The eleventh season of Chicago Fire has thrown curveball after curveball at the heroes of Firehouse 51, and the next episode on April 5 will deliver something that fans have been waiting for since the end of Season 10: the return of Jesse Spencer as Matt Casey. Called “Danger Is All Around,” the episode was directed by Tayo Amos, and she opened up to CinemaBlend about how she prepared to join a show more than 200 episodes in and working with the “amazing” Jesse Spencer.
Tayo Amos came to Chicago Fire as part of NBCU’s Female Forward program, which works to give female directors a break into episodic television, with the goal of gender parity in directing. The NBC description for "Danger Is All Around" previews that her episode will not only bring back Jesse Spencer as Matt Casey, but also bring up some old memories for Gallo with the arrival of a family member and have Tony on the verge of making CFD history. With a lot happening in one hour of television, Amos explained how she prepared to direct a show with so much history after 11 seasons:
What really helped was having an opportunity to shadow two episodes. I was shadowing our producing director Reza [Tabrizi], who's been on the show from the very beginning. Asking him questions, talking to the crew, some of whom have been on the show from the very beginning as well [helped]. Just taking all that I've learned from my own projects, film school, other mentors, other shadowing, and kind of combine it all into one, and just go for it.
Not many shows even run for eleven seasons and 200+ episodes, let alone with many cast members and crew members who have been around from the beginning. According to Tayo Amos, shadowing two episodes of Chicago Fire on top of her own past work – which includes projects that have filmed at Cannes Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Urbanworld and short films that have streamed on Peacock and Amazon Prime – prepared her to step into the world of Firehouse 51’s firefighters and paramedics.
And as it turns out, the USC/Stanford graduate also made sure to watch earlier days of Chicago Fire, and counts herself as a fan of the long-running show as well. She shared:
I watched it when I interviewed for this opportunity, and then I kept watching when I got the gig and I was just sucked in. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, they're all such compelling characters.' There's just something about firefighting as a career, especially in the city of beautiful Chicago. It just ropes you in.
I think it’s safe to say that many Chicago Fire fans can relate to being roped into the stories that have kept this show going strong through highs, lows, and sometimes even heartbreak for over a decade at this point! That heartbreak often comes from the departures of major characters, but Matt Casey was fortunately written out back in Season 10 in a way that could bring Jesse Spencer back.
After Casey returned for the Stellaride wedding and has since received some mentions while off-screen in Oregon, the new episode brings him back in the flesh for a special task force with Stella Kidd. His return guarantees that “Danger Is All Around” will be a standout episode of Season 11, and Tayo Amos shared what it was like to work with him:
I was very excited! I am such a fan of Matt Casey and his character. I was just really honored, honestly, to have the return episode, and Jesse is such an amazing actor. I was definitely nervous working with him, but he absolutely brought not just me, but everyone at ease. He's so calm and professional and awesome as a human being. I have his number now, [and] I'm like, 'Hey, what's up?' [laughs] You know what I mean? I'm really excited for people to see his return. I hope he comes back down the line, but I'm really glad that I had him for at least one episode.
Not many TV characters have as much history as Matt Casey, and the only shame about his return may be that the bromance with Severide can’t continue on screen with Taylor Kinney’s absence. Based on everything that the director has said about what to expect, viewers can look forward to an episode unlike any other in Season 11 with Jesse Spencer back, and that’s certainly not all that’s exciting on the way. Check out the promo for what to expect:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, April 5 at 9 p.m. ET for Tayo Amos’ episode of Chicago Fire, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m, and be sure to check back with CinemaBlend after the episode for more from the director! Plus, you can revisit past episodes streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
