Since Chicago Fire has already been successful for 13 seasons, the show's producers have introduced a slew of different characters and storylines. Despite that, one of the things that every One Chicago fan should know is that the shows within that franchise seem to always be in flux. As a result, it shouldn't surprise anyone when Chicago Fire actors come and leave or when characters go through sudden transitions.
During the coming television season, One Chicago fans will see a lot of upheaval. For example, viewers may be surprised to learn that there will be several mini Chicago Med and Chicago Fire crossovers and that a new bad boy character will be introduced. As exciting as that sounds, there have also been some disappointing changes, including the news that Chicago P.D.'s Kiana Cook won't be returning. On the other hand, viewers may struggle to decide whether Christopher Herrmann's demotion and the reasons for it are a good or bad thing.
Why Chicago Fire's Christopher Herrmann volunteered to be demoted
For the team behind Chicago Fire, the show's longstanding success would be something that would be worthy of celebration. After all, the people who help make the show are artists who can rest assured that their work has entertained millions of people for years. While that is a wonderful thing, it does present the show's writers and producers with difficult decisions to make.
Since the show began, fans have grown to love several of its characters and want to see them grow. However, those same viewers also want to see their favorite characters stick around. The problem with that is the fact that fire stations don't have an endless list of Captains. As a result, if Chicago Fire's most popular characters are going to remain on the show, they can't all advance to the level of becoming the Captain.
After being convinced to take the necessary exam, Christopher Herrmann became a Captain. However, the show's 14th season highlights the fact that Herrmann has been demoted and he has become a firefighter again. With that in mind, fans who may have missed a major moment could be left wondering what the character could have done to be demoted like that.
As anyone familiar with Herrmann's character likely won't be surprised to learn, he didn't get demoted because he did something wrong and was punished. Instead, Herrmann returning to the lower rank was a choice he voluntarily made during Chicago Fire's 13th season finale so that Randall "Mouch" McHolland could be promoted to Captain.
The move was a major sacrifice for Herrmann, but one he made so that Mouch could achieve his dream of becoming a lieutenant at 51, rather than having to transfer to another firehouse. It's a decision that we saw Herrmann struggling with in the season 14 premiere, and will see him coming to terms with across the season as he adjusts to his new normal.