Herrmann & Cindy Need a Break — Can Chicago Fire Deliver?

Chicago Fire is no stranger to delivering heartbreaking blows to couples, and Herrmann and Cindy have seen some of the worst.

Chicago Fire Season 14 delivered a powerful arc with the Herrmann family displaced after a house fire, and many of the family’s personal storylines focused on that.

Yet, as we get ready for Chicago Fire Season 15, it’s time for the focus to move onto another family. It’s not like there isn’t a shortage of characters on the series!

Cindy and Herrmann Deserve a Vacation

The Herrmann family has been through enough on Chicago Fire, and you’ve got to start questioning just how much one family can go through.

Before the housefire, Herrmann suffered hearing loss after a call.

This was a way to write in David Eigenberg’s real need for hearing aids into the series, but it still added another bit of drama for the entire family.

Before that, we saw Cindy face her own medical crisis with her lung cancer prognosis.

Even from the very beginning of the One Chicago series, there have been financial issues. Herrmann kept trying to find ways to get rich fast, and there were worries that Molly’s venture wouldn’t work out.

As he opted to be demoted to give Mouch a chance to rise up through the ranks and remain with Firehouse 51, there were more worries about finances.

It feels like when the show is struggling with a bigger arc for a member of the team, Christopher Herrmann is the one to face the brunt of it all.

To avoid running the risk of being too soapy, the writers need to spread the drama.

I still think that it’s time for Herrmann to retire, and maybe that could happen in the aftermath of Chicago Fire Season 14’s finale, but even if it doesn’t, it’s time to move on from the Herrmann family.

We Rarely See the Other Firehouse 51 Members‘ Personal Lives

While we know Mouch and Trudy are happy together, we rarely get to see them. 

This can be a little harder because we have a cross-show relationship, and it means Amy Morton and Christian Stolte end up having to pull double duty, but it’s not impossible.

Most of the time, we only see their relationship and some of the difficulties they have together during the once-a-year One Chicago crossover event, but the writers of the two shows could find a way to balance that a little better.

If not Mouch and Trudy, there’s always Cruz and Chloe. We get to hear about Cruz’s personal life as he keeps everyone up to date, but it’s rare that we see the family go through a lot.

Usually, there are a couple of episodes that are Cruz-focused, often focused on his relationship with Javi, but there’s so much more that Chicago Fire could deliver on.

With Cruz’s life potentially on the line and Chloe expecting twins, Chicago Fire Season 15 has room to give this couple more screentime.

It would be a power move as well. We see with Cindy and Herrmann what it’s like to be married to a firefighter for decades, but what about the earlier years of marriage, especially after this near-death experience?

Chloe just seems to take everything in her stride, but wouldn’t it make for some intriguing and heartfelt moments to see how she really lives her life?

If the writers want to avoid drama involving couples, there are other aspects of personal life to explore. 

Chicago Fire Season 14 finally put more focus on Novak’s life with her siblings, and we learned a lot about Vasquez and his dad, but there are many more characters we’ve barely scratched the surface of.

We know little about Violet’s personal life, despite her relationships with Hawkins and Carver. What about her friends, or her interests outside of the firehouse? What about her family?

It’s not like the show hasn’t given us a look at interests outside of work. We know Severide works with cars, and Casey would do construction projects.

Chicago Fire seems to have forgotten that there is more to life than saving lives.

The series has long since underused Capp and Tony, and it could be time to see more of their lives outside the firehouse.

There’s even the floater, Ballard, assuming he doesn’t die in the aftermath of the finale events.

It’s a little harder with a smaller cast, but Chicago Fire needs to shift the drama away from the same couple. Spread the “love.”

It’s time for you to sound off!
Do you agree with this take, or do you love seeing how Herrmann and Cindy deal with everything life throws at them? If not both of them, who would you prefer Chicago Fire focus on more? Sound off in the comments!