NBC has been missing any fresh Windy City action for months due to the prolonged One Chicago hiatus, but Chicago Fire is on the way back in the 2024 TV schedule to finally shed some light on Kelly Severide's return to Firehouse 51 and wife Stella Kidd. A recent trailer for One Chicago (seen above) shows an interaction between the two lieutenants that is more than a little tense, and I seized my chance to ask Fire showrunner Andrea Newman about it.
Taylor Kinney returns to Chicago Fire in the Season 12 premiere for the first time since back in March 2023, when an episode established that Severide had gone to Alabama for OFI training to accommodate the actor's leave of absence. Severide's absence combined with his later radio silence was tough on his wife, and Stella leaving to retrieve her husband was one of the Season 11 finale cliffhangers.
The trailer for One Chicago shows an interaction with the two following the six-month time jump, with Stella telling Severide that she "basically had to fly to Alabama, put you in handcuffs, and drag you home." Severide followed by saying that they're "in this together," and the pair share a kiss, but is that enough for them to get back to what they were?
I recently spoke to Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman and asked about the Stellaride status quo based on that interaction from the trailer, and she shared:
Good question. I'm excited about this dynamic because it's really fun and it's like within one second that the audience gets to see it. They're still very much a couple. They can't keep their hands off each other, but there's an undeniable new element to their relationship that you pick up on right away. There's some tension lingering there. More than lingering! At one point Violet has a line, 'It's like watching two big cats circling each other and you don't know which way it's gonna go.' [laughs]
The good news: Chicago Fire isn't going to wait until the end of the Season 12 premiere to establish the new status quo for the duo after the time jump of six months, and they won't be estranged. The bad (but realistic) news: there's some major tension between them to the point that their colleagues will comment on it. Newman continued:
But there's some tension that the main call in the premiere will bring to the fore. We'll really get to explore. There's been a little bit of shoving it underneath from both of them. The audience will not be left in the dark about what's going on with the two of them after that six months. We'll really see it on its feet in this first episode and see this tension that was created by him disappearing into arson cases back then.
This isn't the first time that the good ship Stellaride hit some rough waters due to one of them disappearing on the other, as Stella was absent for a long time without much communication in Season 10. It remains to be seen how the tables turning affects their relationship, but NBC's episode description for the Season 12 premiere – called "Barely Gone" – reveals that their relationship will be tested by an arson case.
The first look photos for the premiere also show Severide on the scene of a fire, although fans will have to tune in to see if this is the case that brings the tension to the fore. The episode will also see Firehouse 51 saying goodbye to one of their own with Alberto Rosende leaving Fire as Blake Gallo. Plus, Kidd and Herrmann will have some kind of conflict over Ritter, all while 51 has to share the firehouse with the crew from 17.
Luckily, the wait for the new season is almost over. Chicago Fire returns with its Season 12 premiere on Wednesday, January 17 at 9 p.m. ET, between Chicago Med's Season 9 return at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D.'s Season 11 premiere at 10 p.m., all on NBC. Check back with CinemaBlend for more on Chicago Fire from the showrunner, and if you want a refresher on what happened in the finales all the way back in the spring, all three shows are available streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
