Chicago Fire Chief Previews Brother Severide’s Dilemma, Family #Stellaride Trip, and ‘Larger Than Life’ Boss

Big changes are coming to fire station no. 51 Chicago fireThe Season 13 premiere will kick off with the introduction of “larger than life” boss Dom Pascal, played by Dermot Mulroney, who will shake up all relationships at the age of 51, showrunner Andrea Newman tells TVLine.

In addition to grappling with their new boss’s different leadership style, Severide and Stella enter the new season (premiering this Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC) with two big questions hanging over them: Will Severide accept his recently revealed half-brother, Damon? And will Severide and Stella start a family this year?

Luckily, Severide already has some experience with secret half-siblings — thanks for that, Benny — but Damon’s situation is different than what Severide went through with half-sister Katie, Newman says in the Q&A below. As for Severide and Stella’s family prospects, there are challenges, especially for the latter, that will be discussed.

Read on as Newman also predicts a great season for one particular firefighter.

TVLINE | How did Severide react to the news Damon dropped on him?
It really shakes him up in a lot of ways and he has to make some big decisions, as does Kidd, in terms of what the next steps are in their relationship, with work and all of that. So I think it feels like a bombshell has been dropped on him and he has to deal with a lot of different things that come out of that, including what kind of relationship he wants to have with Damon.

TVLINE | This isn’t the first time his half-siblings have fallen for him.
Yes. As he says, it’s classic Benny Severide. (Laughter) Benny lived a certain way, so it’s not unusual for him to leave behind these types of secrets. He also mentions Katie when it comes to learning about this. So yeah, he had a lot to deal with in terms of Benny.

TVLINE | Considering he’s been through this experience before, does he handle it a little differently this time around? Does he bring any lessons he learned the first time to this experience?
This situation is so different because of the way he learned it and also because of how close Damon is now. When (Damon) tells him this information, he’s not just telling him from a distance. He’s with him in his firehouse when he tells him this, when he drops this bombshell. So both the closeness and the emotions are a rollercoaster because he’s getting to know this kid and he didn’t know anything about it and now he’s got Benny’s shadow hanging over him in terms of how he wants to act and then he’s feeling all the pressure of what Damon didn’t have in his life in terms of Benny, and is Severide going to try to fill that role for him or not? So it’s a lot of responsibility.

TVLINE | The season premiere logline says that “Cruz keeps a close eye on Severide and Damon’s developing bond.” Can you talk a little about why Cruz is concerned? What is he watching for?
Cruz has a very tumultuous history with his brother Leon and everything he’s done for Leon, all the drama he’s had with Leon. And so he knows that getting closer, having a brother, is a whole new experience and it can have its own dangers for Severide in terms of just the emotional weight and what Cruz has been willing to do for his brother. It just raises all kinds of flags for him in terms of Severide and Damon’s relationship.

TVLINE | Where do Severide and Stella stand after he announces he wants to start a family?
It’s definitely moved pretty quickly. There’s a lot to explore in that regard and things that are emotional, but also just the difference between what a firefighter has to deal with when they decide they want to start a family and what a female firefighter has to deal with when they decide they want to start a family, how different those situations are and the pressures that that puts on, in different ways, mainly on Kidd. But they definitely explore that.

TVLINE | There’s a new chief coming in, played by Dermot Mulroney. What does this character bring to the firehouse, what makes him stand out, and what’s his dynamic with the other characters? Is there anyone he butts heads with?
I think what’s going to be really fun to see, and for the audience, is this whole new person (coming in), trying to fill Boden’s shoes, what his relationships are like with everybody. It’s going to be different with everybody. There’s going to be surprises in terms of who he ends up with and who he ends up clashing with, and I think the most important thing about this character, Pascal, is that he makes it clear from the very beginning that he’s not Boden’s boss and he has no intention of being. He’s very much his own kind of leader and that’s going to create all kinds of drama in the firehouse.

TVLINE | How exciting was it for you as a writer to have such a major character come in who is so different?
It was really cool and exciting. I mean, we couldn’t love Eamonn (Walker) more, and Boden’s character looms over everything. His shadow is so big. He’s so important to all of them. It’s like he’s a father figure who has to let these kids go, and did he raise them right? Are they going to be okay without him? What’s going to change? And it was really cool to have this whole new dynamic in the firehouse, and it really shakes everything up, all the relationships. Everything is affected by this new kind of boss coming in, larger than life.

TVLINE | Will the new chief have been working at the firehouse for some time when the season premieres, or will this be his first day on the job?
You find that out pretty quickly, and where he and Herrmann are in terms of his journey happens very quickly and it’s nice to have that revealed early on.

TVLINE | I was so excited to see Ritter finally get a boyfriend last season. What’s next for him?
It’s a big season, full of Ritter. Ritter has a lot of changes in his life. He definitely still has that kid in his life, and the kid is going to enter the world of Chicago Fire this year in a fun and exciting way, a surprising way.

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