The Firehouse 51 crew has been a small-screen staple for over a decade. Watching the firefighters and paramedics of Chicago Fire tackle dangerous missions while navigating their personal relationships has kept millions hooked since the series premiered in 2012. And as the origin of Dick Wolf's One Chicago franchise, it's given way to other spinoffs that expand the universe and deepen the story.
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With season 11 in full swing and nearing the finale, fans are itching to know what's in store for their favorite characters. Details about season 12 remain scarce, but it's safe to say that the team will be facing some of its toughest challenges yet.
So, what do we know about the upcoming season? Let's dive into all the rumors and speculation about the future of Chicago Fire.
Season 12 Is Not Yet Confirmed
This is where the itching begins. Chicago Fire has been an NBC powerhouse for years now, dominating ratings with an average of nearly 7 million viewers and counting. It's so popular — and a straight-up institution at this point — that the last time it was renewed, it was renewed for a whopping three seasons.
But as of right now, it has not been officially renewed for season 12.
Despite the radio silence, NBC Streaming Chairman of Entertainment Content Susan Rovner did offer some sort of positive indication about the future of the series in a recent interview. "There's a lot of life, and all things stick well," she said. "And I'm sure good news will come soon."
While that's a real non-answer answer, she did shed some light as to why other NBC shows, such as Quantum Leap, were renewed while Chicago Fire stays in limbo. "That's because we can stay in continuous production right now ahead of a possible writers strike," she said. "That's also a shorter order. Dick Wolf does 22-episode shows, so there isn't the same continuous production opportunity there."
So while we're still very much in the wait-and-see phase, there is a good chance that the show will be signed on for multiple seasons as it has in the past.
Severide Will Likely Still Be Absent
By now, diehard Chicago Fire fans are painfully aware of the void left by longtime frontman Taylor Kinney, who played the dashing and heroic Lt. Kelly Severide. Earlier this year, Deadline reported that the actor was taking a leave of absence from the show to deal with a personal matter. Exactly what that matter is — and when or whether he'll return — isn't clear.
Writers apparently learned of this absence about as abruptly as the rest of us and had to quickly scramble to rewrite the remaining season 11 episodes without him. It looks as if they settled with sending Severide off to attend "the best arson investigation training program in the world." Whatever that means.
That only leaves a few threads for the show to pick up again if and when Kinney returns. But with no concrete indication as to whether he will be back, it's possible that season 12 could move forward without him. Kinney has been just as mum about his character's future as the network. Despite the barrage of support from fans wondering what's keeping him from the firehouse, he hasn't posted anything on Instagram since December 2022.
Casey's Return May Not Be Permanent
While audiences are still questioning the whereabouts of one beloved Chicago Fire character, NBC announced that another will be returning: Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey. We last saw him in an emotional goodbye with the team during the season 10 finale when he moved to Oregon. The exact details of his storyline — including how long he'll stay — remain unclear. Right now, he's only been announced for a single episode, which airs April 5.
It's possible he could be a permanent addition to the show once again, but he made it pretty clear in the past that he wanted to pursue other projects. "I realized I've been doing TV for a long time," he said in an interview after announcing his exit. "I added it up, and I think this year is my 18th year of network television.
"It was a difficult decision because I've loved the show from the start, but there are other things that I would like to do in the future, and there's some family that I need to take care of, and 18 years is a long time."
Until we know more, fans will just have to wait and see if Casey is back for good or only passing through in season 12.
A Lot About Season 12 Is Unknown
The future of Chicago Fire may still be uncertain, but the show definitely has a passionate fan base behind it. As of now, all we can do is tune into new episodes — Wednesdays at 9/8 Central on NBC — and hope for the best.
READ MORE: 'Chicago Fire': Jesse Spencer Set to Return as Matt Casey in Season 11 Following Taylor Kinney's Exit
