Chicago Fire promotes Alberto Rosende to series regular

Chicago Fire has made recurring guest star Alberto Rosende a series regular after the Shadowhunters alum impressed during Chicago Fire season 8.

Alberto Rosende is now a series regular on Chicago Fire.

The actor, who was introduced this season as new firefighter Blake Gallo, was officially promoted from recurring guest star to main cast on Friday. That means he will be around for the remainder of Chicago Fire season 8.

It also sets him up to return for Chicago Fire season 9 if and when NBC renews the show, but that isn’t guaranteed.

Rosende’s promotion is not a surprise. Each of the One Chicago shows added a new character this season, and both of the other two had already promoted those characters to main cast.

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Dominic Rains was in Chicago Med‘s main credits by episode two, and Lisseth Chavez was quickly named a regular after joining Chicago PD in its third episode.

Given that, it was only a matter of time until Chicago Fire bumped up Alberto Rosende, completing the influx of fresh blood into the One Chicago franchise.

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And even if that wasn’t the case, Rosende was the one who most deserved to stick around, given how well he’s integrated into the show in the first half of the season.

Though he’s only appeared in a handful of episodes, he’s demonstrated chemistry with the cast, and his character has brought something new to the series without the writers trying to force him to fit. Gallo has his own compelling backstory, and he has proven he contributes to the firehouse, too.

He’s become that rare unicorn: the new firefighter who gets to stay at Firehouse 51, unlike many of his predecessors.

However, there is a potential catch once this season is over.

In announcing his promotion, NBC didn’t say how long Alberto Rosende was contracted for. This is not uncommon; contract terms usually aren’t made public unless they have a huge impact on the show, such as when Chicago Fire stars Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney agreed to return for this season.

So we don’t know how long Alberto Rosende will be a series regular. Generally, when a promotion like this happens, it’s because the show is making a long-term investment in that person, but that isn’t always the case.

Steven R. McQueen was promoted too, but ended up being a series regular for just 25 episodes as Jimmy Borrelli. And Dora Madison, who played Borrelli’s love interest Jessica “Chili” Chilton, ended up billed as a main cast member for just 14 episodes in season 4.

While it’s great that Alberto Rosende has gotten a promotion, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be around for more than the rest of Chicago Fire season 8. But it’s a huge step in the right direction.

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.