Chicago Fire (TV series)

Main cast

• Jesse Spencer as Captain, previously Lieutenant Matthew Casey, Truck Company 81. Casey is the Captain in charge of Truck 81. As Captain, he serves as second in command to Battalion Chief Wallace Boden. A skilled handyman and carpenter, he freelances as a construction contractor when off-duty. Despite his reticence and aloof demeanor, he is fiercely protective of the firefighters under him and commands their loyalty and respect. He is also a former elected Alderman. Married to Gabby Dawson. Matt was promoted to captain in the episode "An Even Bigger Surprise".
• Taylor Kinney as Lieutenant Kelly Severide, Rescue Squad 3. Severide is the Lieutenant at Firehouse 51 in charge of Squad 3. In contrast to Casey, he is charismatic and portrayed to be something of a "ladies' man". He and Casey have been friends since their days at the CFD Academy but their friendship is strained after a mutual colleague dies on the job. His father is Captain Benny Severide, a long-time friend of Chief Boden and Henry Mills, father of Candidate Peter Mills.
• Monica Raymund as Paramedic in Charge/Firefighter Candidate Gabriela "Gabby" Dawson, Ambulance 61/Truck 81 (seasons 1–6; guest, season 7).^[4] Dawson is one of the few women in 51 and is usually treated as a sister by the men. She was the Paramedic in Charge (PIC) of Ambulance 61 but transferred to truck 81 after completing the fire academy and passing the physical exams. However, she later transferred back to Ambulance 61 as it was a better fit for her. She is married to Matt Casey. (She also has a brother, Detective Antonio Dawson, who is featured in the spin-offs Chicago P.D. and the canceled Chicago Justice). She departed the series after the sixth season to head a rescue-and-relief unit in Puerto Rico.
• Lauren German as Paramedic Leslie Elizabeth Shay, Ambulance 61 (seasons 1–2; guest, season 3): An experienced paramedic, Shay was the designated ambulance driver and well-liked by the mostly male crew of 51. She and Kelly Severide share an apartment as roommates and are best friends. Popular with her co-workers, she was openly gay, often cracking self-deprecating jokes about it. She was killed in the season 3 premiere, continuing from the season 2 finale cliffhanger, in which a serial arsonist intentionally set a trap for the first responders.
• Charlie Barnett as Firefighter Candidate/Firefighter/Paramedic in Charge (PIC) Peter Mills, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, (seasons 1–3). Mills began as a candidate on Truck 81. After proving his capabilities as a firefighter, he earned a spot on Squad 3. However, he was transferred to Ambulance 61 when he lost his firefighter certification after an illness. Mills recovered and finally got his spot back on the squad – just as his mother and sister decided to take over his grandfather's restaurant in North Carolina. Despite saving a life on his first call back with the team, Mills realized it was time to choose his real family over his work one and left Chicago in "You Know Where to Find Me" to work with his family in North Carolina.
• David Eigenberg as Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann, Engine 51: He, Otis and Dawson jointly invest in a small pub called Molly's which one of their victims had been trying to sell. Molly's is also featured on Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med as a favorite hangout of cops and medical personnel. He has also passed the lieutenant exam after five previous attempts, he was promoted to Lieutenant in the Season 7 episode “This Isn’t Charity”.
