Actor Wesam Keesh Is a Familiar Face to Dick Wolf Fans
Wesam Keesh plays Jared Lennox on Chicago Fire, and the actor will look familiar to anyone who follows the rest of Dick Wolf’s many TV shows. He had a recurring role during Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 as Malachi (real name Adam Mintock), a hacker who briefly joined the Organized Crime Task Force and struck up a romance with Jet Slootmaekers. Before that, Keesh guest starred in an episode of the short-lived and underrated Chicago Justice. He played Jafar Boustani in Season 1, Episode 3, “See Something.”
His casting continues a trend of Dick Wolf-produced shows sharing talent. Hanako Greensmith, who plays Violet, appeared in a Season 1 episode of FBI before she joined Chicago Fire. Daniel Kyri had a role on Chicago Med well ahead of being cast as firefighter Darren Ritter. It’s a fairly common practice for the Wolf brand to reuse actors when they notice talent. So while Lennox might be new to Firehouse 51, the actor who plays him is already familiar with both the One Chicago and Law & Order universes!
Outside of the procedural world, Keesh is known for starring in the Shonda Rhimes-produced legal drama For the People as attorney Jay Simmons. The 2019 series finale, “A Choice Between Two Things,” focused on Jay’s parents being harassed at a polling place and the legal case that resulted. Keesh also played Agent Burnside in one episode of Marvel Studios’ Echo. He’s a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma — the city at the heart of A&E’s The First 48.
Is Lennox Staying on Chicago Fire?
The Paramedic’s Future Is Still up in the Air
While Wesam Keesh is an intriguing addition to Chicago Fire, audiences shouldn’t get too invested in Lennox just yet. The ending of “Red Flag” makes it clear that the character is sticking around for at least one more episode, but Keesh has not been officially announced as the new series regular. Since Lennox’s storyline has only just begun, things could truthfully go either way.
Another common practice in the One Chicago world is to introduce a new character on a recurring basis to see how they work out, and then promoting them to series regular. Greensmith came back on a recurring basis when Violet returned to replace Gianna Mackey after Adriyan Rae’s unexpected departure from Chicago Fire — and then the success of the Violet/Brett pairing led to Greensmith becoming part of the main cast. Both Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med have done the same, with actors like Tracy Spiridakos and Dominic Rains starting with guest star or recurring billing, and then quickly moving into the main credits. It wouldn’t be wholly unexpected to see Keesh follow suit.
However, Lennox’s storyline would have to take a hard turn for that to be believable. Chicago Fire has done several storylines about other members of the department trying to undermine Firehouse 51 — and all of them have ended with Boden and company prevailing. Fans are familiar with Violet’s temporary partner Emma Jacobs trying to upend her life in Seasons 10-11, or the machinations of Assistant Deputy Commissioner Jerry Gorsch in Seasons 7-8, or even firefighter turned arsonist Kevin Hadley in the first three seasons.
The plot would dictate that Lennox and Robinson get their comeuppance and Lennox goes away… but that pattern would also make it a lot more interesting if Lennox gets his eyes opened and ends up turning against his boss. Audiences will have to see if Violet confronts Lennox about his complaints in future episodes, or if they find a way to work together. Given what Wesam Keesh has brought to his prior roles in the Dick Wolf universe, it would be fun to see the actor stick around — yet that requires a convincing reason for Jared Lennox to turn from frustrating new paramedic on Chicago Fire to someone worthy of riding on Ambulance 61.
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