Ten years is a lifetime in television. Most shows are lucky to limp past the five-year mark before the wheels fall off, the plots get recycled, and the actors start looking for the exit. But Chicago Fire season 10 wasn't just another lap around the track for Firehouse 51. It was a massive, emotional tectonic shift. Honestly, if you grew up watching Matt Casey and Kelly Severide trade banter while dodging backdrafts, this season felt like your childhood home getting a new coat of paint—and then realizing half the furniture was gone.
It’s the season of the 200th episode. That’s a milestone very few dramas ever reach, especially in the era of streaming where a "long run" is three seasons of eight episodes each. Dick Wolf’s One Chicago universe has always thrived on the "found family" trope, but season 10 tested whether that family could survive losing its core.
The Matt Casey Exit: It Actually Happened
For a decade, Jesse Spencer was the face of the franchise. Captain Matthew Casey was the moral compass, the guy who always did the right thing even when it hurt. When news leaked that Spencer was leaving, people didn't believe it. They thought it was a contract negotiation tactic or a cliffhanger that would get resolved in two episodes. It wasn't.
Casey’s departure in the fifth episode, "Two Hundred," wasn't some violent, "written out" tragedy. It was surprisingly grounded. He moved to Oregon to take care of the sons of his late best friend, Andy Darden. It brought the show full circle to the pilot. But man, the void he left was cavernous. Watching him say goodbye to Severide on the driveway of the firehouse felt like the end of an era. It basically was.
The show spent years building up the "Brettsey" romance—Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey finally getting together—only to put them in a long-distance relationship almost immediately. It felt cruel. Fans were frustrated. You invest three years in a slow-burn romance only for one-half of the couple to move across the country? It was a bold creative choice, but it also forced the writers to figure out who Firehouse 51 was without its captain.
💡 You might also like: Is Steven Weber Leaving Chicago Med? What Really Happened With Dean Archer
Pelham, Kidd, and the Fight for Truck 81
Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does a firehouse. With Casey gone, the leadership gap on Truck 81 became the season's primary engine of drama. Enter Jason Pelham, played by Brett Dalton.
Pelham was a fascinating addition because he wasn't a "bad guy" in the traditional sense. He was a good officer with a checkered past that made Chief Boden hesitant. But the real tension wasn't just about Pelham’s history; it was about Stella Kidd. Stella had been positioned as Casey’s successor for a long time. She’d passed her lieutenant’s exam. She’d started Girls on Fire. But when the spot opened up, she was MIA, busy expanding her program elsewhere.
This created a rare moment of friction between Severide and Kidd. Usually, they are the "couple goals" of the show, but season 10 showed the cracks. Stella’s ambition and her temporary disappearance created a messy situation where Pelham was caught in the middle. Eventually, things settled—Pelham stepped aside like a pro—and Stella took her rightful place. But it wasn't a clean transition. It was gritty and filled with self-doubt. That's why it worked.
The Stellaride Wedding: A Payoff Decade in the Making
If Casey leaving was the low point for fans, the season finale, "The Magnificent City of Chicago," was the ultimate high. After years of "will they, won't they," fire-related trauma, and personal growth, Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd finally tied the knot.
📖 Related: Is Heroes and Villains Legit? What You Need to Know Before Buying
It wasn't a fancy church wedding. It was a classic Chicago Fire event. They got married on a boat. It was simple. It was heartfelt. And yes, Matt Casey came back to be the Best Man. Seeing Spencer and Taylor Kinney together one more time felt like a gift to the long-term viewers.
But because this is a Dick Wolf production, we couldn't just have a happy ending. The season ended on a massive cliffhanger with a mysterious truck pulling up to the cabin where the newlyweds were staying. It reminded everyone that in this universe, peace is always temporary.
Secondary Arcs That Actually Mattered
While the big leadership changes took center stage, the smaller moments in Chicago Fire season 10 kept the show's soul intact.
- Joe Cruz and Javi: Cruz dealing with PTSD after nearly drowning in the season 9 finale was a heavy start. But his journey toward adopting Javi, a young boy he rescued from a fire, provided some of the most moving scenes of the year. Seeing Cruz grow into a father figure showed a level of character development you don't usually see in procedural dramas.
- Violet and Hawkins: The chemistry between Hanako Greensmith (Violet) and Jimmy Nicholas (Chief Hawkins) was electric. It was messy because of the power dynamics—he was her boss’s boss—but it felt more authentic than some of the more established romances. The way the season built their relationship made the tragedy of the following season hit even harder.
- Mouch and Herrmann: These two are the glue. While the younger characters are falling in and out of love, Mouch and Herrmann provide the comedic relief and the veteran wisdom. Their scenes at Molly’s Bar are the heartbeat of the show.
Why Season 10 Still Ranks as a Fan Favorite
When people look back at the series, season 10 is often cited as a turning point. It proved the show could survive a massive cast shakeup. It balanced the procedural "fire of the week" elements with deep, serialized character arcs.
👉 See also: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
There’s a specific kind of comfort in One Chicago. You know the sirens will blare. You know Boden will give a rousing speech. You know there will be a beer at the end of the shift. Season 10 maintained that comfort while taking massive risks. It wasn't perfect—some of the "Girls on Fire" subplots felt stretched, and the long-distance Brettsey plot was a bit of a drag—but the emotional payoffs were huge.
Practical Takeaways for Fans Revisiting Season 10
If you're planning a rewatch or jumping into the series for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the 200th Episode Closely: Episode 5 isn't just a goodbye to Casey; it’s a love letter to the history of the show. Look for the small callbacks to the first season.
- Pay Attention to the Lighting and Tone: There was a subtle shift in the cinematography this season. The night scenes in particular felt more cinematic, matching the increased emotional stakes of the leadership changes.
- Follow the Brett/Violet Partnership: The dynamic in the ambulance changed significantly this year. With Brett dealing with Casey being gone, Violet stepped up. Their friendship became one of the strongest bonds on the show.
- Track the Stella Kidd Leadership Arc: Notice how her confidence grows from the beginning of the season to the end. It's a masterclass in how to write a character ascending to a position of power without making it feel unearned.
The legacy of Chicago Fire season 10 is ultimately about resilience. It’s about how a group of people handles the departure of their leader and the arrival of new challenges. It’s about growing up and moving on, even when you don't really want to. For a show about people who run into burning buildings for a living, the most dangerous thing they faced this year was change. And they handled it like heroes.