Jesse Spencer to Return, Taylor Kinney Won’t Appear

Matt Casey just can’t stay away from the Windy City.

Jesse Spencer will be back for the Chicago Fire Season 11 finale, airing Wednesday, May 24. (The series has already been renewed for Season 12.) This comes after he appeared in Episode 18 this season, when he was in town working with Homeland Security on a task force with Lieutenant Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) … and awkwardly reuniting with paramedic Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer).

Additionally, Taylor Kinney (who plays Lieutenant Kelly Severide) isn’t scheduled to appear; he’s been on a leave of absence dealing with a personal matter since January. It was in Episode 15 (which aired March 1) that Fire explained where Severide is in the meantime: A spot opened up in the best arson investigation program (in Alabama). OFI’s Van Meter (Tim Hopper) assured Boden (Eamonn Walker) that didn’t mean that he’d be transferring to arson investigation. Rather, he’ll return with expertise that will benefit the entire department.

Spencer’s guest spot earlier in the season did leave the door open for Casey to return in a professional and personal capacity. And he could actually be part of two storylines in the finale, based on the logline for “Red Waterfall.” It teases that “Brett waits for life-changing news” and “Kidd finds a new lead on the Homeland Security case.”

As Casey had explained, he found suspicious documents during an overhaul in a Portland fire, and evidence suggested there could be infrastructure attacks on several major cities, including Chicago. The task force was establishing a network of first responder liaisons in all of the target cities to help disseminate intel as it arises.

On the personal front, upon learning Brett’s seeing someone, Casey claimed he was, too. But he lied, he told Kidd. “I’m out there but nothing really sticks,” he explained. As for why that is, “why do you think?” he asked.

“Brett and Casey had wrapped up that relationship because it didn’t make sense, but now with the potential of his job winding down in Oregon, it’s back on the table. And so he’s trying to figure out if that’s a possibility, for sure,” Spencer had told TV Insider.

And considering Casey told Boden that Chicago “is still home in a lot of ways” before a call interrupted them, we can’t help but wonder if they might finish that conversation in the finale.

Chicago Fire, Season 11 Finale, Wednesday, May 24, 9/8c, NBC