Showrunner Andrea Newman explains why Kelly Severide hasn’t been promoted in Chicago Fire. Taylor Kinney is arguably the face of Dick Wolf’s One Chicago franchise, considering how long he has been in the universe, not to mention how prominent his character is in Firehouse 51. For years, Severide’s personal and professional arcs have been at the forefront of the first-responder procedural’s storytelling and are expected to continue as Chicago Fire season 13 enters production. Despite how vital he is in the show, there’s one particular character development that he hasn’t experienced.
Ahead of Chicago Fire season 13, Newman explains to TVLine why Severide hasn’t been promoted after all these years. Following more than a decade on Firehouse 51, he remains Squad 3’s lieutenant, with seemingly no plans to move on from the said role. As it turns out, this is because of the character’s personal preference. Read Newman’s full quote below:
“He’s got his focus on the thing he is obsessed with, which is arson and OFI, in addition to squad, which he loves. There’s a lot of politics the higher you go up in rank, and Severide has no interest in that. He’s a get-your-hands-dirty kind of guy. So arson is still very much on the forefront of his mind, the possibilities of moving to OFI are at the forefront of his mind, and all of that comes up. He’s dealing with all of that this season.”
The Chicago Fire Season 12 Finale Almost Got Severide Promoted
Boden Wanted Severide To Replace Him In Firehouse 51
In the Chicago Fire season 12 finale, Firehouse 51’s long-time leader Wallace Boden left the house for a bigger role at the CFD. This opened a spot that Severide could have naturally filled in. Prior to this change of leadership, the Squad 3 Lieutenant acted as its ranking officer while Boden was out for personal reasons. Understandably, Boden wanted to leave Firehouse 51 in order, so he was eyeing Severide to be its next Battalion Chief. That all changed when Stella Kidd’s husband revealed that he didn’t particularly enjoy the counseling part of being Firehouse 51’s overall leader.
Severide is comfortable in his current job, so he isn’t looking for a change in Chicago Fire season 13.
This was an indication that Severide wasn’t a good fit as Boden’s replacement. While this doesn’t reflect the firefighting capabilities of Kinney’s character, his former boss knew that a big part of his job at Firehouse 51 was dealing with personal and professional issues. If Severide didn’t enjoy dealing with them, then he wouldn’t be as effective in the job. This backs up Newman’s comments about why Squad 3’s leader has yet to move up the ranks for years. Severide is comfortable in his current job, so he isn’t looking for a change in Chicago Fire season 13.
In any case, it isn’t the perfect time for Severide to take on a much bigger role. Aside from spearheading Squad 3, he is also dealing with a few personal issues. That includes the fallout from the season 12 finale’s Benny Severide twist involving Jack Damon. That is expected to play out in Chicago Fire season 13. Aside from that, he also brought up the subject of wanting to start a family with Kidd, which would be a big change in their future.
