Chicago Fire Skips This Week — Here’s Why And When It Returns

No, your DVR isn’t glitching—Chicago Fire is off the air on November 19 as the series hits its midseason break. Here’s why the pause is happening and when the squad will be back on duty.

Quick heads-up: if you were planning to spend Wednesday with Chicago Fire, you’re getting a raincheck. No new episode this week. The show just hit its midseason break, and yes, the timing is a little earlier than usual.

So why is there no new episode on November 19?

NBC put Chicago Fire on its scheduled fall hiatus. The November 12 episode was the last one of 2025, doubling as Season 14’s midseason finale. That’s why there’s nothing new on November 19.

The network usually lets Chicago Fire run into late November or early December, so this pause came a bit earlier than the show’s typical pattern. Scheduling shuffle, not drama.

When does it come back?

NBC says new episodes return on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, with the winter premiere. Yes, that’s the date.

What happened in the midseason finale (spoilers)

The show left off with a tense Severide case that is built to nag at you during the break:

• Severide digs into a high school fire that looks intentional.
• Evidence points to the principal, Mr. Cole, being the target.
• The blaze was triggered remotely via a smart plug, which clears the student who got blamed first.
• With help from Tom Van Meter, Severide finds an online group of students accusing Cole of abuse.
• As investigators confront Cole, a second fire breaks out and a hooded figure bolts from the scene.

Plenty of questions, zero closure. Exactly how they want it before a hiatus.

Is Severide leaving?

No. There’s no sign that Kelly Severide, played by Taylor Kinney, is exiting the show. The cliffhanger is about the case, not his status.

What to watch in the meantime

If you want to catch up or rewatch, Chicago Fire’s current seasons are streaming on Peacock.