Lt. Kelly Severide will return to command Rescue Team 3.

Actor Taylor Kinney is set to return in season 12 of NBC’s firefighter drama Chicago Fire after a month-long absence, EW has learned. It’s unclear how many episodes Kinney will appear in after leaving midway through season 11, but Deadline Hollywood reports that the actor’s return as Severide is expected to be full-time.

Kinney has been a mainstay of the series since its debut, and he left in January to deal with a personal matter. Despite fan speculation, his character did not return for the season 11 finale earlier this year. Instead, Jesse Spencer, who left the show in 2021 after 200 episodes as Matt Casey, returned as a guest. Kinney last appeared in the 14th episode of season 11, “Run Like Hell”, with the following episode explaining that Severide had been kicked out of town to attend an arson investigation training program. His wedding to Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) was chronicled in the season 10 finale, which also featured Spencer’s return as his character attended the ceremony.

Deadline reported earlier this month that the writers room for season 12 was open. Season 11 co-showrunner and executive producer Andrea Newman will helm the upcoming season, which still doesn’t have a premiere date amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

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