Chicago Fire Showrunner Derek Haas Addresses Jesse Spencer's Future On The Show - Exclusive

This article contains spoilers for Episode 1 of "Chicago Fire" Season 11.

"Chicago Fire" has seen its fair share of actors leave the series, but one of the most impactful losses was arguably the departure of de facto star Jesse Spencer in Season 10.

For 10 years, Spencer played the beloved Captain Matt Casey, level-headed leader of the fictional Firehouse 51 crew. Over the years, not only did he battle fires, but he also formed deep friendships and even romances with his fellow first responders.

When Spencer left "Chicago Fire," it sent his character packing to Portland, Oregon, to take care of a fallen firefighter's kids. At the time of his fond farewell, Casey was dating paramedic Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer), whom he continued to have a long-distance — albeit off-screen — romance with. That relationship brought him back for the Season 10 finale, in which Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) got married.

It was a bittersweet return, as viewers were given what they had been clamoring for, yet it seemingly spelled the end of "Brettsey," as some fans call the couple. Now, as Season 11 gets back into the swing of things on Wednesday nights on NBC, people may still be wondering when Spencer will pop back up again.

During an exclusive interview with Looper, "Chicago Fire" showrunner Derek Haas gave those fans an answer.

In the Season 11 premiere of "Chicago Fire," we see Sylvie make a difficult call when she decides to break things off with Matt. We don't see actor Jesse Spencer on the other line, but the implication is that we won't be encountering the former Firehouse 51 captain again anytime soon.

And to some extent, showrunner Derek Haas confirmed that. "We don't have plans right now [to bring him back again]," he said. "He's an extremely busy actor who can pretty much walk onto whatever he wants to walk onto. The invitation is always there from our end, but there are no plans right now."

That said, Haas has nothing but love for the departed "Chicago Fire" star. "We 1,000% love Jesse Spencer," he said. "It was absolutely incredible to have him back [for the Season 10 finale], as it would be any time he wants to come and grace us and his 'Chicago Fire' friends and family. He is one of the family."

Season 11 of "Chicago Fire" airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.