Taylor Kinney, who plays fan-favourite Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire, is taking a leave of absence from the NBC drama. How will that affect Severide’s role on the show? Let’s find out!
A source close to the production confirmed to Deadline that Kinney is taking a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter. No specific information about the matter is known at this time.
Cast and crew were apparently informed of Kinney’s leave earlier Friday. It is likely that future scripts will have to be rewritten to accommodate Kinney’s absence.
A spokesman for the show would not comment.
Kinney has starred as a firefighter on the Dick Wolf procedural since its debut in 2012 and fans hope it’s nothing serious and hope the star and his loved ones are okay.
Chicago Fire will soon be operating without one of its best men. And we’ve got a couple of ideas for how the NBC drama could explain his sudden absence.
Marital Issues Lead to Relocation
Severide and his wife Stella have experienced some discord lately when it comes to balancing their personal and professional lives. Even prompting Stella to suggest that maybe they shouldn’t work together. While the two seem to have ironed out their issues for now, that’s not to say they couldn’t resurface again, leading Severide to take a job at another firehouse for the sake of his marriage’s health. Hey, is Lieutenant Pelham in need of a rescue squad leader?
An Old Friend Calls for Help
With a major forest fire raging in the Pacific Northwest, Casey rings up the best firefighter he knows for assistance in rescuing families trapped in a campground near the blaze. We can’t imagine Severide wouldn’t come running to help out his friend and take on a kind of fire challenge he’s never faced before.
OFI (Finally) Gets Its Man
After years of enlisting Severide’s help with cases, the Office of Fire Investigation makes Severide an offer he can’t refuse: take over for Captain Van Meter at OFI. (Of course, the firefighter will eventually realize that his heart belongs to 51, prompting him to leave the gig in the capable hands of Wendy Seager when he returns to his old post.)
A Family Emergency
Since his father Benny has already passed, one of Severide’s few remaining family connections is his mother Jennifer (played by Kim Delaney), who was last seen video chatting with her son during his wedding day. The conversation was surprisingly positive and meaningful, leaving us to believe that the duo are in a good place in their relationship. So if Jennifer were to need Severide to take a furlough and come stay with her for several weeks while she heals from a broken leg, we’d buy that.
A Rescue Gone Wrong
Severide consistently puts his life on the line to save others, so it would be far from unbelievable if he were severely (but not fatally!) injured during a rescue and sidelined from the job for a long stretch of time.
Did Severide’s ‘Final’ Episode Already Air?
TVLine has learned that Wednesday, March 1 ’s episode of the NBC drama will address the abrupt departure of Lieutenant Kelly Severide, which comes following last month’s news that Kinney would be taking a break from the show.
It remains unclear if the actor will appear in this week’s installment, or if Severide’s absence will be explained via other characters. Severide is not mentioned in the official synopsis for the hour, titled “Damage Control.”
Chicago Fire Explains Taylor Kinney’s Absence
During Wednesday’s episode of Chicago Fire on NBC, Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) learns from Captain Tom Van Meter (Tim Hopper) that Taylor Kinney’s character, Severide, has been abruptly sent off to receive some of “the best arson investigation training program in the world.” The very quick reference to Severide’s whereabouts — or lack thereof — happened at the top of the episode and did not feature an appearance by Kinney.
“I know it will be a burden on this house for a while,” Van Meter tells a disappointed Boden.
How long do you think Kinney’s absence will last? How will it affect Severide’s storyline and her romance between her character and Lieutenant Stella Kidd?
Keep following us to know more on the lives of the world of One Chicago and its cast!
Desirèe
Source: NBC / TV Line
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