• Teri Reeves as Doctor Hallie Thomas (season 1). She was Lieutenant Casey's ex-fiancée. They broke up due to differing views and her hectic schedule and his irregular hours prevented them from spending much time together, although they remained friends. She was murdered in a fire as part of a cover-up after she discovers that one of her colleagues at her clinic was selling medication to drug dealers.
• Eamonn Walker as Battalion Chief Wallace Boden, Battalion 25. He oversees the firefighters and paramedics of Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3 and Ambulance 61 at Firehouse 51. A long-time veteran of the CFD, he is extremely protective of the men and women who serve under him, even putting his career on the line several times.
• Yuri Sardarov as Firefighter Brian "Otis" Zvonecek, Truck 81 (recurring season 1; season 2–present). Prior to Mills' assignment in the pilot, Otis was the latest candidate to be assigned to 81. He became the driver after Joe Cruz transferred to Squad 3.
• Christian Stolte as Firefighter Randall "Mouch" McHolland, Truck 81 (recurring season 1; season 2–present). Another of 81's more senior firefighters, Mouch is the de facto "legal advisor" of 51 and is their union representative. His wife is Chicago PD Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton), who also appears in Chicago P.D.
• Joe Minoso as Firefighter/Chauffeur Joe Cruz, Squad 3 (recurring season 1; season 2–present). Cruz was formerly the designated driver for Truck 81. A native of the gangster-infested neighborhoods of Humboldt Park he spends the first two seasons constantly trying to bail his wayward younger brother out of trouble. In the season 3 finale, he transferred to Squad 3.
• Kara Killmer as Paramedic Sylvie Brett, Ambulance 61 (season 3–present): Sylvie is a Paramedic that joined Ambulance No. 61 following Leslie Shay's death. Brett was promoted to Paramedic in Charge (PIC) after Dawson transferred to Engine. She is a small-town girl from Indiana and is a "runaway bride" who goes "up I-65 to Chicago" to escape her ex-fiancé Harrison after their engagement fell apart. Initially, she has difficulty adjusting to city life due to her naiveté, as shown by the fact that she leaves cash out on the table with the windows open and rented an apartment in a neighborhood known for crime because the rent was cheap. She was in a relationship with Joe Cruz and shared an apartment with Gabby Dawson, prior to Gabby's marriage to Casey.
• Dora Madison as Paramedic In Charge Jessica "Chili" Chilton (season 3 recurring; season 4 episodes 1–14 main): She was brought in as the new Paramedic in Charge (PIC) after Mills' departure. Her arrival was initially met with some frostiness from the rest of the crew as they were still getting over Mills' sudden departure. She was previously with a firehouse in the West Side and is experienced in dealing with victims of major trauma. She leaves Firehouse 51 during the fourth season after the death of her sister drives her to alcoholism.
• Steven R. McQueen as Firefighter Candidate/Paramedic Jimmy Borrelli (season 4 episodes 1–6 recurring; seasons 4–5). He was introduced in the season 4 premiere and is the newest Candidate assigned to Truck 81. He is critically injured by an explosion early in the fifth season, causing him to need round-the-clock care, and thus ending his firefighting career.
• Miranda Rae Mayo as Firefighter Stella Kidd: Truck 81 (season 4 recurring; season 5–present). She is Jimmy's replacement on Truck 81. She had a prior relationship with Kelly Severide.
• Annie Ilonzeh as Paramedic, Emily Foster, Ambulance 61 (season 7).^[5] Gabriela Dawson’s replacement on Ambulance 61.

Recurring cast

• Randy Flagler as Senior Firefighter Harold Capp:^[6] a member of Squad 3.
• Anthony Ferraris as Firefighter Tony Ferraris: a member of Squad 3.
• DuShon Monique Brown as Connie: Chief Boden's secretary (seasons 1–6).
• Mo Gallini as Firefighter Jose Vargas: a member of Squad 3, Vargas recently transferred from Truck 81 in the episode "Professional Courtesy". A sixteen-year veteran, he is forced to retire after he is injured in a warehouse fire and considers suicide by jumping from his apartment building rooftop, but Severide and Casey talk him out of it.
• Shiri Appleby as Clarice Carthage: Clarice is introduced as the pregnant ex-girlfriend of Leslie Shay. In season 1, episode 13, Shay and Clarice reconcile their relationship and Clarice moves back in with Shay, only for Clarice to break up with Shay for a second time at the end of episode 16 of season 1.
• Kathleen Quinlan as Nancy Casey: Matthew and Christie Casey's mother who is incarcerated for murdering their verbally abusive father and her husband Gregory in 1997, fifteen years prior to the beginning of the series. She had grown estranged from her children while in prison; it was mentioned that Christie still could not forgive her and would testify against her at each parole hearing, thereby postponing Nancy's release, while Casey visited on rare occasions. Casey is successful in getting Nancy released on parole after convincing Christie to let go of the past. Nancy stays with her son as part of her parole but things become tense between mother and son when Casey voices his discomfort over her going out with "a penpal" just hours after being released. She moves in with her former cellmate, but not before telling her children to mend their relationship.
• Sarah Shahi as Renee Royce:^[7] Renee becomes attracted to Kelly after he saves her in a traffic accident, and they begin dating. In the season 1 finale, she announced that she is pregnant with Kelly Severide's child. In season 2, it is revealed that the baby is not Severide's.
• Treat Williams as Benjamin "Benny" Severide: Kelly's father and fire captain who served with Chief Wallace Boden and Peter Mills' father Henry. He is a skilled fire investigator currently with the CFD's Office of Fire Investigation Division (OFI). In season 2, Gail McLeod plots a way to overthrow Chief Boden and recruits Benny to see if he will command 51. He accepts but then he backs out because of his longstanding friendship with Wallace.^[8] He and Chief Boden had fallen out after the death of Henry Mills in the line of duty to the point where they even argued in front of Boden's men at the firehouse but both have been able to set aside their differences when needed. He had a love-hate relationship with his son as he had left Kelly and his mother when the latter was ten years old and had Katie, Kelly's half-sister, with another woman. He lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin with his new wife Beth and two sons but abandoned them and moved to Chicago without Kelly's knowledge. In season 2, he was revealed to be responsible for the disappearance of Vince Keeler, the mobster behind Katie's kidnapping, and confesses to Detective Voight. Voight, being a father himself, lets Benny off and Benny returns to Kenosha on his advice.
• Jeff Hephner as Lieutenant Jeff Clarke: After his firehouse is closed, he is transferred to Firehouse 51, Squad 3. Initially, he was not liked by the rest of the crew as he was extremely private and preferred to read newspapers at the squad's table rather than socialize with them in the lounge. His arrival at 51 coincided with McLeod's efforts to find reasons to close Firehouse 51 down and he was falsely accused of being McLeod's mole. When the rest of the firehouse realizes that he had actually turned McLeod down, they befriend him and helped him through his marital problems. He was also revealed to be a former Marine and Iraq veteran. His wife Lisa had cheated on him while he was on his final tour and were estranged when the character is first introduced. They reconnect after she asks for his forgiveness and he and the crew were nearly killed by a burning propane tanker on a call. Lisa's ex-lover Hayes turned out to be a loan shark who continuously harasses them to the point where Clarke was prepared to kill the man with his military-issue sniper rifle. When Hayes is found dead, Clarke becomes the prime suspect and tries to protect Lisa upon finding out that she had been involved. He transferred out of 51 after being promoted to lieutenant and is now the commander of Truck 25. Clarke hurt himself on the job and returns to Med School and is a resident at Chicago Med.
• Edwin Hodge as Rick Newhouse of Squad 3: he transfers from the fictional Squad 6 based in South Side in the season 2 episode "One More Shot" to fill the empty spot left behind after Clarke's promotion and subsequent transfer. His experience and charismatic personality quickly wins over Severide and the rest of the men, although Herrmann initially antagonized him as he had yet to come to terms with the recent suicide of Candidate Rebecca Jones. When off duty, he moonlights as a skiptracer and has been seen entertaining his coworkers with stories of his "clientele". Mills looks up to him as an older brother figure. He hails from the crime-ridden Chicago area of Roseland and, despite getting out, still goes back to visit family. He is a single father with an elementary school-age daughter Naomi. In season 3, he leaves Chicago to visit family in Miami and Scott Rice takes over his spot on Squad 3 on a temporary basis. Whether or not Newhouse will return remains ambiguous.
• Michelle Forbes as Gail McLeod: a financial consultant hired by the state to help trim the budget of the CFD which includes closing some firehouses. She had Lieutenant Spellman, a transfer from a closed firehouse, "report" to her on the activities of the crew at 51 but Spellman was coerced into transferring out when the entire crew, led by Lieutenants Casey and Severide, staged a plan to run him out upon discovering that he was the mole. Mouch rallies the union to fight back when he discovers the reason why McLeod was so keen on closing down firehouses. The community and fellow firefighters rally behind 51, drawing the attention of State Senator Wheeler, who orders his assistant Isabella, then-girlfriend of Peter Mills, to reverse the closure of 51.^[9]
• John Hoogenakker as Lieutenant Spellman: He is assigned to Firehouse 51, along with Clarke, after city budget cuts force downsizing in the department. He is later revealed to be the snitch to Gail McLeod and is "transferred" out of 51.^[10] Mills realizes that he was McLeod's "spy" and Spellman is transferred out after some of the men repeatedly taped pink transfer forms in his locker and the entire crew, Lieutenants Casey and Severide and Chief Boden included, hand him pink transfer forms.
• Christine Evangelista as Allison Rafferty, Paramedic in Charge, Ambulance 61: After Dawson starts training at the Academy to become a firefighter, transfer paramedic Allison Rafferty is introduced as Leslie Shay's new partner. At first Rafferty seems distant toward Shay and when Shay later confronts her, she tells her that her previous partner at 24 was a lesbian and used to make phone calls to her girlfriend that made Rafferty uncomfortable. In her second episode appearance, it is revealed she was a resident doctor at Chicago Med but dropped out when her fiancé developed Hodgkin's lymphoma; he died six months later. She is suspended for treating a patient that refused treatment, and Dawson regains her spot on Ambulance 61. She briefly returns to 61 to fill in for Dawson who takes the day off to run the race in "A Dark Day" and works with Shay during the recovery effort.
• Brittany Curran as Katie Nolan: Kelly Severide's half-sister, and Benny Severide's daughter. Kelly and Katie didn't know each other until they meet in the restaurant where Katie works as a chef. Katie was kidnapped after "the blackout" by Vince Keeler and is badly injured. Katie later moves to Colorado.
• Alexandra Metz as Elise Mills: Peter Mills' sister. She helps run the family restaurant with her mom and is torn between being protective of Peter and encouraging him to follow his passion for public service.
• Robyn Coffin as Cindy Herrmann: Wife of Christopher Herrmann, and mother of their five children (4 boys and 1 girl). At the beginning of the series, she and Christopher have just lost their home to foreclosure and together with their children move in with her parents. After watching Christopher get in over his head with various side jobs in order to get them back into a house of their own, the last of which being a rather unsavory limo service, she tells him that it isn't worth it if it means that much trouble. She then suggests they look into renting a home, and tells him about a complex where one of her co-workers lives where she heard there is a vacancy. "We'll make it our dream home." She tells him. In the episode "Under the Knife" Herrmann announces that Cindy is pregnant with their fifth child. In "Ambition" she has a medical episode as a result of the pregnancy and passes out and is rushed to the hospital. In "Hell of a Ride" she has a baby boy via an emergency C-Section. As she is Catholic and does not use birth control because of religious restrictions, Herrmann surprises her on their twentieth anniversary by getting a vasectomy.
• William Smillie as Kevin Hadley: a former member of Squad 3, he was transferred out of Squad 3 to another house because of an inappropriate prank on Peter Mills. In season 2 he targets Firehouse 51 and personally targets Severide for revenge with arson attacks and burns himself when pouring gas on himself and standing on top of an accelerant, leaving him badly scarred and in constant pain. He is currently in prison.
• Damon Dayoub as Jake Cordova (season 6), a confident, rugged man's man firefighter^[11]
• Pouch the dog:^[12] Peter is given a dog by a child from a family who could not take care of it. Hermann, Chief Boden, and Mouch decide against it. Eventually, the three agree after Hermann suggests the three should rethink the dog. She is given a name and adopted by the team. Pouch's name was decided by Hermann, who suggests she should be named after Mouch, which is half man, half couch, to Pouch: half pooch, half couch. Mouch was initially against them adopting Pouch because of a bad experience he had with the dog at his former firehouse but comes to enjoy Pouch's company. The two are often seen on the couch together.

Crossovers

• "A Dark Day" is part one of a crossover with Chicago P.D. where an explosion occurs at Chicago Med, leading the fire and police departments to track down the culprits. It features Hank Voight, Antonio Dawson, Erin Lindsay, Jay Halstead, Kim Burgess and Kevin Atwater, while "8:30 PM" features Matthew Casey, Kelly Severide, Wallace Boden, Leslie Shay, Peter Mills and Joe Cruz.
• "Nobody Touches Anything" is part one of a crossover with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Chicago P.D. centered on a pedophile ring.^[19] It features Hank Voight and Erin Lindsay from P.D. and Amanda Rollins from SVU. However, no characters from Fire appear in either "Chicago Crossover" or "They'll Have to Go Through Me".
• "Three Bells" is part one of a crossover with Chicago P.D. about the pursuit of the arsonist who killed Leslie Shay.^[20] It features Kim Burgess, Sean Roman, and Antonio Dawson, while "A Little Devil Complex" features Gabriela Dawson, Peter Mills and Wallace Boden.
• "We Called Her Jellybean" is part one of a crossover with Chicago P.D. and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit about a case of rape and murder in Chicago that resembles an unsolved case in New York.^[21][22] It features Olivia Benson and Melinda Warner from SVU and Hank Voight and Antonio Dawson from P.D., while "The Number of Rats" features Matthew Casey and Wallace Boden. However, no characters from Fire appear in "Daydream Believer".
• "The Beating Heart" is part one of a crossover with Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. where Christopher Herrmann is treated for a stab wound while a woman pulled out of a fire is discovered to have been given unnecessary chemotherapy along with other patients.^[23] It features Will Halstead, April Sexton, Ethan Choi, and Connor Rhodes from Med as well as Adam Ruzek, Kim Burgess and Trudy Platt from P.D., while "Malignant" features Kelly Severide, Gabriela Dawson, Sylvie Brett, Christopher Herrmann, Jessica Chilton, Joe Cruz and Mouch. However, no characters from Fire appear in "Now I'm God".
• "Some Make It, Some Don't" is part one of a crossover with Chicago P.D. about Kelly Severide being brought to the 21st District after his car caused a deadly crash and the team investigates a group of carjackers who are the key to Severide's innocence. It features Maggie Lockwood from Med as well as Hank Voight, Trudy Platt, and Erin Lindsay from P.D., while "Don't Bury This Case" features Matthew Casey, Kelly Severide, and Mouch.
• "Deathtrap" is part one of a crossover with Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice where Firehouse 51 responds to a warehouse fire that puts the lives of many in danger, and leaves Alvin Olinsky's daughter dead. It features Will Halstead, Natalie Manning, April Sexton, Daniel Charles, Ethan Choi, Maggie Lockwood, and Sharon Goodwin from Med, Hank Voight, Erin Lindsay, Kim Burgess, and Alvin Olinsky from P.D., and Mark Jefferies from Justice, while "Emotional Proximity" features Wallace Boden, Kelly Severide, and Sylvie Brett, while "Fake" only features Kelly Severide.

