Katelynn Shennett is heading back to Chicago Fire, but it seems her appearance might be limited to just one episode.
As One Chicago Center previously reported, Shennett confirmed her return as firefighter Kylie Estevez in a December 8 Instagram post. Upon the initial report, it was unclear whether this was a guest appearance or if we might get to see Kylie appear in a larger role when season 14 resumes. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case.
Shortly after the initial post announcing her return to set, Shennett shared a photo of her trailer door with the message, “Until next time.” These two posts were shared within a short window of time, suggesting that Shennett was on set to film a single episode, and thus her return will be a brief one.
While not entirely surprising, it’s definitely disappointing as Kylie is such an incredible character, and we’d love to see her brought back into the mix for more than just a guest appearance. Kylie is a character we’ve watched grow so much over the years, going back to her days as part of the Girls on Fire program, and it would be amazing to see her back at 51 as a series regular.
Yes, we understand that she’s currently working at another firehouse, but it would be nice to see Kylie finally become a permanent member of 51. Getting to see Kidd working alongside Kylie after helping her get into firefighting would be a full circle moment, and it would be nice to see Kylie team up with Kidd not only in the field but also in the Girls on Fire program.
We’d also love to see the show further explore Kylie’s connections with the rest of the team at 51, particularly with Violet and Novak. While Kylie has interacted with the pair, we’ve never seen them connect through a meaningful storyline and it would be interesting to see what their dynamic could be. The relationship between Kylie and Novak would be really fun to explore as the characters are quite different, which would likely lead to some unexpected surprises and storylines.
Perhaps we’ll get to see a little of this in Shennett’s guest appearance! We know Violet and Novak just launched their new firefighter paramedic program, so perhaps Kylie will pass through 51 taking a shift working alongside Violet and/or Novak!
We’ll have to see what the writers have planned when Chicago Fire season 14 resumes on January 7, 2026.