Is Severide leaving Chicago Fire for good? Is Taylor Kinney gone?
Severide (Taylor Kinney) has left the building. The Chicago Fire mainstay is taking a leave of absence from the 51 to enroll in an arson investigation program, and it’s unclear when he will be back. His absence has definitely been felt, thanks in large part to the fact that he left without much fanfare.
His leaving was briefly discussed at the end of an episode, and then he was gone the next. It was as simple as that, and people like Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) miss him dearly. The 51 is also having a hard time filling his role while he’s gone. Cruz (Joe Minoso) is not yet ready to assume lieutenant duties, so Chief Boden has had to hire a floater named Bamford (Chris McKenna).
Where did Severide go on Chicago Fire?
The replacement does have some fans concerned, though. When is Severide coming back? Is he going to be gone for good?
The good news is that he is NOT gone for good. The character has been confirmed to return at some point down the line, with Kinney making clear that his leave of absence from the show is temporary. That said, it has not been confirmed when the character will return. He could make it back to the show in time for the season 11 finale, or fail to appear until well into season 12 (which still needs to be renewed by NBC).
While it’s a shame to see character absent, there is lots of interesting development that can be done with other characters in the meantime. Kidd sort of have the tables turned after she spent part of season 10 on the road, and will no doubt struggle with missing her husband.
Cruz has always been Severide’s right hand man, so the fact that he’s feeling overwhelmed by having to shoulder duties in his absence could represent an interesting turning point for him. It feels like the show is gradually pushing Cruz towards assuming a lieutenant role, but if that is the case, then there will be a problem of too many lieutenants for too few roles– at least, when the Severide character returns. The bottom line is: Severide will be back.