Development

The series pilot, co-written by creators Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, was filmed in Chicago and, according to an NBC representative, the series will continue to be filmed there.^[24] Producer John L. Roman was involved from the beginning having worked with the Chicago Fire Department and Deputy District Chief Steve "Chik" Chikerotis on Backdraft.^[25] Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel made an appearance in the series' pilot episode. Emanuel stated: "It's easier being mayor than playing mayor. I told them I'd do it under one condition: the TV show is making an investment to the Firefighters' Widows and Orphans Fund."^[26]

The title "Chicago Fire" has sparked some confusion in the show's first season in regards to it being shared with a local major professional soccer team; the Chicago Fire Soccer Club. Actor Taylor Kinney has said "If you (say) 'We're working on "Chicago Fire,"' they ask you if you're a soccer player".^[27] However show producer Dick Wolf doesn't mind and has seen that fans of the team might watch.^[27] The Chicago Fire team themselves have accepted the shared name with the show and have shown the series premiere on October 2, 2012 at Toyota Park after a game with the Philadelphia Union.^[28]

The network placed an order for the series in May 2012.^[29] After receiving an additional script order in October, Chicago Fire was picked up for a full season on November 8, 2012.^[30][31] On January 29, 2013, Chicago Fire had its episode total increased from 22 to 23.^[32] One week later, on February 6, 2013, Chicago Fire received one more episode, giving it a total of 24 episodes for season one.^[33] The pilot episode had an early release at NBC.com, before the series' premiere on television.^[34]

On November 9, 2015, NBC renewed the series for a fifth season.^[35][36] The season premiered on October 11, 2016.^[37]

Filming

The building used in the show for the firehouse exteriors is a working Chicago Fire Department firehouse, and is the headquarters of Engine 18, located at 1360 South Blue Island Avenue at Maxwell Street, between 13th & Racine. Housed here is ALS Engine 18, 2–2–1 (Deputy District Chief – 1st District), 2–1–21 (1st District Chief), 6–4–16 (High-Rise Response Unit), and ALS Ambulance 65. The interiors of Firehouse 51 are filmed at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios. The station house used for exteriors in Chicago PD is just a few blocks away at 949 West Maxwell Street at Morgan Street (interiors likewise filmed at Cinespace).

Chicago artist and retired firefighter Lee J. Kowalski's oil paintings of fire scenes can be spotted in several episodes.

Molly's, a small bar owned by Herrmann, Otis and Dawson, was filmed at Lotties in Bucktown.^[38][39] Filming no longer takes place on location to avoid disrupting business. Instead, the interior and exterior surroundings were recreated at Cinespace.^[40]

In November 2012, WGN-TV reported a plane crash at 29th and Martin Luther King Drive on their morning newscast and showed live footage for a few minutes before realizing it was merely a set piece pre-staged for Chicago Fire and not an actual emergency situation.^[41]

Spin-offs

On March 27, 2013, NBC announced plans for a proposed spin-off of Chicago Fire, the police procedural drama Chicago P.D. that would involve the Chicago Police Department, the spin-off series being created and produced by Dick Wolf, with Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, and Matt Olmstead serving as executive producers.^[56][57] It premiered on January 8, 2014.

The show follows an Intelligence Unit of the police and is filmed entirely in Chicago. The main cast includes Jason Beghe, Jon Seda, Sophia Bush, Jesse Lee Soffer, Patrick Flueger, Elias Koteas, Marina Squerciati, LaRoyce Hawkins and Archie Kao.

In February 2015, NBC announced plans to make another spinoff, the medical drama Chicago Med. A special backdoor pilot episode of the show aired during Chicago Fire's third season.^[58] On May 1, 2015, Chicago Med was officially ordered to a series,^[59] starring Oliver Platt, S. Epatha Merkerson, Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, Marlyne Barrett, Colin Donnell and Brian Tee.

Chicago Fire was the first show of what would become the Chicago franchise. NBC would greenlight a police procedural drama spin-off series, under the title Chicago P.D., which premiered on January 8, 2014.^[60] On May 1, 2015, NBC ordered another spin-off of Chicago Fire, a medical drama called Chicago Med, which premiered on November 17, 2015. Additionally, the police procedural led to a short-lived 2017 legal drama series titled Chicago Justice.