Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won’t be back in the new season?

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?
Credit: NBC

Are you ready for another thrilling season? If yes, then continue reading to learn all about Chicago Fire Season 12.

As the beloved series returns for its twelfth installment, fans are eagerly awaiting to see what lies ahead for their favorite firefighters at Firehouse 51. However, amidst all the excitement, there’s one burning question on everyone’s minds, “Who won’t be back in the new season?” This is a crucial concern of the fans that need to be addressed, as the show has been well-known for delving into gripping changes and surprising departures that usually leave the audience surprised, like us!

So, if you want to know in advance which characters might not return in the new chapter, don’t worry. You have reached the right spot!

For your convenience, we have listed down all the details that might have affected the cast, as after striking a deal with NBC on budgets that will put the series on the air for another season, One Chicago producers Universal Television and Dick Wolf’s studio-based Wolf Entertainment are also cutting talent expenditures. In order to keep budget expenses down, there may be a cast shake-up so, so we have to predict that there are some characters who might not return in the new season. 

For your convenience, we have listed all of them down, which are as follows: 

Taylor Kinney as Lieutenant Kelly Severide

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

If you recall, back on January 20, 2023, NBC announced that Taylor Kinney would take a leave of absence to focus on a “personal matter.” It was later announced that Kinney would not appear in the season finale of the last season, as former cast member Jesse Spencer, who has portrayed Captain Matthew Casey, returned in a guest-starring role in Kinney’s absence and returned for the season finale. Since then, no confirmation about his return in the next season has been hinted at, so there is a slight chance that his character might not return until the next season.

Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Nichole Severide

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

If you recall, Stella decides to leave Chicago in an effort to get Kelly back after being concerned about his ATF job and when he’d return. She seems to be on a mission to bring him back, which kind of puts her position at risk because we know that Taylor Kinney has been taking a leave of absence to focus on a “personal matter,” due to which his character has not been on the show for a while. So, if Stella decides to leave, then there is a chance that her husband might also not return in the new season, which is just speculation at this point, and the fans will have to wait for some more time to get all the answers.

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. *Finger’s Crossed*

Jesse Spencer as Captain Matthew Casey

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

As mentioned above, he returned as Matt Casey in the 11th season finale, leaving a bit of hope for the fans to see his comeback. But there is still a chance that his character might not be a part of the main cast, as he stated, “The idea when I left the show was that if it was appropriate and it would work with the storyline they wanted to do, I would be open—and they would be open—to bringing Casey back,” Spencer tells NBC Insider.  

“The storyline [in Episode 18] does allude to Casey sort of eyeing whether he could actually move back to 51. Can he potentially, in the future, rekindle his relationship with Brett [Kara Killmer] and start that fire again? We’re gonna have to see. Casey’s looking at it; it’s a potential thing, but we just don’t know right now. We’ll leave that to the future. We’ll throw it to the gods and see what they say.” 

Kara Killmer as Paramedic Sylvie Brett

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

If you watched the final episode of the 11th season, then you’ll recall the official synopsis of the finale was the one to begin all the departure talks for this character, as it stated, “Brett waits for life-changing news; Herrmann encounters a psychic with a grave warning on a call; Kidd finds a new lead on the Homeland Security case.” 

That’s not all in the last episode; we saw Casey return to the series as he finally proposed to her, with the plot leading to the next chapter in their relationship as the best couple on the show. There is a possibility that she might leave the show with her character being in Oregon with Matthew Casey, as he lives there too, and they might once again try to build a relationship, which can be a good plot device for her absence, or she might stay if he returns. But as of writing this, nothing is confirmed yet. 

Christian Stolte as Randall “Mouch” McHolland

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

Senior Firefighter Randall “Mouch” McHolland, is a veteran firefighter and an engineer with the Chicago Fire Department, a union rep, and is currently assigned to Truck 81 at Firehouse 51. 

From the final episode of the 11th season, we get to know that in the wake of a fire/extremist threat, Mouch’s life hangs in the balance. We learn that Mouch was injured by shrapnel during a perilous rescue call and transported to the hospital, where he was well – until he wasn’t! Mouch began to bleed out and code with Herrmann by his side as his companion anxiously screamed for help. This isn’t the first time he has recovered from such injuries, but the cliffhanger has left fans wondering if the worst is about to happen or not, which we’ll only know about in the next season. 

Chicago Fire Season 12 Cast: Who is expected to return?

The main cast members who are still speculated to return in the new season are as follows: David Eigenberg as Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann, Joe Miñoso as Firefighter Joe Cruz, Miranda Rae Mayo as Lieutenant Stella Kidd, Alberto Rosende as Firefighter Blake Gallo, Daniel Kyri as Firefighter Darren Ritter, Hanako Greensmith as Paramedic Violet Mikami, and Eamonn Walker as Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden among other recurring cast members. 

“We understand the emotional connection our audience has with these characters and we can’t wait to bring more of their stories to the forefront next season,” Lisa Katz, the president of scripted programming at NBCUniversal and Streaming, said in a statement. Further adding, “A huge thank you to Dick and his amazing team who are the masters of producing incredibly compelling television week after week.” 

These cast members, which include the main, recurring, and guest star cast, are still subject to change because the network may subsequently make announcements about other cast members who will join or leave the series. Moreover, the series’ executive producers are Dick Wolf, Derek Haas, Andrea Newman, Michael Gilvary, Reza Tabrizi, Arthur Forney, and Peter Jankowski. It is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

Chicago Fire Season 12 Release Date: Has it been changed?

