5 things Chicago Fire needs to do to get out of its slump

Photo Credit: Chicago Fire/NBC, John Tsiavis Image Acquired from NBC Media Village /

Chicago Fire is in a slump but this doesn’t have to be permanent.

Chicago Fire has been going for five years now. It’s really not that surprising that the show is hitting a slump. But this is something the writers can avoid with some forward planning and the willingness to take some risks now and then.

It’s needless to say that the Season 6 premiere just wasn’t as shocking as it could be. The show ended with this major cliffhanger at the end of Season 5. The lives of three firemen were at least in the balance, with a fourth being questionable. Fans were on edge for the whole summer, soaking in as much news as possible to figure out the fate of their favorites.

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Then the anticlimactic premiere happened. As much as we didn’t want to lose any of our guys, there was an element of disappointment. The show had set up such a major storyline and it fell flat.

The last episode of Chicago Fire just didn’t deliver on the danger or the tension as much as it used to. Some fans have stated that it’s become The Gabby Show, feat. the Chicago Fire Dept., and that is partially how the last two weeks have felt. There has always been this main focus on Dawson more than the other women on the show, especially since Leslie Shay’s death.

It’s time for Chicago Fire Season 6 to make some changes. Here’s a look at the five things it needs to do to get out of the slump it’s currently in.

#1 Follow through with those tense cliffhangers

Don’t set up a stressful, devastating cliffhanger if you’re not willing to follow through with the consequences. Having all four firefighters make it out of that building alive in the premiere was unrealistic. And having all four escape and return to their jobs right away was even worse! Mouch, at least, should have been off duty for months. I mean, remember when Peter Mills was off Squad for weeks on end until his medical issue was fixed?

Photo Credit: Chicago Fire/NBC Image Acquired from NBC Media Village /

The lack of storyline after the major cliffhanger meant the whole summer was for nothing. It was wasted on worrying about characters that we now get the feeling will never die.

This isn’t the first time the show hasn’t followed through. The writers have constantly put Dawson, Boden, Casey, Severide and others at risk of being demoted or fired. During the first season, seeing them get out of their tricky situations made sense. By this point, something negative needs to happen. Follow through with the cards that are dished out. Take some risks and give us a reason to worry about the characters again.

#2 Stop tearing Casey and Dawson apart

After four-and-a-half years of the will-they-won’t-they, Chicago Fire finally hitched Dawson and Casey. It was the relationship most fans always wanted to work out and it was finally happening. They wouldn’t be pulled apart again.

But then the writers attempted it. Every other week there is always something that comes between the two of them. The latest is the way Dawson is handling the Bria situation. Casey just wasn’t there for her, despite understanding the type of caring person Dawson is.

Photo Credit: Chicago Fire/NBC, Elizabeth Morris Image Acquired from NBC Media Village /

In fact, Casey has just moped around for the majority of the season. Ever since getting captain, he’s not been the same character we fell in love with. The show needs to pick it up with him. It looks like that may happen now he’s realized his preference for being with the family, but this is Chicago Fire and there is always a chance in the next episode he will decide to take the captain’s office after all.

There are other ways to bring shock to the show. Use them, instead of the eye-rollingly obvious.

#3 Stop ruining Casey and Severide’s Friendship

Every season it feels like the writers have a list of things they need to do. Putting Casey and Severide’s friendship at risk is one of those. There is always something that one or the other does that ruins the decades of friendship and bro moments they’ve had. This latest season it’s been Casey’s promotion.

When the show first started, tension between the two of them worked. It was important to show the way the lieutenants of the two elements of the firehouse were handling the death of a colleague. This helped to bring in the intrigue needed to learn more about who these two men are.

Photo Credit: Chicago Fire/NBC, Elizabeth Morris Image Acquired from NBC Media Village /

But we’re over it. Honestly, there’s no need for it anymore. It doesn’t lead to the same tension that it used to do and is actually just annoying. Let’s just see the two get along, find ways to solve situations when they have different opinions and just respect one another as they should!

#4 Focus more on the call outs

I miss the focus on the fires, car accidents and emergency situations the firehouse would be called out of. Whether it was Squad being needed for an underwater rescue, Truck being called out to a burning building or just ambo being needed for a medical emergency, there was something interesting and exhilarating about each of the call outs.

That’s just not really been the case for Chicago Fire Season 6. While there have been the odd call outs that have lead to something, most of them have been minor. The storylines for the season have been more personal based.

Photo Credit: Chicago Fire/NBC, Elizabeth Morris Image Acquired from NBC Media Village /

That isn’t the reason many of us fell in love with the show. If we wanted it to be all personal, we’d be getting uber excited about the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off. After all, if Grey’s Anatomy is anything to judge, the emergencies are going to play a very small role compared to the personal drama. Chicago Fire has always had the focus be on the rescues the firehouse makes and it’s time to bring more attention to that moving forward.

#5 Focus on the side characters more

There are some members of Firehouse 51 whose names escape me. Even if I do know the names, it’s hard to say what they would do in a situation. That’s because there’s all this focus on the likes of Severide, Dawson and Casey and very little on the other members of the team.

It’s time to bring the attention back on the side characters. Remember when Herrmann’s family would be seen every few weeks? Remember how Cruz’s brother would play a crucial part in his actions within the firehouse?

This will require some balancing, especially to focus more on the call outs again. However, the show previous made it clear that it was all possible. We got to know so many characters in the first season, while seeing them on active duty.

Now is the time to bring out personalities more. Remind us why we fell in love with so many of them again.

Next: Chicago Fire recap: Where's the source of the bunk room smell?

What would you like to see happen more in Chicago Fire? How can it get out of its slump? Share in the comments below.

Chicago Fire Season 6 continues Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.

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