Spoilers: Taylor Kinney returns as Kelly Severide in “Barely Gone,” the January 17, 2024 premiere of Chicago Fire Season 12. His homecoming is only one change at Firehouse 51: the crew is sharing its station with Firehouse 17, Blake Gallo is preparing to leave, and Sylvie Brett reveals that she plans to move to Oregon after her wedding to Matt Casey. Meanwhile, a series of suspicious fires puts the firehouses in danger.
What happened in the Chicago Fire Season 12 premiere?
“Barely Gone” is Season 12, Episode 1. Apple TV lists its release date as January 17, 2024, its runtime as 39 minutes, and its rating as TV-14. The episode opens a season centered on change: Severide is back, familiar routines at 51 have been disrupted, and several members of the firehouse family are facing departures.
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Firehouse 51 is temporarily sharing its space with Firehouse 17 after a fire damaged the other station. Mouch is also back at work after recovering from the gunshot wound he suffered in Season 11. The altered station brings two crews into close quarters just as the team faces an arson threat.
Severide returns, but his marriage is still under strain
Kinney returns as Severide after missing part of Season 11. He comes back from an arson-related assignment and rejoins the work at 51, but his return does not instantly settle the tension between him and Stella Kidd. The Apple TV listing says, “An arson case tests Kidd and Severide’s relationship,” making the investigation a pressure point in their marriage as well as a danger to the firehouse.
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The episode treats Severide’s homecoming as a reunion, not a neat resolution: he is back on the job, while the relationship still has to contend with the demands of his work and the case unfolding around them.
Gallo is preparing to leave, and Brett has a plan for Oregon
With Gallo getting ready to leave for Detroit, Ritter has shifted to truck duty. That change prompts a disagreement between Kidd and Herrmann over whether Ritter should stay on truck or return to engine. The official episode synopsis foregrounds that dispute, making the new assignment part of the station’s wider adjustment to change.
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Brett adds another impending goodbye when she says her wedding to Casey is approaching and that she plans to move to Oregon afterward. Her departure is not presented as happening in this episode; it is a coming transition that gives the premiere’s farewells a longer horizon.
The truck fire points toward a threat against firehouses
The call that drives the arson plot begins with a delivery truck burning beneath a bridge and its driver trapped inside. The crew rescues him and gets the fire under control. Purple smoke and the earlier fire at Firehouse 17 lead Severide to suspect the incidents are connected and deliberate. These fires are part of the episode’s fictional plot.
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Severide examines a supply delivery and spots what may be a concealed device. He tells Boden and the crews that firehouses could be the targets. As the investigation develops, he realizes that 51 may be next because it is temporarily hosting Firehouse 17’s crew.
A suspicious package brings the danger to 51
A suspicious package is left at Firehouse 51. Boden apprehends a suspect while Herrmann moves the package away from the building. It detonates outside, and the immediate threat passes. The climax brings the arson case directly to the station rather than leaving it as a pattern of fires elsewhere.
After the danger, Boden turns back to the people at 51. The episode closes on a firehouse family continuing together even as returning members, new arrangements, and planned departures reshape what “together” looks like.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Episode details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Episode | “Barely Gone” |
| Season and episode | Season 12, Episode 1 |
| Release date | January 17, 2024 |
| Runtime and rating | 39 minutes; TV-14 |
Apple TV’s episode listing provides the date, runtime, rating, and official synopsis. Peacock’s Season 12 preview, published January 12, 2024, announced Kinney’s return and described the original NBC and Peacock release schedule; check regional availability for current viewing options. For collectors, Universal Pictures At Home has an official Season Twelve home-entertainment page.
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