The ongoing strikes, which include SAG-AFTRA, otherwise known as the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, along with the WGA, or the Writers Guild of America, have caused a major halt in the production of many NBC series as the filming along with the completion of scripts has ultimately stopped until there is any favorable agreement reached in favor of both actor’s and writer’s work and compensation.

Due to this ongoing situation which doesn’t seem to reach an agreement in the coming weeks, it looks like a revised schedule will soon be released by the network, highlighting an entirely new release window for the three One Chicago series, which might be set for an early to mid-2024 release with the same time slot of 9 p.m. EST, preceded by Med at 8 p.m. EST and followed by P.D. at 10 p.m. EST.

This can only happen if the production doesn’t effectively start by August 2023, then, there is no doubt that creators will decide to postpone the filming until later this year, which will take time to complete the post-production before delivering the new episodes to the fans! As a result, the chances of Chicago Fire Season 12 returning sometime later in 2023 seems very minimal at the moment. 

Finally, we would also like to emphasize that NBC might also opt to follow the same direction as the ABC network. If you have been keeping up, then you’ll know that the network has decided to shift all the scripted shows until next year by scheduling all the non-scripted shows for the rest of the year, which usually doesn’t require any writers or actors. It’s a great alternative to deal with the situation, as it will not cause any delays in the network schedule for the next few weeks.

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

Chicago Fire Season 12: What to expect in the next season?

Though not much has been revealed, we are certain that this series will once again delve right into the professional and personal lives of the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51 as they risk their lives every day to save and protect the citizens of Chicago. Even though the series was renewed earlier this year, it is too early to predict future storylines, but we are certain that the new season is intended to carry the story forward, which includes some of the following predictions, which we have summarized for you below:

*Spoiler Alert*

In the wake of a fire/extremist threat, Mouch’s life hangs in the balance. Sylvie’s relationship with Dylan came to a close, and a new door opened as Casey proposed to her, all the while as she was looking to adopt an infant girl. Stella makes the decision to leave Chicago in hopes of bringing Kelly back. That’s not all! After looking at these points, one thing is certain the next season will definitely pick up plotlines and character arcs from the last season’s final episode, “Red Waterfall,” in which the viewers get to see the following events: 

The viewers finally get to see that Brett travels to Indiana, hoping to receive life-changing news. Firehouse 51 is called to the scene of an accident. Stella notices something in the SUV and alerts Boden. Herrmann is taunted by one of the victims he saved at a call and went to a psychic parlor. Casey returns and proposes to Brett. Mouch is injured during a call and is rushed to Chicago Med. Initially, he seems fine, but later he loses consciousness and flatlines.

“I’m pleased to continue my four-decade relationship with Universal Television and NBC,” One Chicago creator Dick Wolf said in a statement. “All six shows [including the Law & Order franchise] being picked up again is the ultimate accolade to our incredible casts, producers, and writers. I’d also like to thank our loyal fans who have kept our NBC shows on the air for what will be a cumulative 84 seasons.” In the meantime, check out the official promo of the last season’s final episode to recall what has transpired in the series so far:

Chicago Fire 11x22 Promo "Red Waterfall" (HD) Season Finale

Chicago Fire Season 12 Episodes: Has the official episode count been reduced?

Initially, the next season was speculated to consist of a total of 22 episodes with an average runtime of 42 to 44 minutes, which is expected to air on a weekly basis as it was intended to follow the same count to maintain the season’s flow. But, sadly, we would like to stress that NBC Chicago has reported an unfortunate update that indicates that the ongoing strike could also result in seasons being shortened due to the lack of scripts being completed in the writer’s room and the lack of availability of actors not resuming their work until a proper resolution, which will eventually lead to production delays.

“They could be forced to cut seasons short or delay filming altogether,” the outlet added, which will be quite unfortunate but for the best in order to avoid another delay!

So, there are many chances that the customary 22-episode count might be reduced to 18-20 episodes for this upcoming season. Of course! It can only happen if the production is further delayed later this year and the network still wants to release the show by early 2024 in order to be consistent.  As of writing this, we can only predict what the show creators have decided about the future of this One Chicago series, which will let the fans finally reunite with the beloved Firehouse 51 crew for more amazing twists and turns that this drama television series is known for since its inception! 

Chicago Fire Season 12: Who won't be back in the new season?

Chicago Fire Season 12 Official Trailer: Is it available?

We would like to highlight that currently, there is no official teaser or trailer for Chicago Fire Season 12 because the filming hasn’t even begun, which makes it way too early for the network to produce any new content for the fans to get some insight into the future plotlines. 

The production has been put on a halt until the strikes are able to reach an agreement. Until then, we encourage viewers to speculate about the storylines that may be explored to extend the One Chicago franchise for more seasons. For international viewers, the series aired on Global and then moved to CityTV in Canada. Whereas, in Malaysia, the series aired on PRIMEtime for eight seasons, then moved to Universal Channel Asia and AXN Asia.

Moreover, the entire three series of One Chicago are available to watch on NBC’s official website and app, where the episodes are published after they air on the channel. The show is also available to stream on Peacock, FuboTV, and Hulu Plus. You can also stream the series by renting or purchasing on Amazon Instant Video or Vudu, with a vast number of membership plans. The previous seasons of this beloved franchise are also available to stream for free on IMDb TV,  based on the user’s location.

While you wait for more Chicago Fire Season 12 updates on Web News Observer, catch up on the previous seasons
on NBC.

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