Chicago Fire (TV series)

Plot

Cast

Main

• Jesse Spencer as Captain Matthew Casey, Truck Company 81. Casey is the Captain at Firehouse 51 and the officer in charge of Truck Company 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. He was briefly engaged to Dr. Hallie Thomas in season one. He was married to Gabby Dawson from seasons five to seven. Matt was promoted to captain by 25th Battalion Chief Wallace Boden in the sixth-season episode "An Even Bigger Surprise".
• Taylor Kinney as Lieutenant Kelly Severide, Rescue Squad 3. Severide is the Lieutenant at Firehouse 51 and the officer in charge of Squad 3. As Lieutenant, he serves as third in command to Battalion Chief Wallace Boden. 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 becomes strained after a mutual colleague dies on the job. His father was Chief Benny Severide, a long-time friend of Chief Boden and Henry Mills, father of Candidate Peter Mills.
• Monica Raymund as Former Paramedic in Charge/Firefighter Candidate Gabriela "Gabby" Dawson, Ambulance 61/Truck 81. 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 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 after Jimmy Borelli transferred back to Truck 81 because it was a better fit for her. She was married to Matt Casey from seasons five to seven. She left Chicago after the sixth season finale "The Grand Gesture" to head a rescue-and-relief unit in Puerto Rico, but briefly returned to say goodbye to Casey in the seventh season premiere "A Closer Eye". She briefly returns again in the eighth-season episode "Best Friend Magic". She is the younger sister of Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice character Detective Antonio Dawson.
• Lauren German as Former Paramedic Leslie Elizabeth Shay, Ambulance 61. As an experienced paramedic, Shay was the designated ambulance driver and was well-liked by the mostly male crew of 51. She and Kelly Severide shared an apartment as roommates and were best friends. Popular with her co-workers, she was openly gay, often cracking self-deprecating jokes about it. She was killed in the season three premiere "Always", continuing from the season two finale "Real Never Waits" cliffhanger, in which a serial arsonist intentionally set a trap for the first responders. In "Three Bells", she was honored and remembered by her fellow co-workers at 51. She is memorialized by an inscription painted on the cab doors of Ambulance 61.
• Charlie Barnett as Former Firefighter Candidate/Firefighter/Paramedic in Charge Peter Mills, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Mills began as a candidate on Truck 81, following on from his deceased father's footsteps. 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, previously Truck 81: 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 also passed the lieutenant exam, after five previous attempts, and was officially promoted to Lieutenant in the seventh season episode “Thirty Percent Sleight Of Hand” and officer in charge of Engine Company 51. As Lieutenant, he serves as fourth in command to Battalion Chief Wallace Boden.
• Eamonn Walker as Battalion Chief, 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 Former Firefighter, Truck 81. 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. He was fatally wounded in the eighth-season premiere "Sacred Ground", continuing from the season seven finale "I'm Not Leaving You" cliffhanger in which 51 was fighting a mattress factory fire, and dies with Cruz by his side in the hospital.
• Christian Stolte as Senior Firefighter Randall "Mouch" McHolland, Truck 81. Another of 81's more senior firefighters, Mouch is the de facto "legal advisor" of 51 and is their union representative. He is married to Chicago P.D. character Sergeant Trudy Platt.
• Joe Minoso as Firefighter/Chauffeur, Squad 3. 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 three finale "Spartacus", he transferred to Squad 3. In the season eight episode "Light Things Up", he marries Chloe Allen.
• Teri Reeves as Dr. Hallie Thomas. She was Lieutenant Casey's ex-fiancée. They broke up due to differing views, her hectic schedule and his irregular hours which prevented them from spending much time together, but they remained friends. They briefly rekindled their relationship until she was murdered in a fire as part of a cover-up after she discovered that one of her colleagues at her clinic was selling medication to drug dealers.
• Kara Killmer as Paramedic in Charge Sylvie Brett, Ambulance 61. Sylvie is a paramedic who joined Ambulance No. 61, replacing Leslie Shay after her death. Brett was promoted to Paramedic in Charge after her third partner Jessica Chilton was fired. She is a small-town girl from Fowlerton, Indiana and is a "runaway bride" who goes "up I-65 to Chicago". Her ex-fiancé Harrison later shows up and says he was the one who backed out on their wedding. They briefly rekindle their relationship until she ends it for good. 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 briefly dated Joe Cruz later in season three and shared an apartment with Gabby Dawson, prior to Gabby's marriage to Casey. She later dated Gabby's brother Antonio on and off from seasons five to six. She was also briefly engaged to Chaplain Kyle Sheffield from seasons seven to eight.
• Dora Madison as Former Paramedic In Charge Jessica "Chili" Chilton. She was brought in replacing Peter Mills as the new Paramedic in Charge. 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 briefly dates Jimmy Borelli in the fourth season. She is later fired by Chief Boden during the fourth season after the death of her sister causes her to nearly kill a patient by giving her the wrong medicine and later relapse to alcoholism. After she is fired, she calls Kelly Severide for help and he takes her to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
• Steven R. McQueen as Former Firefighter Candidate/Paramedic Jimmy Borrelli. He was introduced in the fourth-season premiere "Let It Burn" and a new candidate assigned to Truck 81. He briefly dates Jessica "Chilli" Chilton in the fourth season. He also briefly replaces her as a paramedic on Ambulance 61 after she is fired. After his brother dies in a burning building, he blames Chief Boden for a while and transfers back to Truck 81. He is critically injured by an explosion early in the fifth season, causing him to lose an eye and need round-the-clock care, thus ending his firefighting career.
• Miranda Rae Mayo as Firefighter Stella Kidd: Truck 81. She replaces Jimmy Borelli on Truck 81. She has been in an on-again/off-again relationship with Lieutenant Kelly Severide since the fourth-season finale "Superhero".
• Annie Ilonzeh as Paramedic Emily Foster, Ambulance 61. a bisexual former medical student, who replaces Gabriela Dawson on Ambulance 61. In the eighth-season finale "51's Original Best", she re-applies to medical school.
• Alberto Rosende as Firefighter Candidate Blake Gallo, Truck 81. He is Firehouse 51's latest recruit on Truck 81, replacing Brian "Otis" Zvonecek after his death. Gallo became a firefighter after it was revealed that he had lost his entire family in a house fire.

