Uh-Oh! Firehouse 51 Faces Its Darkest Hour in Chicago Fire Season 14 Premiere Tease

As the Chicago Fire season 14 premiere gets closer, the worse it looks for Firehouse 51’s fate in the coming episodes. The previous finale ended on a happy note for many characters. Severide and Kidd found out that she was pregnant; Herrmann decided to step down so that Mouch could take over as Engine 51’s lieutenant; Violet and Carver kissed; and more.

However, it sounds like Firehouse 51’s bliss will be short-lived heading into Chicago Fire season 14. Based on all the unfortunate cast exits (or actors stepping down as series regulars) and a recent tease about the premiere, the Chicago Fire characters will soon have many obstacles thrown their way. The good news is that they have faced adversity before and overcame it.

Chicago Fire Showrunner Reveals Details About The Season 14 Premiere

Andrea Newman Warns About A “Huge Shake-Up”

During an interview with TV Insider, Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman discussed what’s to come in season 14. While she mostly spoke about the new cast member — Brandon Larracuente, who will star as Firehouse 51’s newest firefighter, Sal Vasquez — the showrunner also teased that the upcoming premiere will determine how the rest of the season plays out. Newman said:

“I can say there’s a huge shake-up in the very first episode that portends the big drama to come in season 14.”

Thanks to Newman’s statement, fans can expect a lot to go down during the first episode of season 14. Since the Chicago Fire season 13 finale didn’t end on a cliffhanger, we don’t have anything concrete to go off of (regarding the story) to predict what will happen. But we can certainly make an educated guess about what Newman is alluding to.

The “Shake-Up” Likely Alludes To Characters Leaving Firehouse 51

Three Chicago Fire Cast Members Are Exiting In Season 14

As many know, a handful of Chicago Fire cast members are leaving ahead of or during season 14. For starters, Michael Bradway’s Jack Damon (Severide’s half-brother) isn’t expected to appear at all. The actor has a scheduling conflict as he was cast to play Charlie in Prime Video’s upcoming TV series adaptation of Carley Fortune’s best-selling book Every Summer After.

Meanwhile, Daniel Kyri’s Darren Ritter will return briefly at the beginning of Chicago Fire season 14, but his time on the show will be short. The actor has already filmed his final episode. Jake Lockett, who portrays Sam Carver, is also stepping down as a series regular. So, it’s unclear what Carver’s role will look like in future episodes of the NBC procedural drama.

Given that Damon, Ritter, and Carver are saying goodbye to Firehouse 51, the showrunner’s “huge shake-up” tease is likely referring to character exits. Plus, Chicago Fire season 13 ended with the threat of layoffs looming over not only Firehouse 51, but the entire Chicago Fire Department. No decisions had been made by the time of the TV show’s season 13 finale, though.

Perhaps Damon, Ritter, and Carver won’t be the only first responders leaving the iconic fire station in Chicago Fire season 14. Newman said that the “shake-up” would “portend the big drama” in the episodes, after all. The aforementioned three characters’ departures wouldn’t cause enough turmoil to reign over the entire season. They would simply be gone and wouldn’t return.

Instead, season 14 could feature the Chicago Fire Department laying off firefighters such as Herrmann, Cruz, or any others who aren’t expected to leave the One Chicago universe. That way, they would still be around and be able to affect the storyline (just not inside the walls of Firehouse 51). Only time will tell what truly goes down in the premiere, though.

How Firehouse 51 Will Handle This Big Change In Chicago Fire Season 14

The Fire Station Will Be In Turmoil

Damon, Ritter, and Carver’s exits from Chicago Fire are enough to initially trigger high emotions from the Firehouse 51 family. However, if more people leave, they will be devastated. It wouldn’t feel like Firehouse 51 anymore, and hopefully, the majority of season 14 would be spent trying to get the band back together. As mentioned, they’re a family that needs to stick together.

Change is scary for everyone, though, and some might not handle it as well as others. Of course, this all depends on who leaves and who stays. For example, Mouch will be completely heartbroken if the Chicago Fire Department were to fire Herrmann, especially after he stepped down as Engine 51’s lieutenant to let Mouch have a shot at leading.

Meanwhile, Carver will likely willingly leave, based on his Denver transfer application in the season 13 finale. Violet will be upset, but she won’t try to get him back because he didn’t get fired (in this theoretical world). Ritter and Damon’s exits might be devastating, though, if the producers write them out of the NBC procedural drama via the CFD layoffs.

Whatever the case, if the “huge shake-up” that Newman mentioned pertains to the layoffs, Firehouse 51 will have to face several obstacles in season 14. The best-case scenario is that they handle it calmly and strategically. However, given that Chicago Fire is a TV show, fans can expect a lot of drama to arise from this storyline in season 14.

Chicago Fire season 14 premieres on Wednesday, October 1, at 9 pm ET on NBC. It will follow the premiere of Chicago Med season 11 at 8 pm ET and precede the first episode of Chicago PD season 13 at 10 pm ET.