His firefighting character Lieutenant Kelly Severide has been away from the

action since February this year, after Kinney took a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter.

In the TV universe, Kelly left town to complete “the best arson investigation training

program in the world”, but fans hadn’t a clue as to whether he’d ever come back. However, it’s now being reported that the Chicago Fire writers’ room reopened last month and the first season 12 scripts featured Kelly in them. Further appearances beyond this season are unconfirmed, but Kinney’s comeback is expected to be full-time.

As is tradition with the US drama’s 20-episode to 22-episode run every season, we can very much look forward to that again next time around.

When its 12th season renewal was confirmed, One Chicago creator Dick Wolf said in a statement: “I’m pleased to continue my four-decade relationship with Universal Television and NBC. All six shows [including the Law & Order franchise] being picked up again is the ultimate accolade to our incredible casts, producers and writers.

“I’d also like to thank our loyal fans who have kept our NBC shows on the air for what will be a cumulative 84 seasons.”

Lisa Katz, president of scripted programming at NBCUniversal and Streaming, also commented: “We understand the emotional connection our audience has with these characters and we can’t wait to bring more of their stories to the forefront next season.

“A huge thank you to Dick and his amazing team who are the masters of producing incredibly compelling television week after week.”

Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and Chicago Med air on NBC and Peacock in the US, and on Sky Witness in the UK.