Taylor Kinney has played Kelly Severide on the Chicago Fire cast since the first episode aired in 2012. He has appeared in every episode, sharing that honor with just three other people on the cast.
Time and again, Severide has been in life or death situations, but always found a way to pull through. That includes several cliffhangers over the years.
With the Season 8 fall finale, Severide was the focal point of the Chicago Fire cliffhanger, putting his life in danger and leading many viewers to ask questions about the future of the character.
It worried people that actor Taylor Kinney might be leaving the show. That question could get asked again during the winter premiere.
Below is a clip of those final moments from the fall finale to re-watch before the Chicago Fire return date on January 8:
Only three more days until we find out what lies in store for Severide… ? pic.twitter.com/DA6OxFCkKd
— Chicago Fire (@NBCChicagoFire) January 5, 2020
Is Taylor Kinney leaving Chicago Fire?
There are a few spoilers ahead regarding the future for Kelly Severide, so keep that in mind when reading the next few paragraphs.
The good news is that there has been no indication that Kinney is ready to leave the show. There are still 13 episodes left to present in Season 8, so it also indicates that a lot could happen between now and the season finale.
As a reminder, during the fall finale, Severide was trapped in a basement with an arsonist for hire. The arsonist had just lit a flare around some flammable materials, and the episode faded out with the situation unresolved.
Yes, it was yet another situation where someone from Firehouse 51 was trapped in a basement with seemingly no way out.
The great news, though, is that Kinney appears on the cast list for future episodes this season, which means he is going to get out of there.
Time to be a professional again… ? pic.twitter.com/LNv9OLuNIF
— Chicago Fire (@NBCChicagoFire) January 6, 2020
Severide should also be moving on from the Office of Fire Investigation back to Firehouse 51, where he was always destined to stay. With how well he did for OFI, though, there is a strong indication that he could be called back to work there again.
We will all have to tune in together to find out how he gets out that basement, but we look forward to seeing Taylor Kinney play Kelly Severide for many years to come.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesday nights at 9/8c on NBC.