‘Chicago Fire’ Adds ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Alum Following Jesse Spencer’s Exit

Firehouse 51 has found its new commander. Following the abrupt departure of Jesse Spencer’s Captain Matthew Casey, Chicago Fire has tapped Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Brett Dalton to join the One Chicago universe. Dalton made his debut as interim Lt. Jason Pelham in the Wednesday, Nov. 3 episode of the NBC drama series, titled “Whom Shall I Fear.” He is set to remain on the series in a recurring role, Deadline confirmed. Following his Chicago Fire debut, Dalton shared a few behind-the-scenes photos to Instagram, thanking viewers for making his “first episode on [Chicago Fire] lit.”

Dalton is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Grant Ward and Hive on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He starred in the series as a main character throughout the first three seasons before appearing again in a Season 4 cameo. He most recently appeared in the Apple TV+ series Ghostwriter as Captain Vincent. His other credits include episodes of Blue Bloods, Army Wives, Elementary, and Deception, as well as voice work on shows such as Robot Chicken and Milo Murphy’s Law.

Dalton joined the One Chicago universe following the exit of Spencer, who left Firehouse 51 during Chicago Fire‘s milestone 200th episode in October. Spencer starred as Captain Matthew Casey, one of the leaders at Firehouse 51, ever since the Dick Wolf series’ 2012 premiere, though his character exited in order to move to Portland, Oregon to care for his late best friend Andy Darden’s sons.

Spencer told reporters amid his departure that he was ready to take a break from network TV, noting that he landed his role on Chicago Fire following an eight-season run on House. Spencer said he “realized I’ve been doing TV for a long time,” and while he has “loved the show from the star,” there are “other things that I would like to do in the future, and there’s some family that I need to take care of, and 18 years is a long time.” Together with Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas, it was decided “that we should at least get Casey to 200 episodes.”

Spencer, who bid farewell to the NBC series with the debut of his new song “FireBug (si ça te fait plaisir),” which translates to “if it pleases you,” teased that there is the chance for his return in the future, as he is “just stepping back for right now.” In the meantime, fans can see how Dalton’s interim Lt. Jason Pelham handles things at Firehouse 51 when new episodes of Chicago Fire air Wednesdays on NBC.