Summary
Chicago Fire season 12 has been renewed, proving the show’s enduring popularity and potential for more thrilling episodes. Due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the release of Chicago Fire season 12 has been delayed until 2024, causing disappointment for fans. The season 11 finale left several cliffhangers, including Mouch getting shot and the possibility of major changes to the cast and character dynamics in season 12.
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Chicago Fire season 12 will continue the long-running procedural after 11 successful seasons on the air, meaning there’s plenty more drama to come from Chicago Firehouse 51. Produced by TV juggernaut Dick Wolf, Chicago Fire follows the men and women of Chicago’s Firehouse 51 as they face down various deadly emergencies throughout their city. Debuting in 2012, Chicago Fire proved to be an instant hit and was followed by spinoffs, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med, a few years later. Like many of producer Wolf’s projects, Chicago Fire manages to balance its procedural elements with the day-to-day lives of its characters, which makes the show all the more gripping.
While each of the One Chicago shows is its own self-contained story, the brilliance of the premise has allowed for more crossovers between One Chicago’s various shows. Chicago Fire season 11 ended with both highs and shocking lows. Severide and Kidd are starting to watch their marriage crumble, Sylvie got to adopt a baby, and Casey returns and proposes to Brett. However, the biggest cliffhanger heading into Chicago Fire season 12 was Mouch getting shot while on duty. Though Chicago Fire is now firmly in its second decade on the air, it shows no signs of stopping after season 12.
Related: 7 Lingering Questions Chicago Fire Season 12 Must Answer
Chicago Fire Season 12 Latest News
The most recent Chicago Fire season 12 news came in late September 2023. Chicago Fire, along with fellow One Chicago block shows Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. had been removed from NBC’s fall 2023 schedule due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with the date of their return unclear. However, the WGA strike ended on September 24. Shortly afterward, as per a report from Deadline, it was teased that Chicago Fire season 12 could arrive by March 2024.
The rest of the One Chicago block could also arrive in this timeframe, alongside several other NBC shows that were in development when the WGA and then SAG-AFTRA strikes began. While the update on Chicago Fire isn’t a solid release date confirmation from NBC it’s still a much closer step toward the firefighters of Firehouse 51 returning to screens.
Chicago Fire Is Renewed For Season 12
Procedurals have always been a relatively safe way to gain and maintain a steady viewership, and One Chicago creator Dick Wolf is a master of the format. With NBC’s Chicago Fire season 12 renewal announcement (via NBC), Wolf’s projects will have accounted for over 80 cumulative seasons on the network. Considering the popularity of the series and its spinoffs, it came as no surprise when all the Law & Order and Chicago shows were renewed in April 2023, including Chicago Fire. Chicago Fire season 12 was given the green light weeks before the ending of season 11, and that comes as a vote of confidence for the long-running procedural to go even further into its second decade. Law & Order: SVU is well into its 20s and there’s no reason why Chicago Fire couldn’t reach that milestone.
Related: Chicago Fire Season 12 Must Fix Its Big Severide Problem
Chicago Fire Season 12 Release Date
When NBC announced the renewal of Chicago Fire season 12, the network was still somewhat vague when it came to a release date. The announcement listed Fall 2023 as when the series would return, although that has changed completely. Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med are all pushed off the fall schedule. Because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, there will be no new episodes until 2024. While the WGA strike has concluded and the SAG-AFTRA strike is expected to be resolved soon, enough work still needs to be completed on Chicago Fire that the season 12 release date isn’t expected until March 2024.
Additionally, NBC walked back on previous suggestions there were plans to split the One Chicago block of shows. NBC had hinted at a programming change that would possibly move Chicago P.D. to a new night and time. NBC has dedicated Wednesday nights to the One Chicago block of Chicago shows since 2014, with Chicago Med airing at 8/7c, followed immediately by Chicago Fire and then Chicago P.D.
However, NBC was talking about getting rid of its 10/9c programming completely and this would mean moving Chicago P.D. Since that time, NBC walked back these plans, and it will keep things as is. Jeff Bader, President of Entertainment Program Planning Strategy for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said they will keep scheduling shows for this hour, which means not splitting up any of the Chicago shows.
