Spoilers ahead for the second episode of Chicago Fire Season 14, called “Primary Search” and available streaming next day with a Peacock subscription.
After the Chicago Fire Season 14 premiere wrapped up some stories like Damon transferring to another firehouse, Carver settling in to his new life in Denver, and Stella‘s short-lived pregnancy plot, Episode 2 dedicated some more time to Ritter. Daniel Kyri had been among the cast members whose departures were confirmed before the fall of the 2025 TV schedule, but Fire bought him back for the first couple episodes to set up his exit. While I knew that I’d be bummed to lose Ritter from 51, he did get a pretty solid sendoff.
Kyri confirmed on Instagram that the October 8 episode was also his last episode of Chicago Fire, so Ritter won’t be coming back from New York again by next week. The Truck 81 firefighter had jetted off to NYC in the Season 14 premiere after his ex, Dwayne, was shot. It was a great grand gesture, but as he told his friends back in Chicago, he also met Dwayne’s family. He was wracked by guilt, believing that the former CPD cop never would have left Chicago in the first place if he’d just agreed to moving in together.
Luckily, that wasn’t the end of the story. Convinced that they at least needed to have a conversation, Ritter and Dwayne had a long talk that resulted in Ritter realizing that Dwayne had gone to NYC for a promotion, not because he was fleeing the Windy City due to their breakup. They decided to get back together… and not to restart the relationship by going long distance.
Ritter decided to move to New York to be with the man he loved, which appalled Violet, who’d only meant to encourage him to talk to Dwayne rather than leave the CFD. He assured Violet and Novak that he was only considering it an “extended furlough” and that he’d be back, although he also told Mouch (still adjusting to his new leadership role) that he planned on visiting his uncle’s former firehouse in NYC.
His time on the show ended on a heartwarming note, with Violet insisting that she and Novak drive him to the airport to make sure that he didn’t miss his flight. Echoing the point she’d made earlier in the episode, the friends all seemed to agree: Chicago isn’t that far from New York. Violet and Novak intend to visit him there, so their goodbye for now in “Primary Search” doesn’t mean goodbye forever.
There’s no sign at the time of writing that Chicago Fire will bring Daniel Kyri back beyond his two-episode sendoff to start Season 14, but I’m guessing that fans will at least hear about Violet and Novak visiting him off-screen. He got a much deserved happy ending that doesn’t rule out an eventual return, and that can be the best-case scenario on a show that has killed off main characters. (R.I.P. Otis.)
And the action will continue without Ritter, as it does after any character leaves Chicago Fire. Based on the promo for the next episode, it appears that Taylor Kinney and the other actors playing Squad 3 heroes are out on the water for a daring rescue. Take a look:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, October 8 at 9 p.m. ET for the next new episode of Chicago Fire, between Chicago Med (with another returning star joining Nick Gehlfuss) at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. (with the newbie still on board) at 10 p.m. ET. You can also revisit earlier seasons of Daniel Kyri as Ritter with Fire streaming on Peacock.
