Urgent News:One Chicago Cast Changes Get Candid Response From NBC Boss: “Every Year Someone Asks The Same Question”

After a multitude of cast exits in the One Chicago universe, Eamonn Walker is returning in the role of Wallace Boden — but for how long?

Walker, 62, is coming back in the April 16 episode of the hit NBC series. According to the log line, Boden is “tasked by Commissioner Grissom (Gary Cole) to run a post-incident analysis following a house fire that collapsed with a firefighter inside.”

Showrunner Andrea Newman has confirmed the appearance, which marks the first time Walker returned nearly a year after his exit.

“[We are] so excited to have our beloved Chief Boden back, and the episode, titled Post-Mortem, is a thrill ride unlike any we’ve done before,” Newman teased on Wednesday, March 5, in a press release. “Told with flashbacks and unique POVs, Chief Boden leads our team on a search to discover the how, who, and why of a fierce firefight that ended in disaster.”

Walker played Boden for 12 seasons as a series regular before exiting the show. In May 2024, Deadline reported that it was Walker’s decision to officially step back after a brief absence.

“Eamonn was the first actor cast on Chicago Fire, and we knew once he said yes, that we were off and running,” producer Dick Wolf shared in a statement at the time. “His character Chief Wallace Boden was the undisputed leader of Firehouse 51 and, offscreen, Eamonn has filled the same role with our ensemble cast.”

Prior to his upcoming return, Boden’s last appeared in a May 2024 episode where it was revealed that his character was promoted to Chief to Deputy Commissioner of the city’s fire department. Boden appointed Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) as his replacement before Dermot Mulroney was introduced as the new chief for the fire department.

Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC
“Eamonn is the most big-hearted, passionate, hard-working and dedicated actor (and human) I know, and he is like a father to every cast member and crew member of this team,” showrunner Newman told Deadline. “He is loved like no other. Any change in his position on Fire is going to be like an earthquake coming through. The vibe on set for the finale was just, hold onto Eamonn as tight as you can. Every minute with him is a gift.”

The One Chicago franchise has been making headlines as several cast members across all three shows announced exits. Despite the large amount of cast changes, NBC’s president of program planning Jeff Bader isn’t concerned about the future of the franchise.

“Cast comes in, cast goes out,” Bader told TVLine in an interview published in July 2024.“It’s interesting. Because every year there are cast changes, and every year someone asks the same question” about what’s going on within the One Chicago universe. “But [those shows] just keep going on.”

Bader noted that each of the Chicago shows has continued to find success, adding, “We’re thrilled with how the Chicagos do on Wednesday. We have no plans on changing anything on that night.”

Chicago Fire airs on NBC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.