Chicago Fire Season 10 has delivered some major changes to Firehouse 51, first with the departure of Jesse Spencer and then with Kara Killmer’s Brett stepping away to spend some time off-screen with Casey. Violet has emerged at the center of some of the season’s spiciest storylines, and is currently dating her boss at the CFD for a relationship that plenty of fans can’t help but root for thanks to the chemistry between actress Hanako Greensmith and Jimmy Nicholas as Hawkins. Now, Fire co-showrunner Andrea Newman and Greensmith opened up about what changed and what’s ahead. According to the actress, fans should prepare for something “juicy” on the way!
The Chicago Fire showrunners and Hanako Greensmith spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets in honor of the 2022 One Chicago Day, and I took the opportunity to ask about the relationship between Violet Mikami and Evan Hawkins, a.k.a. Hawkami. Andrea Newman, who became co-showrunner with Derek Haas back in November, weighed in:
Well, you know, we love these actors, and we had plans in one direction, and then these actors were so fantastic together, and just popped on the screen so beautifully that we were like, 'This is where we're gonna go.' And so we really leaned into that, because they were bringing it so majorly. So we knew there would be professional trouble for them because of this, but we also wanted to see them fight through that. So for us, that was the challenge and the fun.
The original plan wasn’t for Violet and Hawkins to turn romantic the way that they did, but Hanako Greensmith and Jimmy Nicholas were so good together and generated such chemistry that Chicago Fire changed plans. Thanks to that chemistry, it’s easier to understand why they would both risk their professional reputations to be together than if there were no sparks flying between them. It’s objectively ill-advised of them, but a lot of fun to watch!
Violet is also dealing with change in Ambulance 61 thanks to Brett’s decision that she needed to spend some more time with Casey instead of quick trips here and there. It’s not clear if and/or when Brett will return, and Violet (who officially joined 51 in Season 9 after Adriyan Rae’s departure) will need a new paramedic partner in the meantime. Hanako Greensmith previewed what to expect from Brett’s replacement, and fans are in for some surprises:
Oooh, it's gonna be juicy! She's definitely not a character that I think our show often has to toy with or has to battle. So it's gonna be really interesting seeing how she weaves within the firehouse. She's someone that I think will surprise quite a few people, and will definitely surprise Violet as well.
“Juicy” certainly sounds promising, so hopefully the surprises will be good ones! Violet seems like she’ll have plenty on her mind even without adjusting to a new partner, considering that rumors were circulating about her and Hawkins at the end of the latest episode, and he’s facing possible repercussions from higher up the CFD ladder. Only time will tell if their relationship will survive the next round of obstacles, but co-showrunner Andrea Newman reiterated why the Violet/Hawkins dynamic was so appealing to the team behind the show:
The cast really drives a bunch of our storylines. That's what we were talking about Violet and Hawkins. Like, they were so great together that we really altered things to see more of them. That's what we wanted to see. So there's a lot of, if you pop on the screen, if something develops chemistry-wise that you want to see more of, we write it.
See what happens next for Violet and Hawkins – as well as how Violet meshes with her new paramedic partner – with new episodes of Chicago Fire on NBC on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. Fire also introduced a major storyline for Cruz and Chloe, and Joe Minoso previewed the hurdles they’ll encounter and why Casey is still important to his character. You can also revisit days of Chicago Fire gone by with a Peacock subscription.
For some more One Chicago Day celebrations, be sure to check out the official One Chicago YouTube page on April 6 for some fun releases for Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med throughout the day.
