Chicago Fire is part of a collection of series known as the ‘One Chicago’ franchise.

Each series is focused on the emergency services based in Chicago, Illinois - and as a result, there are often crossovers between cases where more than one service is required.

Chicago Fire was the first of the franchise. Chicago PD launched in 2014 and Chicago Med launched in 2015.

All three shows are currently on the air and have been renewed for more seasons.

A fourth series, Chicago Justice, premiered in 2017 but was cancelled after one season.

As is the case with most shows that last 12 seasons, the Chicago Fire cast amounts to hundreds of stars over the show’s run.

The main cast for season 12 was:

• Taylor Kinney (Zero Dark Thirty, The Vampire Diaries) as Lieutenant Kelly Severide

• David Eigenberg (Sex and the City, The Mothman Prophecies) as Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann

• Joe Minoso (Man of Steel, Get Shorty) as Firefighter Joe Cruz

• Christian Stolte (Public Enemies, The Unseen) as Firefighter Randall "Mouch" McHolland

• Miranda Rae Mayo (Days of Our Lives, Pretty Little Liars) as Lieutenant Stella Kidd

• Daniel Kyri (The T) as Firefighter Darren Ritter

• Hanako Greensmith as Paramedic Violet Mikami

• Eamonn Walker (Oz, Unbreakable) as Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden

Alberto Rosende, who played firefighter Blake Gallo, had his final episode in the season premiere, ‘Barely Gone’. He had appeared in 80 episodes by the time he said goodbye.

Kara Killmer, who played Paramedic in Charge Sylvie Brett, also left the show this season after 193 episodes. She joined the show in season three.

The entire One Chicago franchise has established a dedicated fanbase in the US and internationally.

In the case of Chicago Fire, the show premiered with a strong average of 7.78 million viewers for US network NBC during season one.

This peaked in season eight with 11.7 million viewers on average watching every week.

Season 10 ended with a slight dip of 9.81 million.

In terms of awards recognition, Chicago Fire has earned 25 nominations - including for Best Drama at the People’s Choice awards in 2024 – and six wins.

It currently stands at an 8.0/10 rating for IMDb, and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Chicago Fire’s official rating in the UK, as certified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is 15 for the complete run. In the US, it is marked as PG-13 or TV-14.

All three ratings warn that there may be scenes that may be inappropriate for younger or pre-teen audiences.

Reasons for this rating include:

• Implied sex scenes (though never explicitly shown)

• Minimal to no nudity

• Mild violence

• Frequent depictions of peril and dangerous situations

• Depictions of severe injuries including burns, blood, and in some cases, death

• Moderate displays of bloodshed, most typically in a medical situation while someone administers aid

Chicago Fire is still on the air, and at the time of writing (May 2024), the show has run for 12 seasons and 245 episodes in total.

Each season has run between 20 and 24 episodes each - with the exception of season nine, which only had 16.

This was due to the season airing in 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic having an adverse effect on production with multiple shutdowns and delays.

Season 13 has been confirmed, and is expected to launch in the US in Autumn 2024.

Currently, little is known about season 13 of Chicago Fire beyond its expected release date.

However, it has been confirmed that Eamonn Walker, who plays Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden, will not be returning, with his exit airing in the season 12 finale ‘Never Say Goodbye’.

However, it’s already been announced that Boden will return to Firehouse 51 in a recurring capacity, rather than the regular role he’s played over the past 12 years, totaling 251 episodes.

Chicago Fire seasons 11 and 12 are available to watch now on Sky Witness and NOW.

Seasons 1-9 are currently available on Amazon’s Prime Video service.