A new season of Chicago Fire is nearly upon us and with the arrival of new
episodes comes the returns of all of our favorite characters… or at least most of them.
Season 12 was a season of change for NBC’s long-running firefighter drama which
bid farewell to several longtime cast members. Of course, we also saw the arrival of a few new faces as well to help keep things fresh at 51 and fill the voids left by some of the many characters we said goodbye to over the course of the season.
The good news is that after a season full of cast departures, we’re not expecting to much change to the cast this year. That said, there will still be some changes on the horizon this season, so let’s break them down!
Chicago Fire cast exits
Let’s start with some actors who we won’t be seeing back this season on Chicago Fire, or at least the actors who left the show in season 12 and aren’t expected to return for the new season.
There are three key members of the cast we said goodbye to in season 12. In the season premiere, Alberto Rosende exited the show after four seasons playing Blake Gallo with Gallo leaving Chicago to be with newfound family in Michigan. Just a few short episodes later, Kara Killmer left the Windy City behind after ten seasons as paramedic Sylvie Brett in an episode that saw her marrying Casey and leaving town to move to Oregon.
Finally, in the season 12 finale, Chicago Fire bid farewell to original cast member Eamonn Walker, marking the end of his 12 seasons as a series regular in the role of Chief Wallace Boden. His exit storyline saw Boden accepting the Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department position, it also left the door open for a possible return in a limited capacity in season 13.
During the offseason, NBC confirmed that Jocelyn Hudon, who joined the cast in season 12 as paramedic Lyla Novak, as well as Jake Lockett, who has played Sam Carver since season 11, have been promoted to series regulars for season 13. And while he hasn’t been promoted to series regular officially just yet, we’ll also be seeing more of Michael Bradway as Jack Damon, which makes sense given the season 12 finale bombshell which revealed his connection as Severide’s half-brother.Season 13 will also welcome Dermot Mulroney as Chief Dom Pascal, 51’s new Chief who will have big shoes to fill following Eamonn Walker’s exit. Speaking of Walker, we should see him appear in at least a few episodes in season 13, just don’t expect Boden back in the mix as a series regular this season.
