Is Chicago Fire Using Cindy's Tragic Twist to Set Up Christopher's Exit?

NBC's series about a group of firefighters struggling to get their personal lives in order while putting out fires all over the Windy City has been running for more than a decade, and fans are still as invested in the personnel of the Chicago Fire Department's fictional Firehouse 51 as they were when the first season aired.

Many of the original cast members left the show over the past 10 years, and fans have suddenly found themselves surrounded by newer faces, with only David Eigenberg's Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann continuing to appear in each and every new episode. However, it looks like his days on Chicago Fire may be numbered.

Christopher was the heart of the show throughout its run, as his image as a loving husband and father of five perfectly complemented his younger, womanizing co-stars.

When Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney abruptly left the project in recent years, Eigenberg's presence helped fans cope with the loss, but some felt he might follow his former colleagues sooner than expected.

This season, it was revealed that Christopher's wife Cindy was diagnosed with lung cancer, and although her surgery went well, she is still very sick. Christopher is seen to be really shaken by his wife's terminal illness, and viewers are pretty sure that Chicago Fire introduced this storyline to create a device for Christopher's impending exit.

The fan theory is that Cindy will succumb to her illness by the end of this season, and Christopher will immediately quit his job as a firefighter. He will understand that his five children really need him, and his service is definitely very dangerous, so he'll decide to find a new, safer job to avoid orphaning the kids.

So, according to this theory, the current season may well be the last for Christopher Herrmann.

However, even if Christopher retires from his job, that doesn't mean he'll disappear from the show, some fans argue. He may settle for a desk job and continue to delight viewers with his rare but precious appearances after this season.

Chicago Fire season 11 episode 18 is arriving on NBC on April 5, 2023.