Chicago Fire season 9 character preview: Darren Ritter

What will Chicago Fire season 9 have in store for Darren Ritter?

With Chicago Fire season 9 coming in just a few weeks, it’s time once again to preview the new season for each character and look ahead to fresh episodes.

Where did your favorite character leave off when we saw them last? What are the big facts that fans need to remember before the season premiere? Where should they go next in season 8 for the best outcome? And is that where they’ll actually end up, or what direction is the show likely to take them in based on what we know so far?

Check out our detailed character preview, and let us know your thoughts on where you’d like to see each character go and why in the comments.

In this article, we’re profiling Darren Ritter (played by Daniel Kyri).

Where we left off

We were introduced to Darren Ritter back in Chicago Fire season 7, and continued to see more of him during season 8. Having become a member of Firehouse 51 before, this latest season was about Ritter finding his place within the firehouse.

Things started out on a rough note with Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) giving Ritter a chewing-out for not following orders to save himself during the Arnow Mattress factory fire that ultimately killed Otis (Yuri Sardarov). But Ritter’s stock improved throughout the season, and he even found a BFF in the firehouse’s next new arrival, Blake Gallo (played by Alberto Rosende).

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What should happen

In general, it’s fantastic that Chicago Fire has finally promoted Daniel Kyri to series regular status. It felt like he deserved that after season 7, rather than introducing another new character, but it’s better late than never. And it all worked out for the best in the end, because Daniel Kyri and Alberto Rosende have turned into a sort of junior version of Joe Minoso and Yuri Sardarov. They’ve become a great new source of comic relief.

Now that Ritter is around every week, though, it’s time to expand his character. We learned about his sexuality last season, making him another LGBTQ voice in the One Chicago world. But that has to be just one facet of who he is. Look at what happened with Emily Foster (Annie Ilonzeh)—the majority of her personal subplots were about her romantic life and her sexuality. We didn’t get to know a lot about Foster otherwise, and now she’s not here anymore.

That can’t happen with Ritter. Beyond that, season 9 will be his third season on the team (or two and a half since he wasn’t part of 51 when he first appeared); he’s no longer the new guy in any sense of that phrase. This should be the season where he matures, steps up even further, and the writers give him a bigger piece of the pie.

What will happen

It’s a pretty safe bet we’ll see more of Ritter with Gallo, particularly in comedic storylines. That’s been fun to watch and it seems like the writers have fun coming up with that stuff as well. There’s every reason to keep doing it.

Plus, expect some good Ritter and Herrmann scenes. Herrmann isn’t going to let up on Ritter just because there’s another new guy. It was clear from how the two of them interacted in season 8 that Herrmann feels Ritter still has a lot to learn, and he will definitely impart that wisdom. Some of it might be Ritter learning from Herrmann’s mistakes, but there will be some teaching one way or another.

Might we finally meet Ritter’s boyfriend this season? That would be awesomely cool as well, and hopefully it goes better than when we met Leslie Shay’s (Lauren German) ex-turned-not-so-ex.

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For the latest Chicago Fire season 9 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.

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