Chicago Fire’s 3 best characters in season 7

2. Stella Kidd

After Gabriela Dawson’s departure, the big question for Chicago Fire was who would emerge as the show’s new female lead. The answer came pretty quickly: that was Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), who was involved in most of the major storylines during Chicago Fire season 7.

It was Stella who wound up hospitalized during the first One Chicago crossover. The relationship between Stella and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) was once again a huge talking point, despite the fact they were broken up for a large part of the season. Stella got to be the hero a time or two, as well, most notably in the episode “Move A Wall” where she rescued several kids.

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She got a lot of screen time, and Miranda Rae Mayo proved how large a part of this show she has become. Stella’s one of the rare recurring characters who’ve actually lasted; very few of them have become series regulars, and those that did (i.e. Jimmy Borrelli) didn’t stick around long. But Stella is now a centerpiece of the series, and the seventh season demonstrated her value in a variety of ways.

Whether it was helping to save the day, or providing the romantic subplot with her ongoing feelings toward Severide, or even a little bit of comic relief when she ventured into things like trying to train Ritter’s dog, Stella was pretty much everywhere. She showed strength, humor, confidence, and even some endearing awkwardness. And considering how much she contributed this season, one would expect to see even more of her in season 8.