Chicago Fire Showrunner On Season 12’s Exciting Returns Newman is proud of the show’s ‘tough female characters’
This is the first season where series creator Derek Haas hasn’t been involved, as he bowed out of the whole One Chicago franchise at the end of last season. What has it been like moving forward without him?
It’s funny because I literally just heard a buzz as you and I were talking, and it was Derek. Derek and I talk all the time. He has never really left. He’s the heart of the show — the creator of the show — and we’re constantly talking, even still, about the show all the time. I love that guy and everything he brought to the show, and it’s like writing about Casey and 51 — he never left. His presence is always there. He is still front and center.
That being said, it’s also fun to be running a show solo as a female showrunner with strong female characters on an action show. That’s awesome. I love that. [“Chicago P.D.” showrunner] Gwen [Sigan] and I both talk about feeling lucky to be writing shows that are tough, with tough female characters who hold their own. That’s a thrill.
Because of the strikes, this season is condensed into 13 episodes. Does a shortened season alter how you approach each episode? It seems like there’s a lot happening in those 13 episodes.
That’s true. There is a lot happening. When the scripts come in, we’ve been like, “Is that seven too many stories for this episode?” There’s a lot to play, which is also fun. There is loads to explore this season. There are characters that are going through whole new journeys and new twists and turns in their relationships, like Severide and [Stella] Kidd — their journey is continuing coming off of Severide not being there. They’ve got a lot to handle and explore and get past. There’s a lot of intriguing stuff between the two of them. It’s pretty chock-full this season.
When it comes to storylines currently in play, which one is most exciting to you?
Well, you have to be excited about all of them. All of them have to be exciting to write and feel like they’re worthy of an episode. But I do love bringing in a new character and how that shakes up the house, how everybody handles it, and what it does to the other characters and the dynamics. Things shift, and that’s always fun to explore. You always get to see new sides of people when you bring a new character in because there’s new dynamics there too. I love that.
I also am loving Severide and Kidd and the whole idea of those two, who had this big leap of faith getting married when neither of them really believed in the whole idea of marriage in the beginning. Now, they’ve got to work together to get through stuff. There’s a line that Violet has in the pilot about the tension that’s between them [caused by] Severide disappearing for a while. She says, “It’s like watching two big cats circling each other, and you don’t know what’s going to happen next.” That’s the dynamic we see between Severide and Kidd, as they’re two strong-willed characters. That’s been fun to write.
