Chicago Fire Season 12's Time Jump & New Firefighter Teased By Showrunner

There are a lot of elements of the upcoming "Chicago Fire" Season 12 that fans are eagerly anticipating, whether it's the resolution to the fate of Christian Stolte's Mouch after Season 11's cliffhanger ending, the long-awaited return of Taylor Kinney's Kelly Severide to Firehouse 51, or the bittersweet exits of Kara Killmer's Sylvie Brett and Alberto Rosende's Blake Gallo. But while viewers are already expecting Season 12 to shake up the show's status quo in some meaningful ways, the show's head showrunner has teased a few more key twists that are guaranteed to spice up the proceedings even more.

In an interview with TVLine, "Chicago Fire" showrunner Andrea Newman dropped some intriguing information about Season 12. One sizable surprise is that — as was similarly confirmed for the upcoming season of its sister series, "Chicago Med" — the "Chicago Fire" premiere is set to undergo a significant time jump forward from the end of Season 11, though the length of time that has passed is still unclear. "There have been big changes, and the 51 gang is on a rollercoaster ride throughout the episode trying to navigate all of it," Newman noted.

Furthermore, Truck 81 will see a mysterious new team member among their ranks, though their exact identity and motivations are similarly obscured for the moment. "There will be a new firefighter joining Truck 81, but not for the reasons anyone thinks," Newman said. "Of course, the newbie will be trouble with a capital T — but is it the good kind or the bad kind? We'll find out."

While Andrea Newman's teases for "Chicago Fire" Season 12 are pretty ambiguous, there are a few other key details that help bring the upcoming season into clearer focus. For one thing, the new time jump may be significant, but the main group will still be primarily dealing with a number of plot threads from the previous season. The Season 12 premiere, titled "Barely Gone," revolves around the relationship between Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide in the wake of his prolonged absence. TVLine also confirmed that the episode will address Sylvie Brett's ultimate answer to Matt Casey's (Jesse Spencer) surprise proposal at the end of Season 11.

As for the identity of the mysterious new firefighter joining Firehouse 51, it could possibly be the character played by Rome Flynn. In December, Deadline reported that Flynn would be joining "Chicago Fire" Season 12 as a recurring guest star. The actor is slated to play Jake Gibson, a former boxer juggling both a heroic side and a murky edge. However, it's not certain that Newman is referring to Flynn. Deadline's description of Gibson notes that he piques the interest of Engine 51, rather than Truck 81, though this could possibly be a minor discrepancy in pre-release information.

While fans might have some lingering questions about "Chicago Fire" Season 12, it seems many of those threads will be answered when the show returns for its premiere on January 17.