Why Chicago Fire’s Severide Hasn’t Been Promoted Yet, Explained by Showrunner
Showrunner Andrea Newman explains why Kelly Severide hasn’t been promoted yet on Chicago Fire. Taylor Kinney is arguably the face of Dick Wolf’s One Chicago series, given how long he’s been in that universe, not to mention how prominent his character has been on Firehouse 51. Severide’s personal and professional arcs have been at the forefront of the first responder’s storylines for years, and are expected to continue as Chicago Fire season 13 enters production. While he’s been a big part of the show, there’s one specific character development he hasn’t undergone.
Ahead of Chicago Fire season 13, Newman explained to TVLine why Severide hasn’t been promoted yet after all these years. After more than a decade on Firehouse 51, he’s still a lieutenant on Squad 3, with seemingly no plans to move on from said role. Turns out, this is all down to the character’s personal preferences. Read Newman’s full quote below: “He’s focused on what he’s obsessed with, which is arson and OFI, besides the team, which he loves. The higher you go in the ranks, the more you get into politics, and Severide’s not interested in that. He’s a hands-on guy. So arson is still at the forefront of his mind, the possibility of moving to OFI is always at the forefront of his mind, and all of that comes up. He’s dealing with all of that this season.” In the season 12 finale of Chicago Fire, Wallace Boden, the longtime leader of Firehouse 51, left home to take on a bigger role at CFD. This opens up a position that Severide could naturally take on. Prior to this leadership change, Lieutenant Commander 3 had been serving as the senior officer while Boden was away for personal reasons. Boden, understandably, wanted Firehouse 51 to run smoothly, so he was eyeing Severide to become the next Battalion Chief. Things changed when Stella Kidd’s husband revealed that he didn’t really like the mentoring part of being the overall leader of Firehouse 51. Severide was comfortable with his current job, so he didn’t want to make a change in Chicago Fire season 13. This was a sign that Severide wasn’t a good fit to replace Boden. While this isn’t a reflection of Kinney’s character’s firefighting abilities, 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 these issues, he wouldn’t be effective. This backs up Newman’s comment about why the leader of Squad 3 hasn’t been promoted in years. Severide is comfortable with his current job, so he doesn’t want to change in Chicago Fire season 13. In any case, this isn’t the perfect time for Severide to take on a much larger role. In addition to leading Squad 3, he’s also dealing with some personal issues. Including the fallout from the Benny Severide twist in the season 12 finale involving Jack Damon. That’s expected to play out in Chicago Fire season 13. In addition, he’s also brought up the subject of wanting to start a family with Kidd, which would be a big change in their future.
