Kelly Severide is taking a temporary leave of absence from Firehouse 51.
Deadline reported Friday afternoon that Taylor Kinney is taking a break from Chicago Fire.
The outlet says the actor is dealing with a personal matter.
Future scripts will likely need to be rewritten to accommodate the beloved actor’s absence.
It’s unclear at this stage how the actor’s absence will be handled on-screen, especially if scripts are being rewritten.
Kinney has been with Chicago Fire since it premiered in 2012 and has appeared in spinoffs Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Justice.
If you watch Chicago Fire online, you know Severide has been front and center on Chicago Fire Season 11, so losing Severide… even for a short time, will have a significant impact on the show.
The series has been delving into Severide’s relationship with Kidd and how they are navigating life as a married couple.
In a recent interview with NBC, showrunner Andrea Newman said there would be some bumps ahead for the couple after some things from Kidd’s past resurface.
“In the next couple of episodes, the strength of their relationship will be tested as a revelation about Kidd’s past in the CFD comes to light,” she revealed.
It’s also unclear whether any of these plots will change, but broadcast TV shows typically have at least a handful of episodes in the can ahead of schedule.
NBC and Dick Wolf have yet to comment on Kinney’s leave of absence, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated when/if they do.
The series is on a short break and is set to return on Wednesday, February 8, once again paired up with Med and P.D.
This small hiatus was likely pre-planned because broadcast TV shows do take regular breaks in their scheduling.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.