Spoilers ahead for the Season 13 finale of Chicago Fire, called "It Had To End This Way" and streaming now with a Peacock subscription.
Not every season of Chicago Fire ends on a happy note, but the Season 13 finale in the 2025 TV schedule definitely delivered. Even though the hit NBC drama is losing two firefighters, there was plenty to celebrate: Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) are going to be parents. In a sweet twist, the baby on the way isn't the duo getting their hopes up again for an adoption, but because Stella herself is pregnant. Executive producer Andrea Newman spoke with CinemaBlend about the change in plans for parenthood, as well as what made everybody on set cry.
Stella telling Severide that she was pregnant brought their latest subplot as a couple full circle, after Severide pitched starting a family at the end of Season 12. Andrea Newman previewed their "journey" to starting a family before Season 13 debuted, but as it turns out, the Chicago Fire plan for them becoming parents was originally different. When I asked the EP/showrunner why Stellaride are having a baby of their own rather than the adoption storyline continuing, Newman shared:
Well, I think the plan was always the adoption, and over the course of this season, there was a real evolution for not just Kidd, but for Kidd and Severide's relationship. They were talking about things they had never talked about before, and getting closer. I feel like, especially after that hospital episode, Episode 20, they learned a lot about each other. They bonded, and by the end of it, they were closer than they've ever been... Kidd came out of that feeling really empowered in terms of her relationship.
Episode 20 saw Stellaride come heartbreakingly close to adopting an infant, with Jessy Schram making a guest-star appearance from Chicago Med to deliver the baby who could have become their child. Instead, the adoptive mother changed her mind, and the two Firehouse 51 lieutenants had to go home without a baby.
It was a devastating twist, especially after the rest of the firefighters had gone all-out to put together as many baby supplies as possible when the adoption initially seemed like a sure thing. As it turns out now, that heartbreak brought the couple closer in a positive way, as Newman continued:
Communication lines have been opened. Things that she had been scared of before, I don't think she's still scared of. So she probably got a little less careful with her birth control, and left it a little bit to the fates. [laughs] Because she believed she can handle it. 'If the adoption thing happens, I'm ready for it. But I'm opening the door to all sorts of answers now. '
Considering that this is the first pregnancy for a female firefighter in Firehouse 51 since Gabby Dawson back in late Season 3, the story is actually a lot fresher than adoption. Chicago Fire's Cruz went through an adoption storyline not too long ago, and two characters on the Chicago P.D. corner of One Chicago took in a young girl as well. Here's hoping Stella's pregnancy goes better than Gabby's did! The showrunner went on:
That, to me, was a reflection of their relationship strength, and also all the things she worked out over the course of it. Seeing her cousin, having her cousin come and talking about her past, having Natalie rely on her and her being able to help Natalie in that way, all those things led to that moment, and her taking the leap. It is a big leap, and we'll see how it all ends up.
Fans have a while to wait to see the next stage of Stellaride's pregnancy journey in the fall, although Stella could be past her first trimester when Season 13 kicks off depending on how long the time jump is. Speaking with Andrea Newman, I admitted that Miranda Rae Mayo's performance in Episode 20 made me cry, and the showrunner responded:
Me too! And oh my god, Taylor, at the end [of the finale] when he sees the results, he had me crying. I got goosebumps when I saw the first cut of that. I had been on stage for that, and everybody behind the monitor was crying at the way he reacted... It was all very emotional.
Apparently, Taylor Kinney's performance when Severide learned that he and Stella were going to become parents was powerful enough that the Chicago Fire team on set was in tears. How nice is it to have a finale twist that makes people cry for good reasons rather than any kind of tragic cliffhanger?
Thanks to the early One Chicago renewals, fans can rest easy in the knowledge that Fire will be back in its 9 p.m. time slot on NBC's Wednesdays in the fall, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. All three shows are also available streaming on Peacock for your rewatching pleasure over summer hiatus.
Chicago Med also has a character with a bun in the oven ahead of next season, but Hannah seemed a lot less pleased by the surprise than Stella was!
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