Jesse Spencer’s Chicago Fire Return Feels Hollow Without Taylor Kinney
Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney played two central characters in NBC’s Chicago Fire. While the show follows the lives of several characters at Firehouse 51, the dynamic between Spencer’s Lieutenant Matthew Casey and Kinney’s Lieutenant Kelly Severide was the most compelling aspect of the series. Variety confirmed that Jesse Spencer is set to return during Season 11, Episode 18, “Danger Is All Around,” amid Taylor Kinney’s temporary exit.
Spencer originally left the show during Season 10 after being a full-time cast member from the start. His return comes after Kinney took a leave of absence from Chicago Fire to deal with a personal matter. However, the source that broke the news to Deadline did not reveal when he would return. Kinney has been with the procedural since its inception and has become a fan-favorite, so Spencer’s guest appearance won’t be quite as grand without him.
The Show’s Dynamic Won’t Be The Same Without Both Casey and Severide
While Spencer may help fill the void left by Kinney, Chicago Fire will be missing something without both actors appearing together. The last time the pair shared the screen was when Spencer returned for the Season 10 finale so that Casey could stand beside Severide at his wedding. His comeback proved how the characters had gone from often butting heads in the early seasons to becoming each other’s best friends. Severide’s ability to take risks and Casey’s more stable personality provided natural conflict, but also meant that they complemented each other and could rely on one another to provide balance.
When Chicago Fire Season 11 debuted without Casey, viewers expected to see a significant change in Severide. His best friend had left and he was starting a new chapter with his wife Stella Kidd. Instead, the writers told another story about Severide acting on his own and facing the consequences. In the season premiere “Hold On Tight,” Detective Pryma asked Severide to stay in his lane and he didn’t. This type of story made sense when Casey was there to be Severide’s foil. But without Casey to serve as his parallel, it just felt pointless.
The contrast between Casey and Severide emphasized the importance of having a balanced team with different strengths and approaches. Just like Severide’s storytelling benefited from having Casey around, Casey’s story won’t be as balanced without Severide for him to bounce off off. Since anything can happen in Chicago Fire, hopefully the writers will make some changes to compensate for Kinney’s absence — especially as Spencer is only returning for one episode.
Chicago Fire Has to Create New Personal Connections For Casey
Chicago Fire was essentially built around Casey and Severide, so the series may attempt to create a similar friendship between Casey and another character in “Danger Is All Around.” Since Casey will see Stella for the first time since Stella and Severide’s wedding, there could be a thread to build on. Casey can approach the near-tragedy with Stella, who is obviously missing her husband. That might be what the writers had in mind, as the logline for Season 11, Episode 18 explains that “A familiar face returns to Firehouse 51 to serve with Kidd on a special task force.”
But nothing can really replicate the dynamic between Casey and Severide, which had been the focal point of Chicago Fire since its debut. Their connection added an emotional depth to the show as they were Firehouse 51’s most well-developed characters with unique strengths and weaknesses. Their personalities complemented each other perfectly. The evolution of Casey and Severide’s relationship was a testament to the show’s growth as well as the performances of Spencer and Kinney. That makes it difficult to imagine Casey returning to Firehouse 51 without Severide there to greet him.
