Chicago Fire kicked off Season 14 in the 2025 TV schedule with some changes to Firehouse 51 even beyond the absence of Carver, the departure of Ritter, and Stella not needing to step out of the action after all. Mouch was installed as the lieutenant of Engine 51 and entitled to an office in the fire house.... if only Herrmann was willing to vacate it. He has come a long way since earning the nickname of Mouch as Man + Couch pre-series, and actor Christian Stolte opened up about why none of these developments would have worked in earlier seasons.
In the Season 14 premiere (available streaming now with a Peacock subscription), Mouch was still getting used to all the new tasks that came along with the lieutenant gig, not helped by Herrmann holding onto the office. As for the former Engine lieutenant, he did have some valid concerns like the dip in his income due to giving up his spot as an officer, but one of my big takeaways from the first episode is that Mouch deserves full custody of the office.
When Christian Stolte spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets ahead of the premiere, I had to know: how will Mouch be dealing with the mantle of an officer after thirteen years as a member of the team rather than the leader? The actor shared:
I don't think it would have played in earlier seasons. I don't think that's who he was. We're blessed with the gift of longevity on this show. We've been around a long time. We've been around long enough for people to age and change and evolve, and that's what has happened. When it all came down to him deciding to shed the half man, half couch identity, and to actually apply himself full force to his job, that put the character in a different place, and suddenly all of his years of experience were focused on leadership. [They] were focused on getting the job done and calling the shots and not just taking orders anymore.
Christian Stolte isn't kidding about Chicago Fire having longevity! While it's not the longest-running show in the Dick Wolf TV universe with Law & Order on Season 25 and Law & Order: SVU in Season 27, the founding One Chicago drama has already outlasted most current and past network TV shows. With Mouch as part of the Firehouse 51 going back to the very beginning, he's gone through plenty since those earlier seasons to rise to his current position.
Mouch's promotion is also reassuring in light of the cuts that are coming to the CFD, since the officers seem the safest from losing their positions. In fact, Stolte went on to preview an upcoming episode that will include a key moment for Mouch, and I'm already excited to see it:
In Episode 5, I just sat on the couch in my spot for I think the first time since I got up off it and said, 'No more.' And it was in a very casual sort of post mortem after a call situation. I was very conscious of it, because I will sit in other places in the common room and look at that spot on the couch and say, 'That used to be me. That used to be my spot.' And then all of a sudden I'm sitting there again, I was like, 'Okay, okay. No ceremony. I'm just sitting here because it's a couch. That's all.'
I don't think it'll catch on if Mouch starts trying to go by "Randall" or "McHolland" after more than fourteen years with his nickname, but that may be pretty much all that's left of Man + Couch as the new episodes of the fall continue on NBC. Of course, more turmoil seems to be on the way for Stella on Truck 81 than Mouch on Engine 51 due to the arrival of Sal Vasquez, played by On Call alum Brandon Larracuente. Take a look at the promo for the next new episode:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET for new Chicago Fire episodes with Mouch and Co., between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. You can also stream all three shows next day on Peacock. This will be an especially big week in One Chicago for Med, which reaches the 200-episode milestone on October 8.
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