Jesse Spencer’s First Role After Chicago Fire Couldn’t Be More Different Than Firehouse 51’s Matt Casey
Jesse Spencer landed his first role after escaping Chicago Fire, and it couldn’t be more different than Matt Casey. Casey was a fixture on Firehouse 51 for the first 11 seasons, where his PTSD-related challenges made him one of Chicago Fire’s best characters. He experienced the deaths of loved ones alongside a tumultuous childhood and had two important but ultimately heartbreaking relationships before he began dating Sylvie Brett, with whom he had a happy ending before the two headed to Oregon together.
After 10 seasons, Spencer decided not to return to One Chicago so he could return to his native Australia, although he did return midway through the following season so Casey could reach his 200-episode milestone. So, in season 12, Casey and Brett got married before moving to Oregon together, where Casey works at another fire station. Spencer’s first role after Chicago Fire was on an Australian show that airs worldwide on Disney+. In many ways, the role is Casey’s opposite, thus representing the next step in Spencer’s career.
Spencer’s Tony Bissett is the head of one of three families in 1979 Western Australia who were caught in the crash of the American Skylab spacecraft that crashed into their city just as it was about to host the 1979 Miss Universe pageant in Last Days Of The Space Age. During this difficult time, Bissett must keep his family safe, together, and out of trouble. Spencer works alongside other Australian actors, such as Radha Mitchell and Deborah Mailman, as he tries to hold on to his family and the life he knew before the Skylab crash.
However, Last Days Of The Space Age has one thing in common with Chicago Fire — both revolve around crises, including fires. The new eight-episode series is based on real events that took place in 1979 in Western Australia and focuses on how the accident affected families living in the area. It also depicts Australian life before mobile phones, the Internet, and social media were invented, presenting different opportunities and challenges than the series set in the present.
In Last Days Of The Space Age, Tony lives in Western Australia, which has a different culture than the American Midwest, which immediately sets him apart from Casey. He is also a father who is used to raising children and has a rough attitude. This is in stark contrast to the former leader of Firehouse 51, whose challenges stem from unresolved childhood trauma with an abusive mother in the American Midwest and who has dedicated his life to helping others despite his work leading to further trauma.
However, Tony is also going through his own trauma, as he struggles to hold on to a rapidly disappearing era while facing a crisis in his hometown. However, this is largely due to cultural and social factors such as worker strikes, financial hardship, and the aftermath of the Skylab accident. He is a man desperately clinging to the life he knows as things rapidly change, making him more in common with the iconic Archie Bunker than with Casey, who lives in the present day and is constantly fighting for a better future rather than dwelling on the past.
Casey is one of the former One Chicago characters who could return to create excitement. However, landing this new role in Last Days Of The Space Age is good news for Spencer. The actor left because he wanted to pursue other opportunities and work through some issues with his family (per NBC Insider). Landing a role in an Australian production that will be released worldwide allows Spencer to return to his native Australia without sacrificing future acting opportunities.
He [Spencer] deserves a strong role when he returns to Australia.
Spencer spent ten seasons on Chicago Fire before leaving, returning the following season as a guest star so he could hit the 200-episode mark before Casey and Brett left the series permanently. He deserves a strong role when he returns to Australia. Playing Tony Bissett would also help audiences differentiate him from the iconic character he played, so he wouldn’t be stuck with just one type of role throughout his career.
