After Chicago Fire’s Fall Finale Cliffhanger Left Many Futures In Jeopardy, Here’s When Severide And (Hopefully) All The Rest Will Be Back
Is it too soon to start counting down?
While it may feel like One Chicago only just returned to the airwaves in the latter half of the 2025 TV schedule, Chicago Fire’s fall finale has officially aired to wrap up the Firehouse 51 heroes’ stories for the year. That’s not to say that all of those stories wrapped up neatly, and there’s more than one cliffhanger to keep fans wondering until the new year. With some lives in jeopardy while other characters have their professional futures uncertain, it’s not too soon to look ahead to the 2026 TV schedule for when One Chicago will be back.
Where “Pierce The Vein” Left Off
Severide seemed like he could be safer than usual in “Pierce the Vein,” as he was playing fire cop and helping Van Meter with an OFI investigation. They ended the episode paying a visit to the arson victim, while a hooded figure lit the building on fire behind them, with the flames already creeping up the staircase when the final credits rolled.
Not for the first time, a fall finale ended with Severide’s life in jeopardy, although I’m more worried about Van Meter at this point. Fire needs Taylor Kinney as the face of the show, as far as I’m concerned; Van Meter is less essential, which can be bad news when it comes to a Fire cliffhanger.
While those are the lives in jeopardy as of the end of “Pierce the Vein,” Mouch’s professional future is uncertain. The budget cuts at the CFD are continuing, and Davis (Season 14 newcomer Annabeth Gish) spent most of the episode having to cancel plans with Pascal because she was trying to prevent a teachers’ strike.
Unfortunately, when the numbers were crunched, the money to prevent the strike may have to come from one of Firehouse 51’s rigs being permanently decommissioned: Engine 51, helmed by Mouch in his first year as a lieutenant. Pascal got the bad news in the same episode that he’d encouraged Mouch showing initiative at the CFD. Davis didn’t guarantee that Engine 51 was on the chopping block, but’s not looking great for Mouch.
And technically, Mouch isn’t the only one whose future is in jeopardy. Engine 51 doesn’t have as many prominent characters anymore since the departure of Ritter, and any hopes that Kylie would join full time haven’t been rewarded. Mouch is the main face of Engine 51 at this point in the season, and it’s not hard to imagine a way for Chicago Fire to at least temporarily decommission 51. In theory, Mouch could always move over to Truck 81, or just take a job elsewhere until Engine could return to action.
