Will Severide be in the next episode of Chicago Fire?

It’s an interesting time to be a Chicago Fire fan. The show is churning out quality episodes with the same frequency it always has, but there’s been a few external forces that have slowed down the momentum of season 11.

For one, the hiatus that the show went on in mid-January has been extended by a week, so those expecting to see a new episode on February 8 will have to wait until February 15. Then there’s the situation with Taylor Kinney, who announced that he will be stepping away from the show for an undisclosed amount of time.

The Chicago Fire team has been forthright about the fact that they didn’t plan on writing Severide out of the show, and its possible that the additional week off was taken so the writers could make a decision on how to handle it.

Since it’ll be close to a month of knowing about Kinney’s situation when Fire does return, there are some pretty valid concerns about the actor’s presence in the new episode. Will he be in it, or will he be gone already?

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Thankfully, the promo photos for the episode “The Man of the Moment” confirms that Severide will still be around. He’s featured prominently throughout the photos, where he can be seen on the job alongside other 51 veterans, and he can also be seen having a tense exchange with OFI’s Tom Van Meter (Tim Hopper).

It’s unclear how many episodes were shot and completed before Kinney announced that he would be stepping away, and the handling of his exit will shed light on this as season 11 unfolds. If the seeds of his departure start to be planted in “The Man of the Moment”, then we’ll know that it was produced relatively recently.

While it’ll be tough to see Severide go, we can take solace in the fact that he’s still going to be in the mix for a bit longer, and he won’t be gone for good.

For the latest Chicago Fire season 11 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.