Chicago Fire Fans Want More Of Darden's Story From Season 1

While he was a fleeting presence on NBC's "Chicago Fire," Corey Sorenson's tragically short-lived firefighter Andy Darden is in a very significant way one of the series' most influential early characters. As Chi-Hard fans of this One Chicago hit can tell you, Darden features prominently in only one episode of the show, and even then for just several minutes, with a few additional appearances later in momentary flashbacks.

Darden's storyline on the show begins, and ends, in the opening moments of the Season 1 series pilot. Responding to what would seem to be a routine residential fire, Darden and other first responders are seen riding through the streets of Chicago in their respective trucks. The mood is lighthearted, with former series regular Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Rescue Truck leader Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) joking with Darden. Arriving at the burning house, Darden rushes into the building as Casey orders Severide to create a vent opening in the back to reduce the danger of a deadly backdraft occurring. But before Severeride can do this, a backdraft explodes through the home, killing Darden. In the aftermath, Casey and Severide each blame the other for Darden's death, and it's this friction that forms the basis of the emotional tension between these two mainstay characters throughout subsequent episodes. So, with the ghost of Andy Darden playing such a major role in the show's early going, it's perhaps no surprise that fans want to see the character's rudimentary story fleshed out.

The truth is, Andy Darden's short life so long ago on "Chicago Fire" hasn't prevented fans from remembering the character – and wanting more.

Posting on the show's subreddit, "Chicago Fire" buff u/Drew_Graves06 started off a discussion titled "Season 1 Episode 1 first scene." Noting that the show jumped ahead a month after Darden's death to a scene of Casey emptying out Darden's locker (where he comes across a photo of himself, Darden, and Severide in happier times), they wrote, "I always wish they would have shown more about Darden's death instead of just skipping ahead a month. It might sound cruel I just wondered how the house felt that day and the days after it happened."

Other fans clearly agreed, with u/Extension-Raisin8023 saying, "Yeah I wish they would have showed more of the dynamic between [Darden, Casey, and Severide]." Addressing Darden's enduring importance despite his single appearance back in 2012, user u/lkjhggfd1 joined the conversation to say, "Interesting they've kept [Darden's] story for 10 years as well." This Redditor was likely referring to Darden influencing the series' narrative in yet another way. It turns out that after Jesse Spencer's Matt Casey exits the show in Season 10, his storyline has him leaving Chicago to take a firefighting gig in Oregon, where he ends up caring for Darden's two sons, left on their own after their mother goes to prison (per NBC Insider).