Chicago Fire enters a new era in the fall of 2024, with Season 13 being the first of the series to not feature Eamonn Walker as Chief Boden. Instead, Fire Department 51 is operating under the command of Chief Dom Pascal, played by Dermot Mulroney, who recently arrived from One Chicago. Some conflict was to be expected as the firefighters and paramedics first come face to face with a new chief, but some comments from Mulroney shed some light on what I see as some new perspectives on the current situation at 51 as the season continues.
To be honest – when the news first broke that Fire had chosen Dermot Mulroney as its new chief rather than honor Boden’s wishes for Herrmann to be his successor, part of me assumed that Mulroney’s time would be limited to the time Herrmann was promoted in Season 13. Just as there was little doubt that Brett Dalton’s Lieutenant Pelham would temporarily fill the spot on Truck until Stella Kidd was ready to step up to lieutenant in Season 10, Pascal doesn’t seem to have any intention of staying. (You can rewatch the Pelham/Kidd arc streaming with a Peacock subscription.) I’m reconsidering based on what Mulroney told TV Insider when asked if Pascal would step aside for Herrmann if the latter passed the necessary tests. He said: I feel like Pascal was put directly in Herrmann’s path by what was left over from Season 12 and Boden [Eamonn Walker]’s departure. I think he’s been set up, as far as I can tell, as the heir apparent to the seat behind the sheriff’s desk. Oh, sorry, Pascal’s here, and I don’t feel like he’s going anywhere. So the writers will have to figure that out.
Well, if Herrmann is going to get the top job at Firehouse 51, then maybe Pascal needs to change things up a bit, because it seems like the new sheriff certainly doesn’t see his position as temporary! Showrunner Andrea Newman described Pascal’s arrival as a “seismic shift” at 51 when she explained why Dermot Mulroney was the right person to play the character, and he’s shaken up the firehouse pretty quickly.
Being tough on Stella about changing Truck and pointing out that Truck and Squad lieutenants getting married isn’t official hasn’t endeared him to 51 (or Fire fans), in part because Stellaride has had a complicated run without Pascal as an added variable. After I agreed with the idea of ”fresh blood” coming to Chicago Fire last season, maybe it’s time I start thinking of Pascal as a permanent fixture on the fire department rather than a Herrmann replacement!
At this point, I’m really wondering if/when/how Chicago Fire plans to bring Boden back in Season 13. When the announcement of Eamonn Walker’s departure was made before the end of Season 12 in the spring, the door was opened for him to remain as his long-time character without re-signing as a series regular. Boden is still part of CFD; Could he pop in and add a wrinkle or two to the Pascal situation at 51?
Only time will tell at this point, but at least Chicago Fire hasn’t written off Walker by sending Boden away from the Windy City like Dawson left in Season 7 and then Casey in Season 10. New episodes of Chicago Fire with Dermot Mulroney’s Dom Pascal as the 51-year-old will continue to air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. You can also catch up on past episodes of all three shows on Peacock.
