‘Chicago Fire’ Season 15 offers a first peek at a new face in charge at Firehouse 51
We finally got a sneak peek of a new boss at Firehouse 51. In ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 14, Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) was confused between choosing to stay at 51 as a new captain and opting for a more full-time role at the Office of Fire Investigation (OFI). However, by the time the finale aired, he had not chosen anything, and viewers were left hanging. In the finale episode, Rescue Squad 3 was trapped in a collapsing building mid-explosion, which we understand was not the right time to choose. Moreover, NBC has not confirmed his decision yet, at least not officially. But the latest set photos point to a direction that can be said to be relieving for most of Severide fandom.
The image, posted to X by @lausavre, appears to have been taken during the shoot. It shows Severide wearing a full turnout with his name stitched across the coat. But the coat does not read “Lieutenant Severide.” It says, “Captain Severide.” The change was first spotted and reported by One Chicago Center. It confirms what many viewers had already suspected: the smart money was on Severide staying at Firehouse 51 as captain rather than leaving for a desk job at OFI. Additionally, this detail fits in with what we already know about ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 15. Kinney has signed on as a series regular for the upcoming season, so sidelining one of the leads for a spin-off would not make sense. So, a permanent OFI exit was unlikely from the jump.
Fans of the show must know that Firehouse 51 has always answered to its chief, starting with Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) for 12 seasons. Now, it is the captain who sits at the top of the chain. It is a new territory for the show and puts Severide in charge of the day-to-day operations. In the upcoming season, there is a shakeup in characters as well. In Season 14, Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney), Darren Ritter, Jack Damon, and Sam Carver left the show. In Season 15, Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso) is slated to depart as well. To fill this gap, we have Da’Vinchi as the new firefighter candidate, Marcus Burke, and Matthew Daddario as another incoming candidate. That means this season will look very different from what we have seen so far. ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 15 premieres October 7 on NBC.