Chicago Fire season 13: Everything we know so far about the new season

We’re almost at the end of another season of Chicago Fire. As season 12 gets ready to wrap things up, our eyes move toward Chicago Fire season 13.

As of right now, very little is known about the new season. There are still a handful of episodes of season 12 left to air, which makes it harder to tell who will and won’t return for the next season. There are some expectations, though.

We’ll know a lot more come Monday, May 13. That’s when the NBC Upfronts presentation is, which includes the release of the schedule. Here’s a look at what we do know so far.

Chicago Fire season 13 is sure to air on Wednesdays

There is no way that we could see NBC change its schedule too much when it comes to the Dick Wolf shows. Chicago Fire season 13 is sure to remain on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. We’re also expecting a fall start. There is no reason to change things up for the strongest show on the network. NBC would be rather silly to move it to the midseason at this point in time.

Season 13 is likely to have an (almost) full season

When NBC announced the renewal of the series, it didn’t come with information about episode count. However, we’re likely to see more than the 13 episodes that season 12 has had. This shortened season was linked to the strike last year.

We’re looking at something close to a full season for Chicago Fire's thirteenth run. Season 12 was originally going to have between 18 and 20 episodes to help reduce some of the costs of producing the show. That’s what we’re expecting for season 13 as the costs of producing TV have gone up in recent years.

Who will return to Chicago Fire for the new season?

So far we know one major change is coming. Eamonn Walker, who's played Chief Wallace Boden for 12 seasons, is stepping down from his series regular role. The actor is expected to continue to appear on the procedural in a recurring capacity. Deadline reports that what's happening with his character will be a part of the season 12 finale, "Never Say Goodbye," which airs May 22.

Aside from the Walker announcement, we don’t see too many changes to the main cast happening this season. Sometimes, there are announcements in the middle of the summer. Just look at the way we learned Alberto Rosende and Kara Kilmer would leave the show as we waited for season 12.

The biggest question mark is Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide. Kinney stepped away from the series in season 11 for an undisclosed personal emergency. He did come back for season 12, but it has felt like he’s constantly had one foot out of the door. There are a lot of questions over Severide and Kidd making it through their marriage together.

Another question mark is over David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann. Herrmann survived an explosion that damaged his hearing. He now needs to wear hearing aids, which was actually a storyline brought in to allow Eigenberg to wear his own hearing aids on set. The doctor has warned Herrmann that if his hearing gets any worse, he will not pass the tests for his job. Could we see that come up in the new season?

There is a chance that we’ll see characters missing for episodes here and there. This was something brought in during season 12 as a way to cut some of the costs of production. It’s led to questions about where these characters are, but they always end up coming back. To continue to save money, there is a chance that the entire One Chicago franchise will continue this type of storyline.

The expected cast includes:

• Eamonn Walker as Chief Wallace Boden (in a recurring status)
• Taylor Kinney as Lieutenant Kelly Severide
• David Eigenberg as Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann
• Miranda Rae Mayo as Lieutenant Stella Kidd
• Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz
• Christian Stolte as Mouch
• Daniel Kyri as Ritter
• Hanako Greensmith as Violet
• Randy Flagler as Capp
• Anthony Ferraris as Tony

What to expect in the new season

It’s hard to say what type of storylines we could get on a personal level until the season 12 finale airs. However, we do know that we’ll continue to see the lives of the firefighters of Firehouse 51. We’ll see plenty of calls in terms of those involving burning buildings and those for paramedics to attend to, showing all sides of a working firehouse.

We should also expect to see more of the Girls on Fire program. Kidd was able to save that thanks to some quick thinking and news crews. Now it’s time to allow the Girls on Fire program to grow and more women to enter the world of firefighting.

Let's just hope there are no shocking deaths. We don't need anything like the season 8 premiere again!