“That’s Still Up in the Air”: ‘Chicago Fire’ Showrunner Addresses Those Major Departures in New Season 14 Update

The Season 13 finale of Chicago Fire will air on NBC tomorrow night, but the future of the show has already been shaken up. It was reported back in April that both Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett would leave the show after the Season 13 finale, but new information has come to light that might discredit this. 

Chicago Fire was already renewed for Season 14 at the start of May, and while NBC has yet to announce an official return date for the show, it’s expected back on the network before the end of this year, if not extremely early in 2026.

Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman recently sat down for an interview with ScreenRant to talk about the Season 13 finale, and when asked about Season 14, she admitted, “We haven’t sat down for Season 14 yet. We don’t know what we’re going to do.” However, she was also asked about how Ritter and Carver’s departures would play into the next season:

"Whether or not they're going to be part of stories next season, that's still up in the air. We love these actors so much and the characters are such an inherent part of the show. There could be explosive endings to these stories, but we could also be winding them in a little bit more. Maybe not as regulars, but seeing them come back and play their stories out. We'll have to see."

When asked to make a definitive statement about whether both characters could return in the future, Newman simply responded, “Yeah, there’s always a chance. Nothing is locked down yet.” Kyri has starred in 130 episodes of Chicago Fire as Darren Ritter, and Lockett has featured in 54 episodes. Fans have grown close to both characters over the past few years, and if their departure from the series does turn out to be permanent, it will certainly break some hearts. The only person to star in all 274 episodes of Chicago Fire is Taylor Kinney, who plays Kelly Severide. Christian Stolte and Joe Minoso have each appeared in 273 and 272 episodes.

Who Created ‘Chicago Fire’?

Chicago Fire was written and created for television by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, and Newman is also credited as a scribe on more than 60 episodes of the series, dating back to its first season, in addition to serving as the showrunner. Michael A. O’Shea, Michael Gilvary, and Jill Weinberger have also worked in the writer’s room on the series. Reza Tabrizi has directed the most episodes of Chicago Fire at 55, and Joe Chappelle follows closely behind him at 31 episodes. Dermot Mulroney can also be seen in Chicago Fire.

The first 21 episodes of Chicago Fire Season 13 are out now, and the Season 13 finale will air tomorrow night. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the series, and watch Chicago Fire on Peacock.