Season 12 has been averaging more than 9 million weekly viewers, making

it the most-watched entertainment program on NBC and the No. 4 drama on all

of broadcast TV (trailing only CBS’ Tracker, NCIS and FBI).

Delayed by the dual Hollywood strikes, the 13-episode Season 12 did not premiere until Jan. 17, and it already had one multi-week hiatus. The #OneChicago trifecta is now on another brief break, and new episodes won’t resume until Wednesday, May 1.

Why are there no new episodes of Chicago Fire?
Last summer’s 148-day Writers Guild strike wound up overlapping with the 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike, meaning that the penning of scripts for Season 12 was held up for a while, and the cast wasn’t even available to start shooting anything until after Nov. 9, when the latter strike ended.

Filming on Chicago Fire Season 12 began on Nov. 27 and has been proceeding at as quick a pace as possible, but occasional breaks have been needed order for production to play catch-up. The season opened with four episodes in a row followed by a one-week break, and then another two consecutive episodes, and most recently three-in-a-row. There are now four episodes left to air, starting May 1.

What has happened in Season 12 so far?
Picking up six months after last season’s cliffhanger finale, Mouch was revealed to be alive and in the best shape of his life after recovering from a life-or-death call. Herrmann, however, was dealt a blow when he was thrown to the ground while saving the firehouse from an explosive device. The blast impacted his hearing, forcing him to get hearing aids.

Meanwhile, Severide’s return to the Windy City didn’t completely assuage Stella’s concerns, especially after Severide was lured back into fire investigation. He (temporarily) left again for a case, but returned home, reassuring his wife that it was always his plan to come back to her. And he arrived just in time for Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey’s long-awaited wedding!

Elsewhere, Violet got promoted to Paramedic in Charge and started up a fling with Carver.

Which new characters have been introduced so far in Season 12?
Rome Flynn (How to Get Away With Murder) debuted in Episode 2 in the recurring role of Derrick Gibson, a former boxer-turned-firefighter who impressed Stella Kidd when they crossed paths on a call. The floater eventually joined Truck 81, where he was, initially, standoffish as the firehouse crew tried to get to know him and dug into his troubled past. (Gibson accidentally killed another boxer during a match.)

Additionally, Laura Allen (Dirt, The 4400) appeared in two episodes as the tough new Paramedic Field Chief, who plans to assign Violet’s new partner without any input from the paramedic.

Which characters have left so far in Season 12?

The firehouse’s first departure came in the season premiere, when firefighter Blake Gallo (played by Alberto Rosende) said his goodbyes before moving to Michigan to be closer to his mom’s side of the family.

Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) also bid adieu to Chicago in Episode 6, following her overdue wedding to Matt Casey in a fish store. The couple left after their reception to begin their life together with their kids in Portland

Where can I watch Chicago Fire?
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c, as it has since September 2018. (Fun fact: Its very first time slot was Wednesdays at 10, leading out of Animal Practice, Guys With Kids and Law & Order: SVU! It then moved to Tuesday for a few seasons, until #OneChicago Wednesdays became a big ol’ thing.) Chicago Fire is by a narrow margin (over Chicago Med) the most-watched of NBC’s #OneChicago trio, averaging north of 9 million weekly viewers with L+7 playback; and of the three, Chicago P.D. rates highest in the coveted 18-49 demo.

New Chicago Fire episodes stream every Thursday on Peacock, where you can also find the series’ entire 12-season catalog as well as all episodes of Chicago Med and Chicago P.D.