Chicago Fire returned to NBC to pay off on the big cliffhanger that left the lives of Severide and the rest of Squad in jeopardy, and the Season 10 premiere fortunately didn’t kill any of them off. No memorials need to join Otis’ at Firehouse 51, and fans can look ahead to what’s next. Herrmann stepped up in some notable ways in the premiere, following a trend of his increasing leadership since becoming Engine lieutenant. When I was able to speak with both David Eigenberg and Taylor Kinney, hilarity ensued (seen above) when it came to describing Herrmann as a leader.
I spoke with the Chicago Fire stars about Season 10, and they hyped up the “doozy” of the cliffhanger and touched on the many goodbyes that they’ve had to say to fellow cast members over the years. Things got a little sillier when I asked David Eigenberg whether Herrmann stepping up as a leader is something that fans will see a bit more of this season, and Taylor Kinney clearly enjoyed it as well.
David Eigenberg: Yeah, we got some stuff going on. And I don't know... they're in Hollywood, they're in L.A. so they don't see what not a leader I am in real life. So their imagination does propel Herrmann forward because they don't witness me in real [life] because I lack maturity in real life. But I've been having a lot of fun yelling at people. I like to yell. And that's probably bad leadership skills, but they write a scene and then I just scream it most of the time. I think that's leadership to me. But I don't know. I never get to boss him [Severide] around, the other guy.Taylor Kinney: If this is recorded – it’s recorded, right? … Okay. I want you to, when we're done, I want you to see if you can get a... what's that called? Like a stenograph or whatever. Just play back the last 40 seconds. Play back the last 40 seconds of what David said, when he was on that little rant and play it back verbatim. And write that down on a piece of paper. And then could you send that to the, I don't know, Chicago Fire office or what have you? And I want to read it back. And that's the answer. Like he's a leader. [laughs] You have to send that back. And then that's the answer to the question before he started rambling.
According to David Eigenberg, there will be some "stuff going on" with Herrmann as a leader in Season 10, and he's been having fun with it. Taylor Kinney was clearly entertained by Eigenberg's answer as his co-star elaborated with his thoughts on Herrmann's leadership skills, and it was definitely a glimpse at the cast chemistry that has helped keep Chicago Fire going strong for ten seasons now. Plus, would Herrmann really be Herrmann if he didn't yell at people every once in a while as Engine lieutenant? Getting the bugles of an officer didn't change his entire character, after all!
Besides, fans should probably enjoy some humor when it comes to Chicago Fire while they can. The One Chicago promo for the next episode of Fire previews Herrmann looking very serious on the scene of an incident, to the point that it's hard not to wonder if something personal happens to him. There is another potential Engine lieutenant waiting in the wings at 51 thanks to Stella passing her exam, so she hypothetically could step in if Herrmann needs to take a break, but hopefully the firefighters of 51 didn't all survive the Season 9 cliffhanger just for tragedy to strike in the second episode of Season 10!
See what happens next for David Eigenberg's Herrmann, Taylor Kinney's Severide, and the rest of the 51 team with new episodes of Chicago Fire on One Chicago Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, right in between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. Med and P.D. have plenty going on as well as Fire, with Will Halstead's return to the hospital on Med coming with more than a few complications and, as Marina Squerciati previewed to CinemaBlend, Burgess navigating the aftermath of her attack on P.D.
