Jesse Spencer Returning to Chicago Fire for Season Finale Amid Taylor Kinney’s Continued Leave of Absence
Jesse Spencer will revisit the Windy City in Chicago Fire‘s Season 11 finale — but another firefighter, Taylor Kinney’s Lieutenant Kelly Severide, will not appear in the May 24 episode, TVLine has learned.
It was announced in January that Kinney is taking a leave of absence from the NBC drama to deal with a personal matter. The actor last appeared in the Feb. 22 installment, and his character’s absence was explained in the March 1 episode, when it was revealed that Severide had gone to Alabama for an arson investigation training program.
Spencer most recently reprised his role as Captain Matt Casey in Episode 18 early last month, when Casey came back to Chicago to enlist Lieutenant Stella Kidd into a Department of Homeland Security task force against a potential domestic terror attack. In the season ender, “Kidd finds a new lead on the Homeland Security case,” reads the official episode description.
Spencer exited Fire in the show’s 200th episode, which aired back in October 2021, after almost 10 seasons as a full-time cast member. His character decided to move to Oregon to take care of his late best friend Andy Darden’s sons, while maintaining an off-screen, long-distance relationship with Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer). The two attended Stella and Severide’s wedding together in the Season 10 finale, but the pair eventually broke up in the Season 11 premiere, citing bad timing. When Casey visited Firehouse 51 last month, he hinted to Chief Boden that his time in Oregon might be coming to an end as the Darden boys are almost off to college, opening up the possibility of a reunion with Brett down the road.
Asked if he would ever return to the show full-time, Spencer previously told TVLine, “Oh, that’s a tough question. I think I’m always open to it. I never say never. When I left the show, I talked to [co-showrunner] Derek [Haas] and everybody and said, ‘Listen, if it makes sense to bring me in for a storyline that you think would be appropriate for Casey to come in for, I’m happy to pop in for an episode.’ But in terms of like long-term or something, I don’t think so.”
Fire fans, are you excited for Spencer’s second return this season? How do you feel about Severide’s absence? Hit the comments with your finale predictions!
Yes!!! I secretly was hoping that he would return for the finale. I really wanted Taylor to be there as well but hopefully he’s doing okay dealing with whatever he had to handle.
Then with this writer’s strike who knows when prep work for next season can even begin.
Need to keep Brett and Casey together for sure. Casey is as important as Severide
Totally agree, love them both but right Casey & Brett are a must.
I’m thrilled to see Casey especially if Severide is still away.
Always happy to see Jesse Spencer reprise his Casey role but unfortunately there is no substitute forSeveride.. sad to hear he is not returning this season. Praying his personal matter is resolved soon & heis in good health
Severide and Stella need to stay together. Sylvie just told the guy she was seeing that she “was serious this time”. Can’t keep pulling this on/off stuff with Sylvie. If Casey is going to commit ok I guess but frankly wasn’t impressed with as much as severide.do NOT break Stella’s heart!
Jesse Spencer has listed his Chicago condo for sale. So, he will not be returning as a series regular. Boo hoo!
I think that level of knowledge about an actor falls under a “yikes” category.
Why does her comment of Jesse Spencer listing his condo for sale get a yikes from you. For all anyone knows she may be realtor and has seen the listing.
He’s probably selling to get away from her
It’s Chicago. Anyone with half a brain and the money to do so is leaving
Not listed anymore. It’s sold.
Amen to that! No more heartbreaks..I don’t think it would be good to break Stella’s heart. Severide has to return!
It won’t feel the same, the show really isn’t the show without Casey and Kelly. It already was an adjustment when Leslie Shay and Otis died and Dawson was away. Please find a way to bring everybody back. We know Otis and Leslie Shay can’t return but bring everybody else back
I believe that Casey and Severy are a true asset to the show. To release these characters from Chicago Fire is like having the Chicago without the Fire. They brought a sense of leadership that the rest of the crew followed and trusted. As a former firefighter we looked up to leadership that was in front of us not behind us.
Theory…. Brett and Casey about to have their Doug Ross/Carol Hathaway moment. IYKYK
That’s 100% what’s going to happen. They’ve been telegraphing Brett’s departure all year, then cemented it with Spencer’s last visit.
Lots of fans have their blinders on for this one, hoping Casey’s coming back and they’ll both stay, but the writers have made it pretty obvious, setting the table exactly the same way they did with Mills, Dawson, and others.
