Chicago Fire is one of NBC’s most popular shows, but as the series continues its eleventh season, it is clear to viewers that the show is losing steam. Ever since the show’s first season, fans have grown close to the characters and expect certain elements to remain the same until Chicago Fire ends.
With too many changes in a short amount of time, fans have become bored with Chicago Fire and find it hard to stay invested. While Chicago Fire is still entertaining, it is clear to fans that showrunners are running out of ideas for Firehouse 51.
Cindy’s Illness
Season 11 of Chicago Fire has followed Hermann and Cindy as they deal with Cindy’s cancer diagnosis and treatment. The Hermanns are one of the most entertaining and relatable families in the show, as they have four children and struggle to balance all of their schedules. With Cindy’s diagnosis, Hermann has become a main focus and a tragic character in Chicago Fire.
Hermann had moved past his previous struggles and started to make real leaps in his career, but Cindy’s storyline has regressed Hermann’s character arc. While Cindy being sick has brought back the emotional and real-life struggles that the show thrived on in earlier seasons, Cindy’s cancer feels misplaced in the season.
Partners Have Become Useless Characters
Chicago Fire has introduced several side characters throughout the show. While the firefighters’ and paramedics’ love interests have been an important part of the main characters’ development, these side characters are now rarely mentioned and don’t appear on-screen. This has been evident with Donna, Chief Boden’s wife, and Chloe, Joe Cruz’s wife.
These women used to be big parts of their husbands’ storylines, but they are now just useless characters. Since Chicago Fire can’t focus on all the firefighters’ personal lives, love interests have become an afterthought, even though the show established them in previous seasons.
Central Characters Leaving Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire fans shocked when Matt Casey left the show, but Season 11 delivered another blow to fans as Taylor Kinney, who plays Kelly Severide, has announced he’s taking a leave of absence for an undetermined amount of time (Source Variety). Chicago Fire has had many characters come and go, but fans will lose interest once the two longest-running characters aren’t a central part of the series.
Too many changes in the main cast have been the downfall of many other shows, as fans find it hard to invest the same amount of time in new characters. If the creators write off Kelly Severide, Chicago Fire could be out of steam for good.
There’s No Villain
Early seasons of Chicago Fire frequently featured a villain who tried to take the firehouse or its members down. These villains range from arsonists with vendettas against the firefighters or higher-ups trying to advance their political agendas.
Besides paramedic Emma, who tried to ruin Violet’s career, there has not been an impactful big bad in Chicago Fire for a few seasons. Chicago Fire wrapped up Emma’s villainy in Season 11 when she tried again to get revenge. By not having a notable villain, there is no external tension keeping fans wondering what will happen in the next episode or season.
New Romances Feel Forced
Sylvie Brett broke up with Matt Casey after he left Firehouse 51. Instead of leaving Sylvie single, Chicago Fire threw her into a new relationship that feels forced and inauthentic to her character. Chicago Fire didn’t give Sylvie time to heal from her break-up, and this new romance has made her relationship with Casey seem unimportant, even though it took several seasons to get them together.
Chicago Fire has done this several times, most notably with Kelly Severide before he married Stella. While there is room for characters to thrive as single people, the show insists on making them fall in love.
Old Storylines Are Being Repeated
Chicago Fire has leaned on several tropes throughout its run, but its most irritating trope is dragging out romantic storylines with no character development. Chicago Fire has hinted at Blake Gallo and Violet Mikami rekindling their romance, even though the pair have tried to make their relationship work several times.
For some fans, this storyline is a potential pay-off to a slow-burn romance. However, with Gallo rejecting Violet’s offer to go on a date, it seems the repetitive drama of their will-they-won’t-they romance will continue.
Not Enough Fires
Drama between characters is a staple of Chicago Fire, but the series has recently only focused on interpersonal drama and not the fires the firefighters have to battle. While the members of Firehouse 51 always respond to calls, the emergencies take up much less time than they did in earlier seasons.
Chicago Fire has crossed over with Chicago PD and Chicago Med several times. When the One Chicago universe began, fans were excited to see their favorite characters from all of NBC’s Chicago-based dramas interact. These storylines were always dramatic and impactful.
With a lack of crossovers, One Chicago fans have been left to assume that the Chicago Fire characters still interact with the Chicago Med and Chicago PD characters, but the show hasn’t confirmed this fact. One-episode storylines and no connections between series make the One Chicago universe seem disjointed when it used to be a cohesive and exciting world.
The Same Characters Are Getting Screen Time
With a large cast, Chicago Fire has the means to focus on new characters in every season, but the show has focused on the same set of people for the last three seasons. This lack of variety is wearing on fans and making them less interested in the show as the storylines become predictable and overdone.
Sylvie Brett, Kelly Severide, and Stella Kidd have been getting the most screen time. However, several other characters have the potential to hold dramatic and interesting storylines on their own.
Too Many Storylines Are Being Dropped
