The months are counting down until Chicago Fire returns to pay off on the tear-jerking Season 13 finale, following the news that Jake Lockett, Daniel Kyri, and Michael Bradway won't be returning as part of the cast. Lockett's exit as Carver was set up in the finale back in May, but there was no indication of how or why Kyri's Ritter would leave. Those details are still unavailable, but there's some very good news: Kyri has confirmed that he'll be returning for part of Season 14 when it arrives in fall of the 2025 TV schedule.
Read on for what we know so far and why I now have hope that One Chicago can truly deliver another one of those "big endings" that showrunner Andrea Newman promised for Ritter and Carver!
Daniel Kyri Is Coming Back As Ritter
Daniel Kyri broke the good news himself via Instagram Story, showing a selfie alongside costars Hanako Greensmith (Violet) and Jocelyn Hudon (Novak). He's back in his gear as a member of Stella Kidd's Truck crew, so this seemingly isn't a case of how Chicago Fire brought back Alberto Rosende for a very brief goodbye as Gallo back in the Season 12 premiere.
Kyri didn't confirm how long he'll be back for Season 14, so Ritter won't be on board at Firehouse 51 full-time this fall. Still, there's plenty to celebrate with the BTS photo:
I'm taking it as very good news that we'll get to see Ritter just a little bit longer, and not only because he got an unceremonious ending in the Season 13 finale with no hint of an exit like Carver got. A lot of change is presumably coming for Truck 81, and I'd hate for all of it to happen off screen.
For one, after Pascal gave Stella a hard time in Season 13 about all the turnover from her Truck crew, she's losing three firefighters: Carver, Damon, and Ritter, fresh off of Ritter transferring over from Engine.
Throw in Stella presumably stepping back from the action at some point in Season 14 (if she hasn't already after a usual summer hiatus time jump) due to her pregnancy, it's hard to picture so many changes off the bat for Truck. At least we can count on seeing Ritter again!
What Showrunner Andrea Newman Told Us About 'Big Endings
I spoke with Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman back in the spring, ahead of the finale and not too long after the news had broken about Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett not returning as series regulars in Season 14. When asked about giving Ritter and Carver what were presumed at the time to be their exits in the finale, Newman teased:
There's so many mysteries to be played out with both those characters. How they're going to leave, and for how long, and are these things permanent? Are they temporary? Are they explosive-type endings, as we've tended to do? Or are they more emotionally centered endings? So those are all the questions, and we love these actors. We love Jake and Daniel with a passion, so we will do whatever we can to see them as often as we can, and to give them the big endings they deserve.
The finale hadn't yet aired at this point, so there was no way of knowing that Carver would decide to join the Denver Fire Department to try and continue his recovery, or that the episode would end without hinting at why Ritter would be gone between seasons. It seems like a stretch to include two "big endings" in one packed hour of television.
Now, Chicago Fire has the opportunity to give Ritter a much bigger ending than a sendoff during hiatus. I'm not sure how many episodes will feature Ritter, but I'm hyped we'll be getting him back at all. Season 14 has added On Call vet Brandon Larracuente as a new series regular.
Chicago Fire returns to NBC with new episodes on Wednesday, October 1 at 9 p.m. ET, between Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. as usual. You can also revisit earlier episodes streaming with a Peacock subscription now.
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