CHICAGO FIRE: Andrea Newman Previews Firehouse 51’s New Boss and Stellaride’s Big Family Decision

September 23, 2024 by Marisa Roffman

CHICAGO FIRE — “A Monster In the Field” Episode 13001 — Pictured: (l-r) — (Photo by: Peter Gordon/NBC)

As CHICAGO FIRE enters season 13 (on Wednesday, September 25 at 9/8c), the writers are having fun leaning into the superstitions around that specific number.

“Going into the season, we kept calling it ‘Lucky 13,’” CHICAGO FIRE showrunner Andrea Newman tells Give Me My Remote. “But we were like, ‘You know, 13 is haunted. It’s a little haunted.’ And that really became the theme [of the season]. And it’s so on point with so many stories, just the theme of shadows and hauntings.”

“The shadow of Boden [who accepted a promotion in the season 12 finale] is kind of hanging over the house,” she continues. “For Severide, it’s the shadow of Benny Severide, now that he’s confronted with this new half-brother. Carver’s dealing with a lot from his past.”

The loss of Boden, who was the leader of Firehouse 51 for the entire series, is multifaceted for the characters. “Obviously, [it’s] a huge impact on the show,” Newman acknowledges. “From the beginning, Boden was the paternal figure at the firehouse and really shaped and formed who all these firefighters are. And his presence still will be there through that alone, but he’s part of the CFD. We’re going to see him in an episode or two—or more. He’s out there. But he is definitely not leading Firehouse 51 now and it’s a big change. And it’s a big change that a lot of the firefighters are going to struggle with because of being so used to having Boden [there].”

CHICAGO FIRE — “A Monster In the Field” Episode 13001 — Pictured: (l-r) — (Photo by: Peter Gordon/NBC)

“[Dom] Pascal [played by new series regular Dermot Mulroney], our new chief, comes in with no interest in trying to be Boden,” she continues. “He is nothing like Boden. He says that from the jump. He’s not affected by the big shadow of Boden at all. He says, ‘This is my firehouse now, new rules, get ready.’ So that’s how it kicks off.”

Some people, naturally, will be more supportive of their new leader. Others? Well, let’s just say they have their doubts. (Especially over some of the rules that get enacted.)

“That’s going to be the fun of that first chunk of episodes is seeing how everybody reacts to him,” Newman previews. “There are a bunch of surprises in terms of the people who end up bonding with him—that might not be the people you’d expect. And [then there’s] the people who have a big problem with it, with the changes, and with him and his methods there. It’s definitely gonna affect everybody differently and in surprising ways, I would say.”

Notably, Herrmann (David Eigenberg) was selected to be Boden’s successor—by Boden himself—at the end of last season…but it didn’t pan out the way the former chief expected.

“That’s not an easy process,” Newman points out. “It’s not [as simple as] you just snap your fingers. He’s got a process he’s got to go through and a test he’s got to take and a ladder he’s got to climb up a bit. So he’s got to do all that while looking at the new boss sitting in what is potentially his seat. So right off the bat for him, that’s going to create all sorts of issues about his pursuit of that position, because there’s a guy there right now.”

Of course, Pascal has his own drama going on: Viewers will meet Dom’s wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland), in the season premiere and the duo’s relationship is…hot and cold.

“It’s really fun because the audience gets a sneak peek at that before the firehouse does,” Newman previews. “So the audience really knows more about Pascal at the beginning than anybody at 51. And we will get some glimpses into his kind of tortured relationship with his wife, Monica.”

“Their relationship, it’s a little twisted,” she adds with a laugh. “It’s a fun one.”

CHICAGO FIRE — “A Monster In the Field” Episode 13001 — Pictured: (l-r) — (Photo by: Peter Gordon/NBC)

Also impacting the firehouse—and a central relationship—is Damon’s (Michael Bradway) revelation that his father was Benny, making him Severide’s (Taylor Kinney) half-brother.

“It’s particularly impactful for Severide, but it affects Kidd, too, because Kidd is Damon’s boss,” Newman says. “So it’s a real journey. I think Severide was already in this family headspace, thinking about having his own family. And then suddenly to have a member of his family he didn’t know about appear, in a classic Benny surprise…it’s a tricky one.”

“It starts with a secret, so that’s already a little bit problematic,” she continues. “And [since Kidd is Damon’s boss] there’s a lot of conflict because of that, and there’s some juicy stuff to play with the three of them. But also Severide really [is] wanting to establish that relationship, and [is] kind of feeling responsible for Damon in some ways because Benny wasn’t there for him—and now [Severide] feels like he should be. So he wants to do right, but it’s also troubled from the jump because they’re very different people and he kept a secret.”

As this is going on, Severide and Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) are still contemplating whether they should have a baby. That conversation “is impacted” by the revelation that Damon is his half-brother.

“He wants Damon to be part of that family, and he wants a family,” Newman says of Severide. “He wants that feeling of family. And that’s potentially what Damon could bring if things can work out between them— if they can get past the secrets and the issues. But I think he also, right off the bat, because of the conflict [Damon has] with Kidd, it’s going to lead to bigger discussions.”

“That’s really going to be a journey for them, that family conversation,” she continues. “What they’re thinking about it, how they’re proceeding, talking about it. And the difference between how it would affect Severide if they had a baby and how it would affect Kidd if they had a baby—those are two completely different things. And Severide is aware of that. He said that from the beginning.”

And Severide and Kidd do get to actually talk things out again. “To us, that’s a really fun part of it to explore,” Newman says. “[It’s a] really interesting to explore the big difference between how those two would be affected and how that affects their decisions.”

CHICAGO FIRE, Season Premiere, Wednesday, September 25, 9/8c

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