‘Chicago Fire’ Halts Production Following Positive COVID Tests

Brett Dalton at Jason Pelham, Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide in Chicago Fire
Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC

The NBC series Chicago Fire suspended production on Tuesday after several crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

As first reported by Deadline, the long-running drama about the Chicago Fire Department had recently resumed production after the holiday break but had to shut down yesterday after several positive COVID tests. This included cases in Zone A, which means cast members and those who directly interact with them.

Following the state guidelines, as well as the NBCU Production Playbook, immediate contact tracing was implemented, according to Deadline. The current plan is to have production back in motion by Monday or Tuesday next week.

Chicago Fire isn’t the only series affected by the recent surge in COVID infections. CBS police procedural NCIS also had to freeze production on Wednesday after a positive case in Zone A, which Deadline reports is believed to involve a cast member.

NCIS: Los Angeles has also delayed its return to production until February, sources told Deadline. The spin-off series has enough episodes already filmed that will tide things over in the meantime. The show’s 13th season premiered in October and is currently airing on CBS.

This latest rise in COVID cases has affected production across the TV industry, with TVLine reporting that ABC has also taken precautionary action. The publication states that Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, The Rookie, and other ABC dramas have “delayed the restart of production” because of the resurgent pandemic.

The 10th season of Chicago Fire premiered on September 22, 2021, and returned after its holiday hiatus on Wednesday night. The popular series follows the lives of the firefighters, rescue personnel, and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department at the fictional Firehouse 51. It was the first in Wolf Entertainment’s Chicago franchise, including Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med, both of which also returned on Wednesday.

Chicago Fire, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC