Chicago Fire season 13 finale featured a mix of endings – and possible new beginnings.

Much of the season focused on Lieutenant Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and her husband Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney)’s adoption process.

The pair have become the cornerstone of the show for the last 10 years, and their decision to grow their family is the culmination of years of heartache and communication and growth.

Earlier in season 13 Stella confided in Deputy Chief Commissioner Boden – and her mentor – that it never gets easier to watch her husband risk his life in the line of duty, and I’m excited to see how that plays out further in season 14, especially as Stella revealed in the finale to Kelly that she is pregnant!

Season 14 will feature a lot of changes for Stella if this pregnancy continues, but If I’m being honest, what I would love to see is a renewed sense of urgency from the writers for these characters – and also from Taylor and Miranda.

It felt like the pair were phoning it in for much of season 13, and the writers cannot rely on these two characters for the future of the series when so much of their storyline is away from the Firehouse.

The heart of this show has always been found family at 51, and season 14 would do well to reconnect the personal arcs back to the group as a whole.

Season 13 saw one of the biggest changes for the show in years when Boden was promoted and Battalion Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) stepped in as the new head of 51.

Despite a rocky start, he found his footing and the team grew to respect him.

His arc across season 13 focused heavily on the death of his wife Monica and the uncertainty of who Pascal was, but the end of the season saw him cleared of murder charges, and a new understanding grew between him and Severide.

In season 14, Pascal will remain as the head of the Firehouse and I hope we see that during the off-screen time the bonds between him and the firefighters have only grown stronger.

Sam Carver’s exit

Fans were devastated to read that Jake Lockett was leaving the show as Firefighter Sam Carver, after several seasons that saw him become one of the more beloved characters.

By the end of season 13 Sam knew that he needed to leave Chicago to overcome his battle with addiction and struggles to remain sober, and he tells Violet that he has accepted a new position in Denver, Colorado – but that conversation comes after he kissed Violet and told her he loved her.

It is thought that Sam’s departure will play out off-screen, but I hope we get continued reference to how he is doing, as there is potential for the show to bring him back for future storylines.

Darren Ritter’s final storyline

Despite the news breaking earlier in 2025 that Daniel would be leaving the show, he will appear in the early episodes as his character gets a proper exit.

I hope Daniel – and Ritter – get the exit they deserve; I always felt that no-one knew what to do with Ritter, and in recent seasons he remained in the background of other arcs, despite being the show’s first black, queer character with a ton of potential.

Hermann’s big move

After 13 years, fans also saw Lieutenant Christopher Hermann (David Eigenberg) make the bold decision to step down from taking the Captain’s test, realizing that he was not a desk job man but a man who needed to be out in the field with his peers.

I hope that this decision will see a more settled Hermann – and one who can bring the fun again, as well as offering up his mentorship to a new batch of firefighters.

Mouch moves up

Hermann’s decision to step down also means Mouch (Christian Stolte) now has the chance to become Lieutenant – and watching these two older characters rediscover a verve for life was one of the highlights of season 13.

In season 14, I hope we continue to see Mouch reach for greater heights, and prove that age is just a number.

Violet Mikami’s future

Paramedic in Chief Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) has had rotten luck with love at 51 – RIP Evan Hawkins.

Although I’d love for her to find happiness, I also want to see her take the time to grieve the loss of these men, as well as the loss of several of her best friends, Blake Gallo and Sylvie Brett, all of whom have left 51 in recent years and whose decisions I fear Violet has never fully processed.

She’s also going to have to process the loss of Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri), whose departure we thankfully will see on screen.