ThreeChicago Firestars exited the show after season 13, but now one of them is confirmed to come back for season 14, albeit not permanently.NBC let go of Jake Lockett and Daniel Kyrishortly before the season 13 finale. Then, it was announced thatMichael Bradway wouldn’t return forChicago Fireseason 14, bringing the total cast exits to three.
However,Kyri, who played Darren Ritter, will appear inChicago Fireseason 14,much to everyone’s surprise, given his exit following season 13. Kyri posted a photo on his Instagram story (viaTVLine) announcing his return. It featured him on set, alongside Hanako Greensmith (Violet Mikami) and Jocelyn Hudon (Lizzie Novak), and the post read, “Back! For a limited time only.”
What Daniel Kyri’s Return Means For Chicago Fire Season 14
Ritter’s Return Suggests Carver Could Too
Although Kyri confirmed his presence inChicago Fireseason 14, it appears he’s still not long for the show. As he said,Ritter will only be back “for a limited time.“That means the character will likely only be seen in the first few episodes at best. The good news, though, is that Kyri’s return means that Lockett could, as well.
Lockett, who playedSam Carver inChicago Fire, also “exited” the procedural drama after season 13. However, now thatKyri is being given the chance to properly close out his character’s story,Lockett might be able to. As for Bradway, his return as Jack Damon (Kelly Severide’s half-brother) is less likely. Unlike Kyri and Lockett, Bradway left because of scheduling conflicts.
Our Take On Ritter Appearing In Chicago Fire Season 14
The Show Never Gave Ritter Closure
Ritter returning toChicago Fire, even if it’s only for a brief time, is great news all around. For starters, it instills hope that Carver and (maybe even Damon after Bradway finishes filmingEvery Year After) can also come back to Firehouse 51 one day. However, perhaps more importantly, it also means thatRitter will get the closure that he deserves.
Chicago Fireseason 13 endedwithout revealing how or why Ritter would leave. But everyone knew his departure was inevitable. So, one could only infer that season 14 would write Ritter out of the series without Kyri. Now, though,he can close out Ritter’s story himself.It’s still disappointing that Kyri is exitingChicago Fire, but at least he can say goodbye.
Chicago Fireseason 14 premieres on Wednesday, October 1, at 9 pm ET (preceded byChicago Medseason 11 at 8 pm ET and followed byChicago PDseason 13 at 10 pm ET) on NBC.
