Cameras are set to begin rolling on Chicago Fire season 15, and it seems the production team is in need of some new faces within the CFD.
NBC’s long-running hit is currently in the process of casting featured extras who will be portraying high-ranking firefighters in the upcoming season. The newly posted casting call notes that the casting team is looking for actors in their 40s to early 60s with athletic builds to play these high-ranking firefighters in featured background scenes.
No further context is provided on what scenes these new firefighters will be needed for; however, if we had to guess, there are two very likely reasons NBC might be looking to cast high-ranking firefighters to fill out the backgrounds of key scenes.
Chicago Fire could be casting extras for a funeral
Of course, it’s hard not to jump right to speculation over whether these men are being cast to appear in a larger-scale funeral procession.
We know that season 14 ended with the lives of nearly every member of Firehouse 51 on the line after a call went south. Fans are worried that season 15 will open with the death of a main character, and the casting call for high-ranking firefighters in non-speaking roles could very well be connected to plans for a funeral sequence honoring the fallen member of 51. After all, it is common for high-ranking firefighters to attend the funerals of those who died in the line of duty, and if the show is planning a big sendoff, potentially for an original character, it would make sense for the show to need extras of this type.
It’s also important to note that we’ve seen this before in the past on the show, such as the sendoff of Benny Severide in season 7. Following Benny’s funeral, dozens of firefighters showed up to honor Benny and salute his service, and extras were needed to line the pews at the church funeral and for his sendoff outside the church after the funeral concluded.
If Chicago Fire is about to kill off a major character, we imagine the show will find a way to honor the character with an emotional sendoff. Unless they go small, that sendoff will need background players, including high-ranking firefighters.
They could also appear in scenes designed to walk fans through the events of the call. There have been moments in the past in which the show has jumped ahead and gradually revealed the fates of the various characters by recounting what occurred in an after-action review of the events. That could also lend itself well to potential use for these background extras.
These Chicago Fire season 15 extras might also play a key role in Pascal’s return
While the casting of these new background extras could very well be connected to plans for a funeral procession, there is another storyline that could also be at play. These characters could be involved in scenes that play a key role in the return of Dom Pascal to the CFD.
As fans will recall, Chief Pascal was fired from the CFD for conduct unbecoming after he disobeyed a direct order from an FBI agent during the events of the One Chicago crossover. This decision resulted in his departure from Firehouse 51, and Pascal left town to take a position in Phoenix as part of a storyline that kept the character away for most of the final episodes of the season.
Pascal returned in the season finale after being brought in by the fire and rescue division to convince Severide not to take the OFI position and remain at 51. Upon his return, Severide inquired as to whether Pascal was being brought back to the CFD, and he remarked that he wasn’t sure what the CFD had in store for him.
In the closing moments of the finale, Pascal joined 51 in responding to the season-ending call and was on-scene when an explosion went off, leaving several members of the team trapped inside while others were engulfed in flames as they attempted to flee the roof before its collapse. We don’t know what will transpire when season 15 begins, but we can certainly see a world in which Pascal jumps into action and takes command of the scene.
No matter whether the call indeed results in the death of a firefighter on the job or everyone makes it out alive, we can see the fire leading to a path back to the CFD for Pascal.
On one hand, the CFD brass might recognize that after 51’s loss, they could use added stability and a familiar face, leading to Pascal’s rehiring. Alternatively, if Pascal takes command of the scene and helps get everyone out safely, we imagine the CFD will take note and might choose to revisit their previous decision to relieve him of his duties within the department.
Should this come to fruition, it is likely we’d see a similar process to when he was fired and when there have been high-level conversations, which often entail a room full of high-ranking firefighters gathering to review the case. With NBC looking to add extras to fill these roles, we have to wonder if perhaps these extras might be part of scenes in which Pascal is offered his job back.
With season 15 set to premiere on October 7, we’ll have to wait to see how these extras end up factoring into the episodes but their involvement certainly gives fans something new to speculate about until then.
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