separation from Carver. By the end of the outing, Ritter is flying to New York to spend more time with Dwayne.

For what it’s worth, Ritter’s set-up only makes his move to New York temporary. He clears that he will be missing a number of shifts moving forward, and calls the set-up as being extended furlough over at Firehouse 51. That said, he does reveal to Mouch that he already got in touch with a firehouse in the Big Apple, revealing the truth about the situation.

Is Ritter’s Firehouse 51 Really Just An Extended Furlough?

Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic

The truth of the matter is that this is Daniel Kyri’s farewell Chicago Fire episode. After 7 years in One Chicago, the actor is moving on from the procedural, as previously confirmed ahead of the new TV cycle. If anything, it was surprising that NBC even brought him back for a couple of episodes instead of just writing him out off-screen, which is arguably a worse way to go.

Leaving the door open for Ritter’s return continues a major trend in One Chicago where the shows don’t fully write out characters. Chicago PD notably did this with Jay Halstead, when Jesse Lee Soffer left the police procedural. However, for all intents and purposes, Ritter is officially moving to New York and leaving Firehouse 51.

At the very least, Ritter is having a happy exit. Due to the nature of Firehouse 51’s job, some of them had tragic farewells. Beyond that, there’s always a chance that Chicago Fire can bring him back. That said, his return may not happen anytime soon.