‘Chicago Fire’ Alum Returning for ‘Limited Time’ Following Series Exit

Chicago Fire‘s Daniel Kyri is returning to the NBC drama for Season 14 following his exit from the show.

Four months after Kyri, who debuted the role of Darren Ritter on Chicago Fire in 2018, announced he would be exiting the show after Season 13, the actor teased he would be returning in a “limited” way for Season 14.

“Back! For a limited time only,” Kyri captioned a photo of himself decked out in firefighter garb with co-stars Hanako Greensmith, who plays Violet Mikami, and Jocelyn Hudon, who portrays Lyla Novak.

Kyri didn’t share any additional information on his return, and NBC has yet to release any details about Darren’s role in the upcoming season.

In April, Kyri took to his Instagram Story to confirm his exit from Chicago Fire, writing, “I’ll miss this character, and it’s time to move on… Thank you to the cast, crew, & the awesome fans.”

Kyri’s return is made easier by the fact that Darren didn’t get a specific wrapped-up storyline in the Season 13 finale.

“We’re still working on all of that because we’re not even back for next season, and all this, a lot of it was surprises,” showrunner Andrea Newman told TV Line in May of Darren’s send-off. “We’re going to play with all this and see what we get and how much time we get with Daniel [Kyri], who we love, and the character, who we love. There’s lots of possibilities there.”

Kyri wasn’t the only actor to exit Chicago Fire at the end of Season 13, as Deadline reported the show was forced to make budget cuts. Jake Lockett, who had played Sam Carver since 2022, and Michael Bradway, who played Jack Damon since 2024, also announced their exits over the past few months.

Newman told TV Line in May that the CFD layoffs hinted at in the Season 13 finale may serve as a potential way to explain the multiple character exits. The layoffs plot point “wasn’t even done intentionally for that, but because it’s so in the zeitgeist, people coming in and gutting departments and gutting places, it’s very real to the CFD,” Newman said.

“We’re going to have a lot of turnover,” she continued, “and a lot craziness going on in the CFD from the top, where people are being cut and moved, and everything’s going to get shaken up next season.”