Chicago Fire’s Kyle Sheffield: Should he return for season 8?

Chicago Fire featured Teddy Sears as Kyle Sheffield in season 7, but should the former chaplain return in Chicago Fire season 8?

As we conclude our look back at the latest Chicago Fire season, it’s time to examine the fate of one of the season’s major recurring characters. Should Kyle Sheffield return for Chicago Fire season 8, or is the series better off without him?

First, let’s state the obvious: Kyle is physically leaving. The end of season 7 saw him accept a new position in Indiana, meaning that he’s moving on from the fire department and headed on his way out of Chicago.

But that doesn’t preclude the writers from bringing him back next season in some way. After all, at the moment he’s engaged to Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer).

So should Kyle come back next season? Will he?

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Obviously, everyone’s wondering if Brett will leave for Indiana and if she’ll wind up married to Kyle. All the evidence that One Chicago fans so far points to this not working out—there’s no reason to believe that Kara Killmer isn’t returning for season 8, and while the series is casting a new paramedic, that could be simply a temporary thing.

Of course no one will know for sure until we get closer to the start of the new season in September, so for sake of argument, let’s assume that Brett is still going to be around next season.

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In that case, her engagement to Kyle would either be really long distance, or they’re not going to work out. That’s bad news for the ex-chaplain, but he could still have some kind of a role in the season.

It’s easy to forget that there’s more to Kyle Sheffield than his romantic relationship. While he could pop in just to see his fiancee (or ex-fiancee), he’s also got a friendship with Emily Foster (Annie Ilonzeh) that predates that. And he’s become pretty helpful to the rest of the Firehouse 51 squad; remember when they all rallied together to help a struggling firefighter?

Kyle wouldn’t have that same job description anymore, but there’s no reason he couldn’t come by to see Foster, or perhaps gets asked to drop by for some friendly advice. Especially since Foster’s personal life still needs some fleshing out, using him is an easy way to develop her backstory.

There are quite a few ways that Kyle could be worked into Chicago Fire season 8, even if it’s only for an episode or two. He doesn’t need to be a major recurring character to be kept in the fold. But he’s a character the fans could still learn more about, who could also help to develop some of the other characters, and Teddy Sears seemed to have good chemistry with the rest of the cast.

It’s really a matter of how the writers perceive his character. If they want to continue to just focus on his pairing with Brett, then they might not bring him back once that fizzles out (it still looks like a Brett and Casey ship is poised to sail). But if they are willing to actually write Kyle on his own, he more than deserves a couple extra episodes.

For the latest Chicago Fire season 8 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.