Chicago Fire season 12 will return with its upcoming 10th episode, despite a rather lengthy break between episodes. The show is a flagship show for NBC and Dick Wolf’s One Chicago brand, which includes three spinoffs, two of which are still airing and all of which follow various public service events in the Windy City. Co-created by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, the original show has been on the air since 2012, continuing Wolf’s habit of creating successful, long-running TV franchises, a list that also includes NBC’s Law & Order and CBS’s FBI.
Although Chicago Fire season 13 has been renewed, the show has not officially concluded its 12th season. However, the ongoing season is on an unusually long hiatus, even by the standards of a season where two-week breaks are the norm. The previous episode, season 12, episode 9, “Something About Her,” premiered on April 3, two weeks earlier than the time of writing. While episode 10, “The Wrong Guy,” is on the way, there will still be a significant wait before it airs.
Chicago Fire season 12, episode 10 will air on NBC on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 9:00 p.m. ET. It will be preceded by Chicago Med season 9, episode 10, “You Might Just Find You Get What You Need,” at 8:00 p.m. and followed by Chicago P.D. season 11, episode 10, “Buried Pieces,” at 10:00 p.m. Both other shows in the One Chicago universe will also resume after a month-long hiatus.
Why is Chicago Fire season 12’s latest hiatus so long?
So far, no official reason has been given for the delay between episodes 9 and 10 of Chicago Fire season 12. However, there are a number of factors that could have contributed to the unusually long hiatus. First is the fact that the season premiere on January 17, 2024 was pushed back from its usual fall air date amid the 2023 strikes, which saw writers and then actors take to the streets to fight for fair wages, preventing the 2023-2024 television season from starting as usual. It’s possible that the network is rescheduling episodes from the shortened season 12 so that the finale can air at its usual May slot. However, the widespread delays to One Chicago shows could be the result of some major cast changes that have taken place. For Chicago Fire, this includes the recent departures of Rome Flynn as Derrick Gibson, Kara Killmer as Sylvie Brett, and Alberto Rosende as Blake Gallo.
Taylor Kinney, who has played the lead role of Kelly Severide since season 1, has also seen his on-screen time decrease recently, as he left the show for a period of time in season 11 while dealing with a personal matter behind the scenes. While Severide has returned, it’s possible that the actor’s schedule also affected his ability to film important scenes on the show. Given Kinney’s schedule combined with the departure of the main cast, it’s possible that Chicago Fire’s showrunners asked for a slight extension to their hiatus this spring so they could handle a major cast change while also writing and filming new episodes.
Due to the shortened post-strike schedule, Chicago Fire season 12 only has four episodes left, including the upcoming episode 10. The season was shortened to a total of 13 episodes after the strikes were resolved, which did not allow for a full season. The show’s regular seasons run between 22 and 24 episodes. The only previous season to be significantly shortened in this way was the 16-episode season 9, which was delayed due to the pandemic in 2020. The promo clip for the upcoming episode of Chicago Fire has provided some insight into what viewers can expect from the plot of episode 10. This includes the main incident at the center of the episode, which is a car that has somehow become stuck through the wall of the building’s upper floor. While trying to rescue the trapped driver, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) will find herself in a dangerous situation when the car begins to tilt. Chicago Fire Will Test Stella and Severide’s Relationship…
It looks like Chicago Fire will also test the relationship between Stella and Severide, who got married in season 10. The rift between them as Severide continues to explore being a firefighter is shown through Severide helplessly looking at her through the windshield of his car. The windshield could symbolize the communication gap that has formed between the two characters, although the cracks in the glass could hint at an impending breakthrough.
