For over a decade, NBC’s Chicago Fire has been the flagship of Dick Wolf’s expansive One Chicago universe, delivering consistent ratings and high-stakes drama from the heart of Firehouse 51. The show mastered the blend of intense procedural action with compelling character relationships, creating a narrative blueprint that its spin-offs have followed.
However, as the series enters its late teens seasons, a palpable sense of fatigue has begun to set in. Recent seasons have been defined less by triumphant rescues and more by major cast departures, fractured narrative arcs, and a shifting emotional core. For many long-time fans, the fire is flickering, and the beloved series is dangerously close to “turning to ash.”
The critical question facing showrunners and the network is stark: is this fatigue merely a natural decline for a veteran series, or is it a systemic crisis that demands radical intervention? Analyzing the three main pillars of its current crisis—The Leadership Vacuum, The Fractured Relationships, and The Repetitive Conflict—provides a clear picture of the show’s struggles and highlights the necessary steps required for Chicago Fire to reignite its flame.
👨🚒 The Leadership Vacuum: Who Is Guiding Firehouse 51?
The most profound structural blow to Chicago Fire was the gradual exit of Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker). Boden was not just a commanding officer; he was the emotional, moral, and historical anchor of Firehouse 51.
The Unfillable Void
- The Father Figure: Boden served as the father figure, often mediating personal disputes, delivering ethical counsel, and absorbing the shocks of the often-chaotic lives of his firefighters. His authority was absolute, but his compassion was boundless.
- The New Command Structure: His promotion to Deputy Commissioner created a leadership vacuum that the show has struggled to fill. The introduction of Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) has attempted to provide a new command presence, but Pascal is fundamentally different. Pascal is professional, distant, and currently defined by personal trauma and professional secrecy, preventing him from immediately achieving Boden’s warmth and unwavering confidence.
- Lack of Stability: The instability at the top trickles down. Without a steadfast Boden to rely on, the lieutenants—Severide and Kidd—must shoulder more administrative and emotional burden, adding strain to their character arcs that distracts from core action.
The Fix: Chicago Fire must quickly settle on a stable, long-term Chief for 51 who can establish their own powerful identity. Pascal must either fully embrace his role as the new, albeit different, anchor, or the show must find a way to strategically bring back a familiar, trusted face (like the promotion of Severide or even a return from Casey) into a command role to ground the firehouse’s emotional core.
💔 The Fractured Relationships: The Stellaride Problem
For a show built on the foundation of character-driven drama, the stability of its central relationships is paramount. Unfortunately, the current arc is defined by dislocation and separation, primarily affecting its most popular couple: Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo).
The Star-Crossed Fatigue
- The Constant Separation: The relationship—known as “Stellaride”—has suffered from repeated, prolonged separations. First, Stella left to launch Girls on Fire, creating emotional friction. Now, her temporary exit to deal with her high-risk pregnancy and foster son’s mother continues the pattern of putting physical and emotional distance between the show’s two biggest stars.
- The Lack of Domestic Payoff: Fans invested years in watching Severide and Kidd finally find stability and get married. By immediately following their marital union with professional and personal separations, the payoff of their romance is continuously undermined. This pattern risks frustrating the audience who crave moments of simple, domestic stability amidst the chaos.
- The Void: When both members of Stellaride are either absent (Kidd) or emotionally distant (Severide, diving into work), the show loses its central, romantic engine, leaving the other relationships (e.g., Violet and Gallo) to carry too much of the emotional weight.
The Fix: The show must prioritize stable relationships over manufactured, repetitive conflict. When Kidd returns, the writers need to provide a substantial arc focused on their co-parenting, shared home life, and professional collaboration rather than instantly separating them for another crisis. The audience needs to see the benefit of their commitment, not just the cost of their careers.
🚨 Repetitive Conflict: Reusing the Old Playbook
The final challenge facing Chicago Fire is the repetition of familiar plot devices that signal creative fatigue.
The Recurring Plot Devices
- The Near-Death Experience (NDE): Almost every episode now seems to feature a main cast member in imminent physical danger. While fire is inherently dangerous, the constant rotation of NDEs diminishes the actual shock value. Fans know the main characters are safe, making these sequences feel more tedious than tense.
- The Secret Agenda: Plotlines involving characters hiding important, life-altering secrets from their partners or colleagues (e.g., Pascal’s past, a side mission Severide takes without telling Stella) have become a crutch. This constant internal friction is a cheap substitute for organic plot development.
- The Sabotage/Internal Investigation: The show often resorts to internal threats—arson investigations, budget cuts, or corruption—to create high stakes, rather than relying solely on the natural danger of the job. While effective, the overuse of this device feels cynical and less grounded than the show’s original premise.
The Fix: Chicago Fire must remember its roots: the most compelling drama comes from the daily, real-world heroism and camaraderie of the job itself. Focus on high-stakes, realistic rescues that challenge the team to work together, showcase the technical skills of the firefighters, and provide positive resolutions that remind the audience why they fell in love with Firehouse 51 in the first place.
🔑 Conclusion: Can Chicago Fire Be Saved?
Yes, Chicago Fire can absolutely be saved, but it requires a conscious, strategic course correction that moves away from repetitive conflict and embraces stability.
The show’s core appeal—the unwavering bravery of the men and women of Firehouse 51—is still intact. The solution lies in restoring the three pillars that made it a hit: establishing an unwavering leadership anchor (a new Boden), prioritizing stable, rewarding romantic payoffs (saving Stellaride), and relying on organic, high-stakes rescue missions over cheap, recurring secret agendas.
The flame is flickering, but the foundation is strong. By focusing on the strength of its family and the nobility of its mission, Chicago Fire can successfully navigate its current crisis and burn brightly for seasons to come.