Maybe, maybe not. If they were setting up Sylvie to leave, they picked a bizarre way to do it. Casey said, “Some things need to line up the right way, but I want to come back to Chicago.” Given that, it would be strange to have Sylvie move to Portland. If Jesse Spencer is willing to return as a recurring character, they could put him in another firehouse and we could see him in Molly’s or with Brett off shift. That seemed to be what they were setting up. If not Casey’s visit was a waste,
Just because he said that doesn’t mean Brett wouldn’t come to Portland in the interim or he was saying that purely BECAUSE Brett was the thing that needs to line up. They are clearly miserable without each other. They can come back to Chicago together lol.
I really hope Severide comes back eventually. Much more interested in having him return than Casey.
I agree I like Casey but Severide is by far the most interesting of the two. I’m disappointed that Taylor couldn’t make it back for at the least the finale and as others have said who knows when Chicago Fire will be back because of the writers strike. I just hope sometime in the not so distant future Taylor will announce that he will definitely be back to reprise his role of Kelly Severide. The show is great but it is so much better with his character in it.
This news combined with the episode summary (Brett waiting for life changing news) + the episode summary of the episode that airs next week (Brett facing a very tough call) + the scene where Brett is crying after seeing Casey + the knowledge Kara loved working with Jesse and she misses him now as a scene partner… all makes me think they’ll get back together in the finale; only for them to move away together. As much as I love Brett… I honestly just want them to end up together, even if that means she’s leaving the show. It would be different if the actress wanted to stay, but I have a feeling she’s leaving out of her own desire.
Maybe Dick Wolfe is planning to do “Portland Fire” ;)
I’ve been advocating for that on this board since Casey left. There are plenty of fires (unfortunately) out west and the two of them together would continue one of TV’s great love affairs. One more thing..start a family, you guys!
I am so happy Jesse is back. He really is the heart of the show and the last episode showed that clearly as for the first time in a long while it felt like a og Chicago Fire episode.
Yes casy needs to come back and so should Severide they both are very important to the show and I would love to see casy and Brett get back to get her and see severide and Stella more to those guys are the show not that I don’t love the other fire fighters because I do they are all great that show is one of my favorite
Please bring Matt back and say goodbye to Spencer, somehow. Sylvie needs him back and the writers can always find a university in Chicago for the boys.
The problem with having main CF characters only date other main CF characters (instead of non-firefighters) is that when one actor leaves, it affects the balance of the whole show. When Dawson left, Casey’s character was adrift for a whole season, and the same thing happened to Brett when Casey left.
Now Brett will probably leave with Casey after the finale. If Taylor Kinney doesn’t come back, will Miranda have to leave also? I love this show, but I don’t know how it survives if the four main characters all depart at once…😔
My heart hurt so bad when Kelly didn’t return to the show. I absolutely love Taylor. Please come back soon. I love you and Stella together.
Please explain your comment that he probably wants to sell to get away from her??? Are you hinting that somehow she is obsessed with him or maybe she just likes to read since the article about him selling his house appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Love both characters, want them both in the show if and when possible, great storylines, keep them in, give Brett her man,
I doubt he’s returning full time. He just sold his loft in Chicago.
Would definitely like to see Severide back on the show. Miss Casey and Severide.
I’ve never been a Casey fan…I find the character boring and borderline self-righteous…a big goody two shoes. Didn’t like his storyline when he got involved with city politics…either be a fire fighter or be a councilman…just make up your mind! And leaving Chicago to babysit his former ” best friend’s ” kids came out of nowhere. Who had even thought about Darden after he died in what? The first episode? It didn’t make sense for Casey to uproot his whole life for these kids…oh but wait…goody two shoes. Severide is a MUCH more compelling and exciting character…I would rather see him back for the finale instead of Casey…
Agree with u wholeheartedly.
Never a Casey fan.
They had to write a reasonable reason for Casey leaving and it was the best one they came up with since he told them at the end of season 9 that he wouldn’t be returning to the series. I also thought a lot of Casey from season 4 on was boring and that Severide was a much more compelling character. I disliked how Boden’s character treated Casey as if he walked on water and the promotion he received to captain was ridiculous. All he did was save a guy wanting to commit suicide, what he did is exactly what they all do everyday is save people. This was no more heroic than any other save they have done. He was an important part of the series but I was okay when he left, it finally gave Severide the top dog in the series.
I think it is great to see Casey, but Kelly needs to return ASAP. One of the best shows on TV. Watch Tuesday’s on ION all the time and wednesday’s on NBC.
I’m more interested in the spencer return to hopefully rekindle the relationship with brety
Bring back Kelly! I never really liked Casey (except when he was with Gabby), he’s boring.
I think they both need to come back I miss them but I would like to see more of Hermann and his family,and mouch and trudy and Joe and his family along with Boden and his family maybe Boden can have another baby. And mouch and truly could have a baby hey it’s tv if soap opera couples can have kids at 60 why not. Love this show