At the end of last season, many things were up in the air for a lot of the first responders on Chicago Fire.
As a new season of the series is set to begin, showrunner Andrea Newman is ready to reveal what’s next for the inhabitants of Firehouse 51.
First, she admits that when the creative team set about crafting this season, there was, “a certain amount of scrambling trying to figure it all out.”
She says that this was in part due to the writers and actors strikes. “We always have some storylines in mind at the end of the season, but this year everything was different. So, it was a little crazy at the start, but I actually think it worked for us storywise to have a bigger time jump than we usually do— which this year is six months. That was a bit of a surprise silver lining for us.”
Revealing what’s happening with the comings and goings within the firehouse, Newman begins with, “You know, it’s actually fun to be able to bring a character’s story to a conclusion, I always love to give the audience that surprise and that closure, but we also want to make sure that any exits are organic to the character and if you’ve built the character’s overall storyline properly, it doesn’t feel like they’re leaving is coming out of the blue.”
She drills down a bit on this in discussing the exit of firefighter Blake Gallo, which has already been announced in the media. “For him, he had such a great season last year. We’ve been referring to it as his Super Bowl winning year. So, it made sense for him to move on. It feels a little like when a really great quarterback retires and goes on his way and you just feel like it’s right.”
Another character who will be around for a bit but then will move on, is paramedic Sylvie Britt.
About this Newman says, “That character’s been with us a long time and just watching her grow and change and with her adopting a baby at the end of last season, it really feels like it’s time for that character to keep evolving and keep building that family.”
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As for who’s coming, Newman gushes a bit, as she divulges, “I’m so excited about our new firefighter. He appears in episode two and he’s got a great hero moment when he saves somebody that’s been in our 51 family for a while. And, he’s incredibly intriguing, with lots of layers to peel back on him. He’s really gonna shake up the firehouse.”
Also stepping back into the firehouse is Lieutenant Kelly Severide, who has been off the canvas since actor Taylor Kinney took a personal leave during last season.
“It’s so great to have Taylor back,” says Newman.Miranda Rae Mayo and Taylor Kinney star as Stella Kidd and Kelly Severide in “Chicago Fire.”COURTESY: NBC.
She then dishes on what’s ahead Severide and fellow firefighter Stella Kidd, who also happens to be Severide’s wife. “That relationship is really fun to get back into and to watch what they’re going through together.”
In the season premiere, she says that another character accurately says that the watching the Severide and Kidd interact is like, ‘watching two big cats circling each other.”
“It’s because there’s this new tension between them, but they still can’t keep their hands off each other,” says Newman.
While the first responders of Firehouse 51 certainly have their triumphs, they don’t always succeed, and this is something that Newman says her team has been talking about a lot recently.
“That really is kind of part of the theme of this season. We’re exploring the ups and downs and how they get through it together. That’s how they do it day in and day out — they lean on each other.”
She says that this is especially evident in the premiere episode when there’s a serial arsonists who’s coming after first responders.
“They have to face that together and figure out how to handle it, then regroup and come out stronger because of it.”
Newman says that the series will never shy away from showing tragedy, which is a very real part of firefighter life.
“What we do a lot is we use humor as a survival mechanism,” she says.
Which is also true to life, points out Newman. “One of the first things I noticed when when we were doing
