Skip to main content

Was Kelly Severide’s return to Chicago Fire only temporary? 

In the Jan. 31 episode of the NBC drama, Taylor Kinney’s character was again pulled away from 51 due to an arson investigation. After his long absence during most of season 11, it’s definitely a little alarming to see Severide get sucked into another out-of-state case. So, is Chicago Fire setting the stage for Kinney’s permanent exit in season 12? Here’s what we know. 

Kelly Severide took on another arson case in ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 12 Episode 3

Stella Kidd and Taylor Kinney standing next to each other, each holding coffee cups
Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Kidd and Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide in ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 12 Episode 3 | Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC

Severide’s passion for arson investigation is threatening to drive a wedge between him and his wife, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo). 

Midway through Chicago Fire Season 11, he left the Windy City to participate in an arson investigation training program in Alabama. (In real life, Kinney had to take an unexpected leave of absence from the show.) Then, he signed on with an ATF investigation. But Severide was so focused on his work that he neglected to keep in touch with his wife. 

Eventually, Stella “basically had to fly to Alabama, put [Severide] in handcuffs, and drag [him] home,” as she explained in the Chicago Fire Season 12 premiere. Investigating arson is like a drug to Severide, she pointed out. 

Severide promised Stella that he wouldn’t let himself get so caught up in a case again. But the lure of arson investigation is strong. In the premiere, he helped track down an arsonist who was targeting firefighters. Then, in episode 3, he received an invite to work on a case in Arizona. 

“This is something I want … Let me show you I can handle a case like this and come back home to you,” he told Stella. 

She agreed to let him go on the condition that he not go off the grid again. “But if you go MIA on me again, if you leave me in the dark,” she said.

“I know,” he responded. 

Is ‘Chicago Fire’ setting up Taylor Kinney’s exit? 

Related

Why Is Everyone Leaving ‘Chicago Fire’? Showrunner Weighs In on Cast Exodus

At the end of “Trapped,” Severide said goodbye to Stella, promising her that he’d be back “soon.” What’s next for him isn’t clear, but it definitely sounds like he’ll be back in Chicago at some point.  

“Severide is front and center of this season,” Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman told TV Insider ahead of the season 12 premiere. 

However, Severide and Kidd will need to figure out what his passion for fire investigation and his interest in joining the OFI means for their marriage. 

“That’s the issue at hand [for Severide and Kidd]: How are they going to deal with this going forward, and how does it change their relationship?” Newman said.

“I think they have to kind of work through this and get to a different place, maybe a better place,” she added.

Severide is a ‘critical part’ of Firehouse 51 

Kinney has been with Chicago Fire since the show’s first season, and it’s hard to imagine the show without Kelly Severide. In an interview with Hello!, Newman admitted they’d considered the idea of another One Chicago show that would focus on Severide and the OFI. But they nixed the idea because the character was too important to the original show. 

“We have [considered it], but having lost Severide for a bit [in season 11,] it was a reminder of what a critical part of 51 he is,” she said. 

Chicago Fire Season 12 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock. 

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.

Best in Entertainment