  Recurring

• Michael Cognata as Julian Robbins: Chief Wallace Boden's brother-in-law.
• Randy Flagler as Senior Firefighter Harold Capp: a member of Squad 3.
• Anthony Ferraris as Firefighter Tony Ferraris: a member of Squad 3.
• DuShon Monique Brown as Connie: Chief Wallace Boden's secretary.
• 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. She was never seen again after that.
• 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: 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 Chief who served with Chief Wallace Boden and Peter Mills' father Henry. He was a skilled fire investigator currently with the CFD's Office of Fire Investigation Division. In season 2, Gail McLeod plots a way to overthrow Chief Boden from his post and recruits Benny to see if he will command 51. He accepts but then he backs out because of his longstanding friendship with Wallace. 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 Hank Voight. Voight, being a father himself, lets Benny off and Benny returns to Kenosha on his advice. In Season 7, Kelly Severide asks Benny for help because of the tension between Boden and the Assistant Deputy Commissioner. Benny reluctantly agrees to help. In "All The Proof", Benny suffers a stroke and dies. He did one last favor before his death.
• 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 becomes a student 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.
• 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. 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. 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, a confident, rugged man's man firefighter
• Gordon Clapp as Chaplin Orlovsky Chicago fire department Chaplin.
• Teddy Sears as Chaplin Kyle Sheffield replaces Chaplin Orlovsky as Chicago fire department Chaplin. He was briefly engaged to Sylvie Brett and they move to Fowlerton, Indiana for his work, but Brett ends up breaking it off and returning to Chicago
• Pouch the dog: 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. Pouch ends up goes to live with a boy named JJ after his mom died in the line of duty as a cop.
• Daniel Kyri as Firefighter candidate Darren Ritter, after Herman fires Barns due to disrespect he need someone to replace him and Mouch suggest Ritter. Previously with Engine 37 Mouch helped him when he froze up during a fire and then ended up making his first save. He is also openly gay
• Tuesday The dog: Tuesday is a Dalmatian dog belonging to Ritter. She has separation anxiety so Ritter brings her to the firehouse and she ends up becoming the firehouse dog

  Episodes

Crossovers

• "8:30 PM" – In the first crossover with P.D., beginning on "A Dark Day", an explosion occurs at Chicago Med, sending the fire and police departments in a race against the clock to find the culprits.
• "Chicago Crossover" / "They'll Have to Go Through Me" – In the first crossover with P.D. and SVU, beginning on "Nobody Touches Anything", a routine house fire uncovers evidence of a pedophile ring spanning from Chicago to New York.
• "A Little Devil Complex" – In the second crossover with P.D., beginning on "Three Bells", Firehouse 51 and Intelligence search for the serial arsonist who killed Leslie Shay.
• "The Number of Rats" / "Daydream Believer" – In the second crossover with P.D. and SVU, beginning on "We Called Her Jellybean", a fire uncovers evidence of a serial arsonist suspected of committing rape and murder in Chicago and New York.
• "Malignant" / "Now I'm God" – In the first crossover with Med and P.D., beginning on "The Beating Heart", a member of Firehouse 51 is rushed to Chicago Med for a stabbing while an attempted suicide uncovers four cases of chemo overdose, leading to an investigation that becomes personal for Voight.
• "Don't Bury This Case" – In the third crossover with P.D., beginning on "Some Make It, Some Don't", Severide becomes the prime suspect in a case of vehicular manslaughter.
• "Emotional Proximity" / "Fake" – In the only crossover with P.D. and Justice, beginning on "Deathtrap", the prime suspect in a warehouse fire is put on trial.
• "Profiles" – In the fourth crossover with P.D., concluding on "Hiding Not Seeking", Firehouse 51 helps Intelligence investigate a series of bombings targeting members of the media.
• "When to Let Go" / "Endings" – In the second crossover with Med and P.D., beginning on "Going to War", the victims of an apartment complex fire are rushed into Chicago Med and Intelligence races to find the culprit.
• "Good Men" – In the fifth crossover with P.D., beginning on "What I Saw", Cruz helps Intelligence track down robbers who have been using a firehouse lockbox key.
• "Infection" – In the third crossover with Med and P.D., a bioterrorist spreads a deadly virus throughout Chicago.
• "Burden of Truth" – In the sixth crossover with P.D., beginning on "Off the Grid", Sean Roman gets involved in the investigation of opioid overdoses connected to his sister.

  Production

Development

Filming

Reception

Ratings

Spin-offs

Broadcast and streaming

Awards and nominations