Chicago Fire Showrunner Talks a 'Bumpy Road' Ahead for One Couple & Big Changes for Stella Kidd

Chicago Fire headed into Season 15 with the greatest number of questions out of all the One Chicago shows. That's what happens when you end on a cliffhanger that leaves basically three-quarters of your series regulars in mortal peril after being caught in a massive fire. But with the announcement during the hiatus that Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso) was being written out of the show, the consequences for the season finale emergency started to take shape.

In the Season 15 premiere, Cruz survives the fire, but is severely injured in the process, making it unlikely he can ever return to being a firefighter. And as Firehouse 51 rallies around him, we see Mouch (Christian Stolte) try to rally the troops to help the family, while Herrmann (David Eigenberg) battles with guilt and Severide (Taylor Kinney) tries to prove that the civilian deaths caused by the fire were not Cruz's fault. But Severide shouldn't really be out playing fire cop, as he's now the Captain of Firehouse 51.

It's a complicated scenario, made even more complicated by the fact that Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) is now the training officer for a group of new candidates who seem less than capable. We already know Marcus Burke (Da'Vinchi) will be staying, but how about the others? And how will they change the already established dynamics of Firehouse 51? The house is starting to feel a little empty, so it wouldn't be surprising to see at least one more probie sticking around.

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At least the love triangle between Violet (Hanako Greensmith), Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente), and Lizzy (Jocelyn Hudon) seems like it has been put to rest. But does that mean the romance between Vasquez and Lizzy is moving forward? And is that a new love interest for Violet? We're not so sure.

We talked to new Chicago Fire showrunner Victor Teran about these plot points: Stellaride's road to finally starting the family they've been wanting, what Cruz's accident means for Firehouse 51, and a big development that will change Stella Kidd's life.

We have to start with Kelly and Stella and their desire to have a family. It feels like it's taken forever. Is that still on the table for them? What's the timeframe?
Victor Teran: I think it's on the table, but they really put it on the shelf, right? I think that the conversation is live between them, although they're not… what's unsaid is probably the most interesting stuff. I think there are incredible complications to having a family when you're in a job like this. And the one thing I don't want to do with any of these things, whether it's with Cruz or with the two of them, or with any characters is to short shrift it or to not give it its full due.

I think that when it comes back up, it'll be to give it its due. And I think there are unfinished conversations and there's unfinished business around this.

Right, because we never fully explored how Stella was feeling. Did she want a baby? Did she not want a baby? That's gotta come back.
Teran: Yes. It will.

But you've also teased that there was going to be a bombshell revelation from Stella's past that was going to shake her. What can you tease about that?
Teran: All I can tell you is that it's the kind of thing that's so unexpected… and that doesn't happen often in life that things get reframed for you, like even who you are gets reframed in a moment. And I think that when that happens, you question everything. I think that's what's going to happen for Stella; it's one of those sorts of bombs that drop that makes you ask questions and that changes everything.

Let's talk Cruz, because I was worried. This show has killed people! We knew Joe Miñoso was leaving, and the beginning of the episode makes you think perhaps he didn't make it. Did you ever consider killing him off?
Teran: Yeah, I think we did consider… I mean, look, you caught it, because you're a smart viewer. And I think all our viewers will be searching for the clues of what happened when we have that montage three months later. And so, of course, we were having fun with the audience's expectations around that. And hopefully that landed for you in exactly the way it was supposed to, which is to thank God he's alive.

But he's severely injured. And that journey is going to be a really hard-hitting one for him and for his family and for all the characters on our show. We're not going to shy away from exploring it in all its depths and all of the difficult emotions around it.

We see that everyone's feeling a little guilty about what happened, from Herrmann saying it should have been him, to Severide feeling responsible. And that sometimes doesn't translate to helping Cruz in the best way they can.
Teran: Exactly. I'm so glad you said that, because that's exactly right. You know, this happens; sometimes you think you're thinking about the other person, but you're really thinking about yourself. And we're all flawed. These guys are all heroes, and they're all very heroic, but that's something that I wanted to not shy away from… seeing their flaws. Because you love people sometimes because of their flaws, or at least in spite of them. It doesn't make you love them any less because they're just human. And we all have those things. We're going to be seeing a lot of that this season.

Pascal also comes back this episode to basically tell Severide that he can't be Captain of Firehouse 51 and then run off to be a fire cop whenever he wants. There's gotta be a balance. Is this Severide's journey for the season?
Teran: Yeah, it is. It's something that, as we started thinking about Severide in this role, became very clear to all of us in the writers' room. And I think it's probably something that the audience would intuit if you put it to them that this role, in some ways, is his destiny, but in other ways, it's a poor fit or an imperfect fit for who he is. This guy, all the things that we love about him, would make him an imperfect Chief, at best.

I don't mind having Severide be an imperfect leader. I think that's really interesting. But it will cause him a lot of conflict, and it'll cause some conflict with Kidd. So, more to come on that.

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When it comes to the Lizzy/Vasquez/Violet love triangle, it seems like we put that to rest. But that doesn't mean it's smooth sailing for Vasquez and Lizzy going forward, right?
Teran: Yeah, what we did was plant a time bomb into their story. And we hint at it. Here's what I'll tell you: They don't know. They're both wrong about what they think about the other. I think that maybe you can sort of catch a little bit of that in the premiere.

We're going to see that unfold. And there's something that they're just not understanding about each other. And it's an obstacle. And in all great love stories on screen, I think it takes time for them to find their way towards each other or to each other. It's going to take time. There's a bumpy road ahead of them.

Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.