Taking to his social media account, Ritter shared an image of him on set with a caption which read, “Back! For a limited time only.” This clearly suggests that while audiences can be excited by Ritter’s return, he’ll be returning for a limited time only. It makes sense given that Season 13 didn’t officially write the character out. Speaking about the coming season in May, series showrunner, Andrea Newman, revealed that serious change is coming. “We’re going to have a lot of turnover and a lot craziness going on in the CFD from the top, where people are being cut and moved, and everything’s going to get shaken up next season,” she said at the time. Ritter’s return is likely to be a part of that conversation as it’ll give the show ample opportunity to wrap up his arc.
Besides Lockett and Kyiri, Chicago Fire Season 14 was also set to be without Michael Bradway, who first started playing Jack Damon in Season 12. Given the character’s close affiliation with series lead, Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), his departure is somewhat blindsiding. There is still a chance that even more fan-favorites could depart before the new season ends. With the axe of the CFD hovering overhead, the likes of Mouch (Christian Stolte) and Herrmann (David Eigenberg), who are no longer as young as they used to be, could face mandatory retirement by the department. Newman confirmed as much in a separate interview.
Who Created ‘Chicago Fire’?
The One Chicago franchise was created by Dick Wolf, with Chicago Fire created for television by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. In addition to serving as showrunner, Newman is credited as a scribe on more than 60 episodes of the series, going back to the debut season. With 55 episodes, Reza Tabrizi has directed the most episodes on the show, with Joe Chappelle coming in behind him at 31 episodes. Michael A. O’Shea, Michael Gilvary, and Jill Weinberger have also worked in the writer’s room on the series. Season 13 of Chicago Fire brought in Dermot Mulroney in a series regular role.
Chicago Fire is expected to return October 1, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the series, and watch Chicago Fire on Peacock.
