“I can say there’s a huge shake-up in the very first episode that portends the big drama to come in Season 14,” says Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman.
And that’s coming on the heels of the on- and offscreen drama that ended Season 13! Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Severide (Taylor Kinney) learned they have a baby on the way; Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) was proven innocent of trying to murder his wife’s killer; and it’s been reported over recent months that Daniel Kyri, who plays Darren Ritter, and Jake Lockett, who plays Sam Carver (who finally seemed to just be starting his long-teased romance with Violet, played by Hanako Greensmith, in the season finale), would no longer be series regulars, while Michael Bradway, who plays Jack Damon, Severide’s younger half brother, is departing because of a scheduling conflict with another project. But there is a new face joining the ranks of Firehouse 51.
Brandon Larracuente was cast as a series regular in June, though there weren’t any details yet available about his character. Now, Newman has shared some.
“The charming Sal Vasquez is the new addition to 51, and, like Severide, this character is rich with family history in the first responder world, much of it buried,” she teases. “But not for long. Vasquez will prove a real challenge to Kidd, his new lieutenant, as well as to Novak [Jocelyn Hudon] as she tries to get to know this seemingly unknowable guy.”
As for those who won’t be returning, she echoes what she told us in the spring ahead of the finale: “In the Chicago Fire world, no character is ever gone gone! All of these great characters/actors are still in our world, and we definitely plan to see them again.”
For instance, thanks to posts on social media, we already know that Kyri will be back as Ritter for “a limited time” in Season 14, meaning Fire will show onscreen how he’s written out.
What are you hoping to see from Brandon Larracuente’s new character? Let us know in the comments section below.
Chicago Fire, Season 14 Premiere, Wednesday, October 1, 9/8c, NBC