Chicago Fire Season 14 got off to an eventful start in the fall 2025 TV schedule, with the first few episodes delivering everything from a bombshell about Stella Kidd's pregnancy to the arrival of an X-Files vet to the exit of Daniel Kyri's Ritter. In the next new episode, which airs on October 22 and streams next day via a Peacock subscription, one firefighter seems on the verge of at least one very big personal loss, and his magnanimous decision at the end of Season 13 might backfire on him now. Poor Herrmann!
The former Engine 51 lieutenant took a demotion at the end of Season 13 so that Mouch could have his turn as an officer at their longtime firehouse. Now back on Truck 81, the aftermath of Herrmann's decision has almost been played more for laughs than anything else, especially after his reluctance to give up his office. I don't think many laughs are on the way for the character in the new episode on October 22, called "Mercy." Take a look:
While One Chicago promos never give away the full story of an episode, it seems clear enough that Herrmann is on the verge of losing his house to a fire. The shots of the home indicate that the structure is already pretty well ablaze by the time the firefighters arrive, but the bigger concern for David Eigenberg's character is apparently that his daughter Annabelle was supposed to be at home, and she didn't seem to be answering his calls. Who would have guessed that the best-case scenario for Herrmann would be just the destruction of his home in a fire?!
The episode description from NBC doesn't confirm (or rule out) the worst coming for Herrmann in "Mercy," but does shed some light on what to expect:
Firehouse 51 must band together after a devastating fire catches them off guard. Vasquez continues his quest for answers. Violet and Novak face an unexpected roadblock in the new training protocol.
All in all, while the most immediate concerns for this episode are the fates of 1) Annabelle and 2) the Herrmann house, I can't help but reflect on one big change that was mostly funny in early Season 14 but now feels tragic. Before the fire, the family was already struggling with the pay cut that came with Herrmann demoting himself back to Truck 81 from his former position as a lieutenant.
Even if the house has the best fire insurance that the wide world of Dick Wolf TV shows has to offer, I don't see a way that this won't be a huge financial blow as well as emotional blow to the family. Will Herrmann come to regret the decision to give up his promotion (and pay raise) if his family starts struggling even more in the wake of a fire in their home?
If that is the case, hopefully Annabelle won't be another factor that the family has to worry about for too long. I can imagine an optimistic scenario that she's not answering her dad's desperate cries in the promo simply because she left the house with the stove or a candle or a curling iron still hot, and therefore safe from the flames. A less optimistic scenario in which she's still inside the burning building... well, my fingers are just crossed that the whole Herrmann family will be no more than singed by the end of the next episode.
As always, new episodes of Chicago Fire air on NBC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, between Chicago Med in the wake of its 200th episode at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. ahead of a cast member stepping away at 10 p.m. ET. All three shows are also available streaming on Peacock.
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