Are the rumors true? Let’s explore what the speculation is all about for the future of Chicago Fire Season 12.
As we hold our breath in anticipation, let’s delve into the burning question: “Is Chicago Fire Season 12 still on the horizon or not?” “Will our favorite firefighters continue to face danger head-on and ignite our screens with their heroic tales?” If you want answers to these questions and are wondering what the future has in store for the fandom, then you have reached the right place to know everything relating to all the latest updates for the recently renewed 12th season.
Especially for you, we’ve compiled a quick rundown of everything you need to know about this beloved drama series from the One Chicago franchise. Continue reading to find out all the details about NBC’s Chicago Fire Season 12.
Chicago Fire Season 12: Is it still happening, or has it been canceled?
Firstly, we want to clear up all the rumors surrounding the fate of this beloved drama television series because we are certain that the fans have been a bit worried about the status of the show as the filming has not started due to the ongoing strikes, which include the Writers Guild of America strike along with the SAG-AFTRA strike. This situation has caused the workings of Hollywood to come to a halt until a proper resolution is made for the work to effectively resume and the production to conclude on time without causing any further hurdles in the release.
As rumors swirl about the fate of the next season, we are glad to report and assure our readers that for now, the plans for the cancellation of Chicago Fire Season 12 are just entirely untrue! The firefighters will return to brave the flames as their journey will continue to ignite for another spectacular season, which the fans have been awaiting to return back on the television screens! But the trick is that the fans will just have to wait for some more time as the entire One Chicago franchise release date will be shifted to a late premiere date!
In short, there is no chance that the network will just randomly decide to scrap the renewal of this beloved series, which was confirmed earlier this year on April 20, 2023, especially when each season of the show has been able to gather such a large viewership and amazing ratings that any network will be willing to expand for more seasons.
Chicago Fire Season 12 Release Date: Is it premiering in 2023 or 2024?
As stated above, 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 window instead of it being premiering in the fall of 2023, 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.
Finally, we would also like to emphasize that NBC might also opt to follow the same direction as its competitor networks by deciding to shift all the scripted shows until next year and agreeing to schedule 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 issue at hand, as it will not cause any delays in the network schedule for the next few weeks.
Chicago Fire Season 12 Plot: What to expect?
Not much information regarding the potential future plotlines of the upcoming season has been revealed due to an early renewal and efforts to avoid giving away too many spoilers, but we are confident the 12th season will undoubtedly look into the basic concept, which is as follows:
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:
things are really coming together for Brett 🥺 #ChicagoFire #OneChicago pic.twitter.com/iVqGAfPcKh
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) June 7, 2023
*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 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 Season 12 Cast: Who will reprise their roles in the series?
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.”
On the other hand, due to a striking 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 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
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
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.
Jesse Spencer as Captain Matthew Casey
Matt Casey returned 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 told 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
In the last season, 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
In 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! With Herrmann by his side, Mouch started to bleed out while his friend frantically yelled for assistance. He has healed from such injuries before, but the cliffhanger leaves fans wondering if the worst is going to happen or not, which we won’t find out until the next season.
Lastly, all these main and recurring cast members 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.
#OneChicago summertime vibes are SO good ☀️ pic.twitter.com/OqWZrlNsgF
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) July 3, 2023
Chicago Fire Season 12 Episodes: How many will be there?
The next season is speculated to consist of a 22-episode order with a runtime of 42 to 44 minutes, which is expected to air on a weekly basis. It is intended to follow the same count to maintain the season’s flow. We’d also like to point out that the titles and synopsis have not been released. These details will be revealed once the release date draws closer to avoid any early leaks about the respective plotlines and character arcs.
We would also like to emphasize that NBC Chicago reported an unfortunate update which indicates that the ongoing strike could also result in seasons being shortened due to the lack of episode scripts and the writer’s room 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!
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. 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.
"our first kiss was right here" ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JR7lBbmCs4
— One Chicago (@NBCOneChicago) May 25, 2023
While you wait for more Chicago Fire Season 12 updates on Web News Observer, catch up on the previous seasons on NBC.