Can Firehouse 51’s chief (Dermot Mulroney‘s Dom Pascal) charm another chief (of staff) when Chicago Fire returns for Season 14? He may have to due to the budget cuts that were introduced last season.
Annabeth Gish will guest star in a multi-episode arc as the mayor’s chief of staff, Annette Davis, TV Insider has learned exclusively. She’ll first appear in the Wednesday, October 1, premiere. See a first-look photo of Mulroney and Gish together above. Something tells us he won’t like what she has in that file in front of her, or, if it’s from him, has to say about what’s in it.
It was near the end of last season that members of Firehouse 51 were alerted to budget cuts that were coming for the CFD. Because of those budget cuts, showrunner Andrea Newman tells us, “Violet’s [Hanako Greensmith] going to have her hands full having to manage all the ambo calls, especially with all the calls that go on and all the hours they have to put in.” That’s because the medics — she still has Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) with her, and Rescue Squad’s Capp (Randy Flagler) will be helping out — will have to cover more ground due to firehouses closing.
Those budget cuts are “going to affect everybody at the firehouse this season. There’s a real shakeup,” adds Newman.
That’s where Gish’s character comes in. “It’s an interesting dynamic that she will have with Pascal,” the showrunner says, describing their relationship as “very complicated.” While they don’t have history together, “they will,” Newman teases. “We’re not so sure about her intentions right off the bat. She’s a bit of a mystery.” Could she end up being someone who helps 51 amid these cuts or just makes things worse for them in the end? We’ll have to wait and see.
What are you hoping to see from Annabeth Gish’s guest spot? Let us know in the comments section below.
Chicago Fire, Season 14 Premiere, Wednesday, October 1, 9/8c, NBC
—Reporting by Ileane Rudolph