Is Severide leaving on this week’s episode of Chicago Fire?

The countdown has accelerated. We knew Severide (Taylor Kinney) was going to be leaving Chicago Fire eventually, but the storyline introduced at the end of the episode “Run Like Hell” suggested that we’re coming up on the actual exit.

Severide told Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) that he’s being pursued by the captain of the OFI to help out with a case. Well, presumably to help out with a case, since Severide doesn’t specify why. All signs point to the character leaving the 51 to help out with arson investigations in a different department.

Will the actual leaving take place during season 11 episode 15, though? Or will we have a little bit more time with the character?

Is Taylor Kinney leaving Chicago Fire forever?

Severide’s role has not been diminished in the last few episodes of Chicago Fire. He’s as much at the forefront of the narrative as ever, leading investigations and even teaming up with Chicago PD characters to solve cases. The introduction of the OFI subplot, and the emphasis that was put on it, leads us to believe that Fire is preparing to move quickly.

Things move a bit slow in the TV world, as production is usually a few episodes ahead of the one that was most recently aired. It was likely that Fire already had some completed episodes in the can when Kinney announced his exit, so it makes sense that it’s been a few weeks before fans experience it on the small screen.