Chicago Fireplace wrapped Season 11 again within the spring with Kelly Severide nowhere to be seen, as actor Taylor Kinney was nonetheless on the go away of absence that started in January. With the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike delaying the 2023-2024 TV season for many of community tv’s largest reveals, Fireplace hasn’t been again for Season 12 to disclose the long run for the Squad 3 lieutenant. Now, Kinney is reportedly set to return, however there are sufficient questions on the way it’s occurring that I am flashing again to Chicago P.D.…and never in a great way.
Severide’s destiny was one of many cliffhangers in Fireplace‘s Season 11 finale, though not essentially the most disastrous, with Stella leaving the Windy Metropolis to trace down her husband after he went radio silent about not coming house following the top of his arson coaching. Now, TVLine reviews that Taylor Kinney will reprise his longtime position for the start of Season 12, nevertheless it’s at the moment unknown if he’ll return as a collection common or only a restricted variety of episodes. NBC has not formally commented on the time of writing.
Usually, I’d simply be bummed on the very concept of shedding Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide after so a few years, however reassured by the truth that Chicago Fireplace dealt with Jesse Spencer’s departure as Matt Casey in a respectful manner that left the door open for him to come back again. He has actually returned as a visitor star a few occasions since leaving as a collection common, and Fireplace took a number of episodes to construct as much as why Casey would go away as a substitute of abruptly writing him out within the span of 1 hour. Even Dawson was written out on the finish of Season 6 and starting of Season 7 in a manner that Monica Raymund might (and did) come again.
So, with Fireplace having a historical past of strong sendoffs and no affirmation that Kinney is even leaving as a collection common, why am I nervous about what a completely completely different present did with a completely completely different character? For that, we’ve to look again to the primary few episodes of Chicago P.D. Season 10 and the farewell to Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead. Information that Soffer could be departing his longtime present broke over the summer time hiatus following Season 9, and he was set to return for 3 episodes earlier than P.D. must say goodbye.
And P.D. did not spend a lot of these three episodes constructing to Jay truly leaving the Intelligence Unit behind, not to mention leaving Chicago. Plus, due to his marriage to Hailey Upton, there was actually no manner that the present might say goodbye to Jesse Lee Soffer and dangle onto Tracy Spiridakos with out some Upstead heartbreak. The consequence was Halstead abruptly deciding to return to the military after being traumatized one too many occasions, and it positively wasn’t as triumphant as how Casey left Chicago Fireplace.
Like Halstead, Severide is married, so there is no manner for a clear break if Taylor Kinney leaves and Miranda Rae Mayo stays as Stella Kidd. Severide arguably has extra in widespread with Halstead when he left P.D. than he does with Casey when he left Fireplace. Plus, former Chicago Fireplace showrunner Derek Haas – who was nonetheless within the high job when Casey bowed out in Season 10 – left One Chicago and FBI: Worldwide following the top of the 2022-2023 TV season. It’s going to be as much as former co-showrunner and now sole showrunner Andrea Newman and the writers to clarify Severide’s return.
Probably unfounded worries about Fireplace following P.D.‘s instance with Halstead apart, I am actually simply hoping that Taylor Kinney can be again as a collection common, or not less than recurring. In actual fact, I am so eager for extra of Kinney as Severide full-time that I will not even tempt destiny by repeating my joke about One Chicago characters transferring to Puerto Rico every time they must be written out a la Monica Raymund’s Gabby Dawson and Jon Seda’s Antonio Dawson. For now, we will rejoice the excellent news that Kinney can be within the combine when the present returns.
With no information of when Chicago Fireplace will even premiere Season 12 in mild of the continuing SAG-AFTRA strike, you may at all times revisit earlier episodes by way of Peacock Premium subscription and take a look at our 2023 TV schedule for reveals that did handle to return/premiere this fall.
