Just ahead of the Chicago Fire season 13 finale, we got some disappointing news. Firehouse 51 would lose two more firefighters.
Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett will no longer be series regulars on Chicago Fire season 14, but there is some hope that their two characters will get exit storylines. The end of season 13 seemed to set up something for Lockett’s Sam Carver, but nothing was set up for Kyri’s Darren Ritter. Now we get some good news.
Daniel Kyri is in some episodes of Chicago Fire season 14
Kyri shared on his Instagram that he is going to be back in Chicago Fire season 14, but “for a limited time only.” He shared pictures in his Stories (via TVLine), showing him in the firehouse with Hanako Greensmith and Jocelyn Hudon, who play Violet and Novak respectively.
This will hopefully mean that the series is learning from past mistakes when it comes to writing out characters. When actors leave during the hiatus, there’s often the issue of just giving a one-line reason for a character's exit, and it’s disappointing for us as viewers, as we’ve come to know and love the characters. In far too many instances, the exit storylines don’t make sense.
It’s clear that Kyri didn’t choose to leave the series, either. Showrunner Andrea Newman shared that the show itself didn’t want to lose the character, indicating that this was done by NBC for budgetary reasons, one of the most annoying reasons for fans of a show.
Ritter’s exit can be written into Chicago Fire
Now that we know Kyri will be in some episodes, it opens the door for an exit storyline. Toward the end of Chicago Fire season 13, there was a hint of some CFD layoffs. While Herrmann and Mouch were the ones potentially threatened by these layoffs, sometimes, the younger members of the firehouse can find themselves out the door.
It’s possible that Ritter will end up being a casualty of the layoffs. We can get a couple of episodes to wrap up some storylines for Ritter to learn that he needs to find work elsewhere. With this type of exit storyline, there is a chance for a return later in the series if everyone is open to it.
All I can say is that I’m happy to see Ritter back for a little bit. The Dick Wolf shows need to stop with the one-line exits and offer us, as fans, the closure we deserve.
Chicago Fire season 14 premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 9/8c on NBC.
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