There will be a new Chief when Chicago Fire returns for Season 13. That much we knew since the departure of Eamnon Walker’s Wallace Boden. For a while, it felt like the new Chief could be Christopher Herrmann. There was also the possibility of it being Kelly Severide. But is Severide interested in the position and what does Season 13 hold for the Squad Lieutenant?
Will Kelly Severide Be the New Chief on Chicago Fire?
The answer is a very clear no. Not just because Chicago Fire has already cast a new Chief, but also because Severide just isn’t interested. Showrunner Andrea Newman told TVLine about Severide: “He’s got his focus on the thing he is obsessed with, which is arson and OFI, in addition to Squad, which he loves.”
It’s all probably for the best, considering Chicago Fire already cast Dermot Mulroney as Chief Dom Pascal. The new Chief is described as a “cheerful person who works well under pressure, and whose leadership style differs from Boden’s.” But what does that mean for Severide in Season 13? He might not want to be Chief, but what does he want to do after a season that saw him pursue OFI to the point it put a strain on his marriage?
“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.” Newman also told TVLine.
It will be interesting how the show deals with that possibility, particularly considering the strain it put on Severide’s relationship with his wife Stella Kidd last season. And Season 12 did end with the two of them broaching the future kids conversation, without a definite answer, so that’s something the show will surely pick up on when it returns for Season 13. Perhaps Severide moving to OFI might be a way for him to minimize the danger as a future father.
That’s not all, though. The Season 12 finale of Chicago Fire didn’t end with anyone almost dying, as the show has been known to do — but it did reveal Jack Damon as Severide’s half brother and it left the fate of Sam Carver at Firehouse 51 very much open-ended after he took another leave of absence after telling Violet he was in love with her. So there’s plenty of drama for the show to delve into outside of the new Chief when Chicago Fire returns for Season 13.
Chicago Fire also stars Taylor Kinney, Miranda Rae Mayo, Joe Miñoso, Christian Stolte, Daniel Kyri, Hanako Greensmith, and Jocelyn Hudon. The show is expected to return to NBC this fall.
