Chicago Fire Season 12: Severide's Return Is Going to Send Shockwaves Through Firehouse 51

Change is afoot in Season 12 of Chicago Fire, according to executive producer Andrea Newman. With the highly anticipated return of Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and impending departures of Blake Gallo (Alberto Rosende) and Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer), the long-running NBC procedural drama is undergoing another season of transformation.

The overarching theme of this truncated, 13-episode season "is how change affects people. Nothing can stay the same forever, but these guys, 51 as a family, get through — as they always have — the highs and the lows together," Newman told TV Guide. "And whether it's change, whether it's somebody new coming in or somebody leaving, they lean on each other to get through the ups and the downs. So, we said 'change and evolution' is really our theme this year."

In the final minutes of the Season 11 finale, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) left town to find her husband Severide, who was being worryingly vague after enrolling in an out-of-town arson investigation training program; Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) proposed to Brett, who had just adopted a baby; and Randall "Mouch" McHolland (Christian Stolte) was last seen bleeding out in the hospital after being hit with shrapnel during a call.

Below, Newman — who is now the sole showrunner after previously serving as co-showrunner with Fire co-creator Derek Haas — previews the return of Severide and what that means for his relationships with Kidd and Cruz (Joe Minoso), the departures of Gallo and Brett, the unknown fate of Mouch, and the introduction of a new firefighter (played by How to Get Away With Murder alum Rome Flynn) who could stir up some trouble at the firehouse.

Everyone is very excited to see how the return of Severide will affect the dynamic within the firehouse as well as his marriage with Kidd. Given that all of the Chicago shows have gone through a six-month time jump, what can you tell me about the world that Severide has stepped back into at the start of this season?

Andrea Newman: I can say that Severide is coming back with a bang, he's being shot out of a cannon, because he's got a huge case right off the bat in the first episode that's gonna affect other firehouses. But his dynamic with Kidd is a little changed and a little fraught. There's some tension at the end of last season, and they're still working through some of that. It's still as sexy and as hot as ever, but now there's this new added tension, and Kidd isn't so thrilled with his love of arson, as we learned at the end of last season. [Laughs.] He's going to be thrown into this case that's gonna stir a lot of stuff up for the two of them, so as much as they are as hot and as in love as ever, there's going to be some little ups and downs for them at the beginning of the season.

I think, professionally speaking, it will be interesting to see how Severide reintegrates himself in the workplace.

Newman: That is such a good point. It's not just Kidd who's affected, and there's some story at the beginning about how it affects everything [and everyone], especially his right-hand man Cruz.

That begs a couple of questions then: Is Severide back for good or just temporarily? And can Severide simply reintegrate back into the team, or is there going to be some more friction there, considering that Cruz was the one who was running things while he was gone?

Newman: Severide is back [for now], and his dynamic with Cruz is going to be a part of the first couple episodes exactly for that reason. Cruz idolizes Severide, and Severide was the best man at Cruz's wedding, and they have an incredibly close relationship. But it will turn out that he is not the only one who was thrown and hurt by his disappearance. So, that's something that Cruz and Severide will have to work through.

There is a string of explosions in the premiere that threaten local firehouses, causing Severide to want to dig deeper with OFI, and Kidd is not exactly happy about it. How will Severide and Kidd address the underlying issues in their marriage this season? And what can we expect from them once they've had those difficult conversations?

Newman: There's a lot to work out between the two of them. It's not as easy as [having] one case and it's all solved. There's a real journey for them and there's some stuff going on underneath, but I think, ultimately, every time you see them together, they're drawn like magnets to each other. So while they're struggling, they also can't keep their hands off each other.

Are we ever going to hear about what has happened between them in the last six months? Are we going to hear Severide explain to Kidd why he took the gig or hear Kidd explain why she felt the need to drag him home?

Newman: Yes, I think the OFI case is gonna pull back a lot of layers on those six months and how they both look at it and how they both perceive what happened there during the ATF, when he stayed with them instead of coming home.

The season premiere also marks the departure of Gallo. How will his exit affect the dynamics within 51?

