Chicago Fire interview: Show boss on Brett & Casey, Severide & Kidd

After a long wait Chicago Fire is poised to return to NBC Wednesday with another new episode called “Smash Therapy” and it’s poised to be an exciting one. Want more discussion on Casey and Brett’s future? You’re going to have that alongside a dramatic ladder scene, a few comedic moments (including one you’ll never see coming), and also more story for Severide and Kidd that could play out for some time.

With so many exciting things to anticipate, why not turn to the man in charge behind the scenes for a bit more insight? We spoke recently with showrunner Derek Haas to get a sense on a couple of big story arcs, plus also the process of filming the show during the global pandemic. Take a look below, and come back following Wednesday’s episode for part 2 of our interview!

CarterMatt – I know getting filming of the ground this season was difficult in itself, but what is the challenge like of maintaining production on a day-to-day basis?

Derek Haas – We wanted to air a show that you couldn’t tell was different than the previous eight seasons. We’re going to try to get you the same production value, the same big stunts, and the same big fires and group scenes that we’ve always done. We’re just going to be creative on our end as to how we achieve that.

It’s not without its hiccups. Usually the screenwriter for each episode [goes to set] for the episode they write, but instead we’re doing it remotely and doing video village in our homes, communicating to our directors via text and phone calls. We can’t watch every rehearsal. But, at the end of the day, we didn’t write scripts any differently. We just said to the crew and the cast ‘let’s all be a little more patient with each other. We know these days are going to be longer. We’re going to shoot more each day to get the things we want want to achieve.’ We even took on another stage so that we could film more things and not have to travel.

After what happened with Casey and Brett at the end of last year, where are they at when the premiere picks up?

They need to talk. The last we saw them, they were having this romantic moment that got interrupted with a really honest question from Brett. Casey’s response was probably not the response she wanted to hear.

Here you have two people who work together and have to save lives together, so yeah — they need to talk, and they will in this episode. Of course, it wouldn’t be Chicago Fire if the talk didn’t get interrupted by bells going off and them having to ride out (laughs).

But, there will be some more discussion coming in this episode.

And for Severide and Kidd, what can you say about their future? I know Kelly is going to be trying to figure out how best to support her when a new situation arises. 

We wanted to make a big part of this season about Kidd moving up the ladder to take the Lieutenant’s test. What she’s going to need from Severide is guidance and help and support along the way, which he pledged to give her in the previous couple of episodes.

There will be some stumbling blocks along the way on that, and there’s even a question of whether she will get to take the test this season.

What do you want to see on Chicago Fire when season 9 returns?

Be sure to let us know in the comments, and stay at the site for all sorts of other news.