The character has caused some structural issues on the show.
We all love Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney). He’s been one of the main reasons to watch Chicago Fire since the pilot, and regardless of what bad decisions he makes along the way, it’s easy to tell that he wants to do the right thing, and will eventually figure it out.
The current issue with Severide on Chicago Fire is not really making decisions. He’s kind of stuck between the desire to branch out and dedicate his career to arson investigation, and the desire to stay at the 51 and fight fires with his wife, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo).
Kelly Severide is caught between choices
There were obviously personal reasons why Kinney stepped away from Chicago Fire in season 11, which is not in the control of the writers or producers, but the character’s presence in season 12 has been somewhat perplexing.
He assures Kidd that he will be dedicated to fighting fires in the season premiere, then proceeds to look into an arsonist who’s attacking local firehouses. He promises to stick around, then decides to travel to Tucson, Arizona to work an arson case with ATF.
The notion of Severide becoming an arson investigator is not a bad one, and may even serve to expand the breadth of Chicago Fire has as it approaches a decade and a half on the air.
Severide taking on different kinds of cases in an exciting prospect, especially when one considers all the ways he could work with the 51.
His uncertainty has stifled the show
That does mean taking him out of the 51 rotation, however, which is something Chicago Fire has never done with a main character (who is still on the show, of course). It would new ground in terms of structure, but either way, the show is going to have to decide where they want Severide to end up and start pushing him in said direction.
The longer the decision goes unmade, the more damage it will do to the Severide and Kidd marriage. The two have already been through a lot since tying the knot, so the notion of them being unsure of where they stand with one another on a professional as well as a personal level does not bode well.
We anticipate the character will be back soon, and given the shortened episode count of the current season, we hope that he will pick a career path ASAP.