Chicago Fire Season 12 Cast
No official word has come regarding any major cast changes for season 12 of Chicago Fire, and the NBC renewal announcement was somewhat vague regarding who was coming back. Therefore, it can be assumed that the main cast from season 11 will be returning en masse, including David Eigenberg as Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann, Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz, and Miranda Rae Mayo as Lt. Stella Kidd. Though speculation abounds surrounding Kara Kilmer’s return as Sylvie Brett, she will likely be part of the cast unless something drastically changes.
Additionally, other main cast members like Alberto Rosende as Blake Gallo, Daniel Kyri as Darren Ritter, and Hanako Greensmith as Violet Mikami should be expected back as well. Rounding out the main cast since season 1, Eamonn Walker is expected to return as Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden in Chicago Fire season 12. With Taylor Kinney’s Severide not returning to Chicago Fire season 11, he may or may not return in season 12. The actor left the series to deal with a personal matter, and this will likely impact any decision he makes regarding season 12 of Chicago Fire.
A big possible Chicago Fire season 12 character exit cam thanks tothe season 11 finale when someone opened fire on Firehouse 51 and Randall “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte) ended up shot. While he got help, the last viewers saw of him was him starting to bleed out, which would change things drastically for the team. This could likely really affect Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri), who got his position in Firehouse 51 thanks to Mouch’s recommendation. When asked how Ritter would react to Mouch possibly dying, Kyri simply said, “I think he wouldn’t.”
This possible death would affect everyone and not just Ritter. Most of the characters on the show loved Mouch and this is something that would throw everything in Firehouse 51 out of wack. It also seems it would affect the actors involved too. When asked about how Mouch’s death would affect him, David Eigenberg, who plays Christopher Herrmann, said it would hurt him as much as it would his character. After 12 years together on the show, Hermann said that he and Christian Stolte have built a brotherhood together, with him calling Stolte “One of the funniest guys on the show.”
“I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I don’t want to lose Christian because it’d be a huge hole in my life. There’s a lot of love on our show. When we come back from the strike, we’ll be in our 12th season. We’ve been together a lot.”
Related: Chicago Fire Is Teasing Severide’s Return – But This Time It Needs To Deliver
Chicago Fire Season 12 Story Details
As with any procedural, Chicago Fire’s narrative structure doesn’t fluctuate too much from season to season, and it can be expected that the first responders of Firehouse 51 will face a host of exciting emergencies that will make up the bulk of the Chicago Fire season 12 episodes. However, there is an overarching narrative too, and season 11 left Chicago Fire with plenty of places this could go. The slow build of Chicago Fire season 11 could pay off during season 12, and the fates of characters like Brett and Severide could become the central focus.
The story concerning Brett and Casey is a big one when it comes to the Chicago Fire season 12 cast. While it looked like Casey might be rekindling his romance with Casey, he took it one step further when he dropped to a knee and proposed to Brett in the season 11 finale. This could cause a huge change because Casey needs to return to Oregon, and he could end up taking Brett with him, causing a major disruption to the show’s cast. The opposite could be true, with Casey returning to the cast full-time. That might not even be the biggest change.
Severide was written off the show during season 11 so that actor Kinney could deal with a personal matter, and his return could make for a fascinating shift in the dynamic of the Firehouse in the future seasons. Chicago Fire season 12 will see whether Stella can convince her husband to return home after he lied and joined an ATF investigation. The fact he lied about where he was going was interesting, and if Kinney chooses not to return, it could change the Chicago Fire season 12 story dramatically. If Kinney does not make a full return, it could make for engrossing TV as a spot is made in the cast for a new character to fill.
The biggest Chicago Fire season 12 question that needs to be answered has little to do with love. It has to do with Mouch getting shot while in the line of duty. A sniper started shooting at Firehouse 51 and they hit Mouch. It looked like he might survive, but then the color faded from his face and he started coding as blood poured from his body. Even if he survives, it might be time for Mouch to retire, and this could mark his end on the show.
Chicago Fire Season 12 Trailer Info
Considering the fact that little actual news has come regarding the upcoming Chicago Fire season 12, a trailer is also just as elusive. That isn’t entirely unusual though, and network shows like Chicago Fire don’t tend to release any teaser videos until only a few weeks before the actual debut of the season. If the trend continues from previous years, the first Chicago Fire season 12 trailer can be expected in the middle of September.