Newman: He will be very missed by all his 51 mates, and his reasons for leaving are explained pretty quickly. He's got his own reason to go, and it's especially hard for [Daniel Kyri's Darren] Ritter and [Hanako Greensmith's] Violet [Mikami], who are his best buddies. That was quite the trio, so it'll leave a hole there. It also opens up more questions for Kidd about the makeup of her truck, and we'll have a new character coming in, in Episode 2, to jump on the truck. There'll be some shaking up going on, and the 51 guys will all get through that together and lean on each other to do that. You'll see that new dynamics and new friendships will form that come in around that absence.

The new character you're alluding to is Jake Gibson, described as "a quietly confident former amateur boxer with a dark past" who joins Kidd in saving one of the members of 51 in Episode 2. How will the introduction of Gibson shake up the dynamic of the team even more? What is different about him?

Newman: He's an intriguing new character, and he's going to come in with lots of layers to peel back on. He's somebody who keeps things close to the vest, and that's not normal for 51. [Laughs.] They're not used to that. They'll try to pry the layers off as best they can and try to integrate him. But sometimes, it's tricky, especially when somebody has an intense personality, and that's definitely what Gibson brings. He's a very active, kind of heroic guy, but he's got some dark backstory to share that our guys are going to try and bring out of him, and how that affects everybody else will be part of the story at the beginning of the season.

Chicago Fire Season 12: Everything We Know

The last time we saw Mouch, he was bleeding out in the hospital. But hypothetically, if he were to survive, what would he have to reckon with six months later? Would it affect the way he approaches his job? Would he think of his job any differently?

Newman: [Laughs.] There will be no spoilers. But I'll say this: In the premiere episode, there is an arsonist who's targeting firefighters, and all of 51 is kind of grappling with the idea of [being] first responders and people who run in where other people run out and who save lives. The feeling of being targeted is a terrible and strange new feeling that they have to grapple with and overcome together.

And the last time we saw Brett, she had basically adopted and named her new baby, and then she received an unexpected marriage proposal from Casey. It's now six months after that proposal — what is happening there? And if she does accept the proposal, does that mean we will see Matt Casey again this season?

Newman: We'll find out a lot about the journey that she's been on the last six months and a lot of plans that she's made, and some have gone out the window. [Laughs.] She's someone who likes to plan things, and there will be a lot of wrenches thrown into her plans at the beginning of the season, and we will see Matt Casey again. We always want to see Matt Casey! We will definitely see Matt Casey — one of our all-time favorites — again, and we'll get to find out what Brett's plans are for the future, even if they don't go accordingly.

But when do they ever go accordingly, especially on this show?

Newman: [Laughs.] They never do! Never in life.

Do you have an idea of when Kara Killmer will be leaving this season, or is that something that is still up in the air right now?

Newman: I'd say she's definitely here for a chunk of this season — and this is a shortened season.

Herrmann (David Eigenberg) will make a heroic save to save some of the other firefighters in the premiere, but there is going to be a physical aftermath for him to contend with. At the same time, we'll see Herrmann and Kidd fighting over Ritter. What can you say about that storyline?

Newman: Hermann definitely makes a heroic move, and there will be a permanent effect to his heroic save that will change him in a lot of ways and change his presence at the firehouse. But in terms of Ritter, it's such a great situation because loyalty is everything. 51 is one family, but of course, there are different little units within it, so loyalties will be tested and it'll be a challenge for the leaders, especially in terms of keeping who they want by their side.

We've spoken a little bit about Cruz already, but is there anything else you can tease about what is to come for any other characters this season?

Newman: It's a great season for Violet. She's going through a lot, she's been through a lot, and now she gets to come out on the other side of it all the more strong, which is perfect for the character. She's a toughie, and she's gonna be hardened by fire and come out on the other side of it even more "Violet-y" than she was before. [Laughs.]

Cruz kind of falls in the same category as Ritter in terms of their loyalties being tested, and there will be challenges for him going forward in terms of dynamics, but he's obviously very much the heart of the firehouse.

The Chicago shows are no strangers to reinventing themselves year after year, but in the case of Fire, we're seeing two beloved characters depart. There is room on the squad for a new paramedic and a new firefighter, so how will this transition phase look at 51?

Newman: Yeah, it's fun because change is tough. People resist it at first. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. It takes a very specific kind of firefighter or first responder to fit in at 51. It's a very special place, so not everybody's going to make the cut, and that's fun to see — to watch everybody trying to rally around or try to rally against when there's trouble. So there's lots of intrigue to come this year.

Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.