Chicago Fire Moments That Made Fans Angry
The original series in the “One Chicago” constellation of hit action-drama series from creator Dick Wolf, “Chicago Fire” has been heating up the air for loyal fans every Wednesday night on NBC since 2012. Holding audiences’ hearts for 10 seasons and more than 200 episodes (via ETOnline), the wildly popular series chronicles the dangerous on-duty lives, conspiracies, and off-duty crises of Chicago’s elite firefighters and paramedics of Fire Department 51.
With an impressive 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the show has built a truly devoted army of Chi-Hards who are drawn to the series’ formula of intense action and deeply relatable characters. However, any TV series that airs for that long is unlikely to satisfy every fan week after week. In fact, it stands to reason that throughout the show’s long run, there have been scenes and even entire storylines that simply didn’t resonate with viewers. So, what are some examples of the worse “Chicago Fire” moments that have left fans angry?
One “Chicago Fire” moment that certainly left some viewers cold takes place in the Season 8 episode “Light Things Up.” The story revolves around a group of citizens staging a sit-in at the fire station to protest the lack of city services. Fans responded to the episode and the show’s overall direction in a Reddit discussion on r/ChicagoFireNBC, and they didn’t hold back when it came to voicing their opinions. Redditor u/ssstuart123 started the post by writing, “Honestly, I hate this new season of Chicago Fire, it’s so disgusting right now [especially] tonight’s episode, protesters taking over the fire station, like this…”
User u/Dro1972 expressed complete agreement, saying they also felt the episode fell short: “I totally agree with you… Watched tonight because we’re in a pandemic, so why not. Absolutely disgusted with every part of tonight’s episode.” For u/MamaDragon, the episode’s plot about protesters besieging the police station lacked basic credibility, writing, “This is getting SO BAD! These plots are so stupid and unbelievable. Like this!” Overall, the episode clearly left fans angry about the show’s progression.
With a diverse, strong-willed cast that has passed through Firehouse 51 over the years since “Chicago Fire” debuted in 2012, it’s no surprise that audiences will encounter a personality that makes them uncomfortable. In the case of veteran firefighter Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), she appears to be the one member of the “Chicago Fire” team that evokes a strong, not necessarily positive, reaction.
Posting in a Reddit thread titled “Stella Kidd” on r/ChicagoFireNBC, u/Key_Text_42 fell into the anti-Stella camp when they started the discussion with a complaint about the writing for the Kidd character: “Not sure if anyone else feels the same way, but I personally really hope Stella DOESN’T pass her Lieutenant [sic] exam. She used to be one of my favorite characters, but I feel like the writers have definitely struggled with her since S8, Stella has become almost too perfect to be realistic.”
User u/AFuzzyredpillow also chimed in on the same sentiment, focusing on the fact that Kidd was promoted much faster than Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg): “Right? It’s like it took Hermann 5 seasons (?) after passing his exam to get promoted and even now it’s barely acknowledged.” Another Redditor u/colliedea also agreed that Stella is not considered trustworthy, saying, “Agreed. They really think that being a strong woman [sic] means being perfect and capable of anything. She’s on screen… [90% of the time and] we can’t see the others because of her unrealistic success.”
