Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas teases two-hour event
Chicago Fire is two hours tonight, so showrunner Derek Haas told One Chicago Center what to expect from this major Chicago Fire season 6 event.
We’ll get not one but two hours of Chicago Fire tonight, so what’s coming in this “movie event”? To find out, we connected with Fire showrunner and co-creator Derek Haas, who told us why it’s a big night for characters like Stella, Brett and more—and also huge for the show.
The idea of doing a two-hour block was born out of the show’s scheduling hurdles earlier this year, when it had to work around both NBC‘s coverage of NFL football and the Winter Olympics.
“It was interesting for us in that we had six episodes [and] we had to be off for football, then we had five episodes and we had to be off for the Olympics,” Derek explained. “Then we were staring down the gun of a winter into spring schedule, where we still had 12 episodes left. We were like, what kind of giant punches can we throw at our audience?”
After the cliffhanger ending to “Law of the Jungle” and then the crossover earlier this month with Chicago PD, the third ‘punch’ was a super-sized event.
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“We were like, what if we put two of our episodes together?” he continued. “That way we can have a bigger budget for bigger effects and bigger stunts and calls for them to go into.”
So naturally, the two hours you’re about to see are packed with some revelations for several characters. Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) not only has a story with Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), but she’s got her own plot in the second half of the movie.
“She and Severide have their relationship come to a boil,” Derek revealed. “We’ve had it simmering and [been] stoking those embers for a while this season, especially going into last season. That’s going to hit; the coals are going to be red hot and there’s going to be some flames there.
“But also on a call we’re going to do something we haven’t done before, where there’s going to be an active shooter going off during a fire that our characters are in. She’s a big part of that.”
While Severide’s relationship with Stella reaches a new fever pitch, he’ll also have to deal with more flack from Chief Grissom, as Gary Cole’s character recurs throughout both hours. Which isn’t great for Kelly, but it’s fun for Chicago Fire to have Gary Cole on the set.
“He’s an amazing actor and he’s fun to write for,” Derek enthused. “[Grissom]’s a little bit of a foil for Severide and Boden. He’s got designs on Severide; he doesn’t feel Severide’s career is moving as fast as it should and in the direction that it should…It’s not going to be just these two episodes. He’s going to be back for most of the second half.”
Stellaride fans aren’t going to be the only people left on the edge of their seats by Chicago Fire‘s big night. Even though Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) hooked up with Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) in the crossover event, and Antonio is back in both hours tonight, Brett’s not going to have a great time either.
“Brett gets multiple things thrown at her over the course of these two episodes,” Derek told us. “We’ve got Antonio on scene. We know Cruz has feelings for her that he’s keeping bottled up and those things can be combustible. And then there’s going to be some difficult situations in the firehouse.
“I will say that Brett’s story is the hook that ties the two episodes together—in fact there’s no commercial break between the two episodes. She’s going to have one huge wallop thrown at her that’s going right into the next [episode].”
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There will also be plenty of One Chicago crossover appearances in Chicago Fire tonight. Not only is Antonio involved, but so is Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) from Chicago PD and we’ll see several characters from Chicago Med.
“In the first hour, we’re dealing with a situation where we suspect an abusive husband in a relationship based on this accident we respond to,” Derek said. “That brings PD in because the Fire people aren’t the ones that go in and solve those situations. That brings Marina’s Burgess in and brings Antonio in.
“Antonio’s happy to show up at Firehouse 51 based on the car scene at the end of the last episode. He’s going on into the two hours as they connect,” he added. “You’ll see a little more tragic events bring our Med characters in.”
The icing on the cake here is that what happens in these episodes is starting the ball rolling for the rest of Chicago Fire season 6.
“We’re definitely laying some pipe for the final four episodes of this year,” Derek confirmed. “Those four are going to come at you at breakneck pace and really throw some punches your way. Some of it’s going to start now and built up [in] these last 12 episodes, but most of it’s pointing towards the last four.”
“The big thing for me on the two hours is we don’t usually get a 9 p.m. slot. I can’t remember the last time Fire was in the 9 p.m. slot,” he concluded. “So come early and stay late, and bring your popcorn, tissues and your significant other and anything else you want to bring, and settle in for two hours.
“I don’t think we’re going to let you breathe for two hours.”
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Are you excited for the two-hour Chicago Fire event? Let us know what you’re looking out for in the comments, and tune in tonight to watch all the action.
Chicago Fire airs tonight at 9/8c on NBC.