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After losing two of its finest firefighters, NBC’s Chicago Fire is staffing up, adding actor Brandon Larracuente (On Call, The Good Doctor) as a series regular for Season 14, our sister site Variety reports. Details about who exactly he’s playing aren’t currently available, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Larracuente’s character will be replacing Ritter or Carver on Truck 81.
Larracuente’s casting comes following the April news that actors Jake Lockett, who plays firefighter Sam Carver, and Daniel Kyri, aka firefighter Darren Ritter, will not be returning as series regulars next season due to budget cuts. The Season 13 finale last month hinted at a possible exit storyline for Carver, who announced that he applied for a job with the Denver Fire Department. But then he later confessed his love for Violet and kissed her, potentially reigniting their romance. Meanwhile, Ritter’s departure was not addressed at all in the season finale.
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In an interview with our sister site TVLine, showrunner Andrea Newman was hopeful that both Lockett and Kyri will return in the fall in some capacity to give closure to their arcs. “It’s a great thing that we have people come and go on this show. They’ll leave and then we’ll get to see them again,” Newman said. “It’s like you never know what will happen. Anything could happen with [Carver and Violet]. We love Jake, we love the character of Carver.”
As for Ritter and the plan for his exit, Newman was waiting to see “how much time we get with Daniel [Kyri], who we love, and the character, who we love. There’s lots of possibilities there,” she said.
Earlier this month, it was announced that longtime Fire leads Taylor Kinney (aka Lieutenant Kelly Severide) and Miranda Rae Mayo (Lieutenant Stella Kidd) closed new deals to continue with the NBC drama for Season 14, as did recent addition Dermot Mulroney (Chief Dom Pascal).
