Christopher Hermann is expected to take on the role of Chief Boden in Firehouse 51, but series star David Eigenberg explains why that won’t work out in Chicago Fire season 13. Firehouse 51 has had a difficult time with many different types of exits over the last year will all play important roles in shaping what’s to come for the team. That said, nothing was as impactful as Wallace Boden’s unexpected passing in the Chicago Fire season 12 finale. While Kelly Severide and the rest of the team were extremely supportive as he climbed up the CFD ladder, it left a huge hole in their operations.

Before leaving, Boden personally selected Hermann as his Firehouse 51 replacement, but it did not come to fruition. In a new interview with TV Insider, Eigenberg explains why One Chicago departed from its original plan, citing how unrealistic the original transition would have been in Chicago Fire season 13. Read his full quote below:

The character cannot be transformed into a chief unless we delve into the false information on television. I won’t let him do that. He has to become the captain, and then you have to go through the whole thing. I think the character can make the transition. I do not know. Who knows? They could appoint me commander in chief and then fire me as leader. We shall see.
Initially, Boden was thinking of choosing Severide as his successor, which made sense since he had taken over as senior officer while the head of Firehouse 51 was out of office. Eammon Walker’s character asks Severide what he thinks about his experience, effectively showing Boden that Severide is not the right person for the job because he doesn’t particularly like the consulting part of it. However, it was instead the Officer Commanding Engine 51 who was gifted at it, which is why Boden officially chose Hermann as Chief. However, even then, the road to this is still long.

That said, there’s still hope that Chicago Fire season 13 will find a way to make the set-up work. There are many benefits to having Hermann replace Boden. For starters, it will make the transition easier for the rest of the team. Boden has been the principled and steadfast leader of the house for 12 seasons. Replacing him will be difficult. While Hermann won’t be able to fill Boden’s position immediately, at least Firehouse 51 is assured that they have someone devoted and loyal to all of them.
With Hermann as the new leader of Firehouse 51 now ruled out, the question now turns to who replaces Boden in Chicago Fire season 13. NBC and Wolf Entertainment are said to be recruiting someone new to join the team . Depending on what the writers are planning for the show, this new character could be very helpful or harmful to the overall well-being of the group.