The fall TV season is usually packed full of scripted shows, but the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike mean that network series like Chicago Fire aren't on the schedule. Like Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med, Fire is on the list of scripted shows that won't be back this fall with new episodes despite being renewed back in the spring, but I'd say that it's definitely not too soon to start thinking about how the Firehouse 51 family will pick up in Season 12, including the aftermath of Casey proposing to Brett.
Will there be a much bigger time jump than usual to account for why Season 12 is kicking off with the Windy City presumably looking pretty chilly? Will Taylor Kinney be back as Severide?! Will poor Mouch survive his injuries?!? Well, I don't have answers to any of those questions any more than I did back in the spring, although I'll keep crossing my fingers for Mouch. I do think there's room to start predicting what's ahead for Brettsey, however!
I ranked Casey's proposal to Brett right in the middle of Season 11 finale cliffhangers that could end in disaster. Jesse Spencer returned to Fire as a guest star in the last episode of Season 11, which ended with Casey popping the question to Brett despite the fact that they'd been broken up for some time while Brett tried a new relationship with a lot less baggage.
Brett didn't answer before the final credits rolled, and the resolution really depends on some specific factors, so let's dig into them and see the ways that Fire could handle the storyline. So, in no particular order, check out my picks for the most likely possible scenarios:
Scenario #1: Brett Says Yes Because Jesse Spencer Is Returning
Casey left Chicago back in Season 10 with the promise that he intended to return in three years, after the Darden boys were both old enough that they wouldn't need him in Portland anymore. Jesse Spencer made no such promise about returning as a series regular, and was a guest star in both of his episodes of Season 11, including the finale. Brett and Casey already determined that a long-distance relationship didn't work for them and she wanted to come home to Chicago. When he proposed, it was when he was on the verge of returning to Oregon.
One of the only ways for Brettsey to get a happy resolution to the proposal cliffhanger that lasts and keeps them on screen is if Spencer comes back as a series regular. In light of budget cuts meaning less of One Chicago favorites across the three shows in the 2022-2023 season, I don't want to set my heart on Spencer back full time, although the strikes mean a lot has changed since that news first broke back in April. I certainly don't want to think of Mouch dying to open up a slot in the cast!
Scenario #2: Brett Says Yes Because Kara Killmer Is Leaving
Another reason why Brett might say yes to Casey's proposal is that such a twist could be in service of writing Kara Killmer out as Brett. Admittedly, I've speculated that more than once ever since Casey moved to Oregon with Brett very clearly not over him, but the scenario seems more possible now than ever in light of Casey proposing when Spencer was just a guest star. After all, Chicago Med brought Torrey DeVitto back in the Season 8 finale to give Will Halstead a happy ending and accommodate actor Nick Gehlfuss' decision to leave. Could Fire be doing the same?
If Kara Killmer is ready to leave Chicago Fire, then an engagement to Casey would give Brett a happy ending. Even though I've never been on the Brettsey train after how hard Fire went on Dawsey, I'll celebrate any character getting a happy ending to account for an actor leaving after how Chicago P.D. did Halstead (and Upton) dirty when Jesse Lee Soffer bowed out as Jay. (No, I'm not over that yet even as P.D. continues airing reruns!)
Scenario #3: Brett Says No As Personal Growth
Brett and Casey's relationship seemed doomed back when Jesse Spencer was leaving Chicago Fire and Kara Killmer was staying, since it seemed unlikely that the hit NBC drama would keep one of its major characters in an off-screen long-distance relationship instead of pursuing on-screen stories for her. I took it as a sign of growth for her when she had to make some difficult decisions about their relationship. I could see her considering Casey's offer, remembering all the problems that broke them up in the first place, and either saying "No" or "Not right now."
This is the scenario that I'm hoping for if Jesse Spencer isn't returning and Kara Killmer isn't leaving. Sure, Fire could have her say yes and stay in Chicago while her new fiancé returned to Portland, but it would be repetitive of the show to stick them in a long-distance engagement after already proving why a long-distance relationship didn't work for them. While I've noted moments when it seemed like Fire was trying to recreate Dawsey with Brett and Casey, I don't really see the show recreating Brettsey's own storyline for them just one season after the first time it was included.
The Verdict
Honestly, I wish I could pick which scenario is most likely to happen, but I can't choose a top contender without knowing if Jesse Spencer is coming back or Kara Killmer is leaving. Plus, it's very likely that the plans for Season 12 are in flux due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that have kept all three shows of One Chicago off the air so far this fall. The plans that were in place when the Season 11 finale with the Brettsey proposal was written may have to change once work can begin on Season 12.
And unfortunately, there is still no word on when work can begin on the twelfth season of the show, or how many episodes can be salvaged from the shortened season. At this point, I'm not convinced that Chicago Fire (or P.D. or Med) will be back on NBC with new episodes before the end of the year, but I'm going to be hopeful that the strikes are resolved soon. Plus, Fire came back to television after the COVID shutdowns with just a couple of episodes in the fall of 2020 before going into break; we don't have to give up hope for Season 12 in 2023 just yet.
For now, though, fans may want to consult the 2023 TV schedule for what is coming to primetime sooner rather than later, and revisit past seasons of Chicago Fire streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
