Hear me out.

Chicago Fire’s spring finale was not only the end of the twelfth season, but the end of an era as Wallace Boden was promoted to Deputy Commissioner outside of Firehouse 51. The move wasn’t altogether shocking following the news that Eamonn Walker was leaving as a series regular, and Boden set up Herrmann as his chosen successor for the top job at 51. Now, it seems that Boden’s wish for the firehouse won’t be honored, and that could result in some juicy stories in the fall of the 2024 TV schedule with a brand new character.

The founding One Chicago show is reportedly casting a new character to become the Chief at Firehouse 51, according to Deadline. Citing sources close to Chicago Fire production, the new chief will be named Dom Pascal and already has experience as a fire chief… although down in Miami rather than the Windy City. He did start his career with the CFD, and the character is said to work well under the pressure of the job and lead in some different ways than Boden. On the personal front, Dom – whose name could change as work continues on Season 13 – is estranged from his wife.

Dom Pascal sounds inoffensive enough, particularly after Chief Robinson was causing trouble at 51 when Boden was in her crosshairs. It is a bit of a bummer that the emotional goodbye to Boden with the implication that Herrmann would be his successor evidently won’t pay off the way fans may have expected, but I actually think it sounds interesting. All the way back in March, I could see Chief Robinson’s point about 51 needing fresh blood, and it would’ve been a shame to miss Herrmann’s earliest days as Chief if they happened over summer hiatus anyway.

A newcomer as Chief isn’t the end of Herrmann’s story, and could bring some interesting changes to 51, which is important for a show to be able to pull off when its seasons can be counted in the teens. Besides, if Brett Dalton’s tenure on Chicago Fire is any indication, the show can always bring in characters to temporarily fill positions of authority until a major character is in the right place to step up. Dalton’s Pelham was a great character as Truck’s Lieutenant until Stella was ready to step up; could this new character be temporary, until Herrmann is ready?

We can really only speculate at this point, but I do think it’s safe to say that the CFD not honoring Boden’s wish for Herrmann to take the top job at Firehouse 51 isn’t a crisis. That’s not to say that it wouldn’t have been nice to see one of the longtime series regulars filling the Chief’s office, and Boden really did pass the torch to Herrmann. Herrmann’s ear injury in Season 12 could have been a good setup for him to take more of an administrative role in Season 13 and beyond.

But it’s nice to have something to speculate about with months left to go of summer hiatus, and far more questions than answers about the other plots, ranging from Damon’s reveal that he’s Severide’s half brother to whatever is going on with Carver. And there’s no need to think that the sky is falling just because Chicago Fire is evidently adding a new Chief at 51 who hasn’t been on the show for twelve full seasons already. All in all, I’m intrigued!

It may be some time before fans get any official news, though. For now, you can always revisit the first twelve seasons of Chicago Fire streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription, as well as the full runs of Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. so far.