One prominent One Chicago cast member has addressed the possibility of returning to play a dead character once more. The franchise is an interconnected universe of NBC shows following various public services in The Windy City, all of which were either created, co-created, or executive produced by Dick Wolf, who is also behind the Law & Order franchise. The universe kicked off with Chicago Fire, which premiered in 2012 and is now in the middle of airing season 13. Various spinoffs were later introduced as backdoor pilots in other shows within the universe.
In addition to Chicago Fire, the roster of One Chicago shows now includes Chicago P.D., which launched in 2014 and is currently airing season 12. It was followed to the small screen by 2015's Chicago Med, which is currently airing season 10. The only show in the franchise that is not still on the air is Chicago Justice, which premiered in 2017 and only ran for one season. So far, every show in the franchise has featured multiple appearances by characters from the other shows.
Chicago Fire's Yuri Sardarov Checks In Five Years Later
Sardarov Played Brian Zvonecek
Yuri Sardarov has now reflected on the potential to return to the Chicago Fire cast. He played Truck 81 firefighter Brian "Otis" Zvonecek in a recurring capacity in season 1 before being promoted to series regular in season 2. He remained part of the main cast until 2019, when his character died in a mattress fire during the season 8 premiere. Showrunner Derek Haas explained to TVLine at the time that the decision to kill the character was made for narrative reasons, to show that even beloved long-running characters are not safe in their line of work.
Yuri Sardarov recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Screen Rant's Rachel Foertsch. When asked if he would return to Chicago Fire, he eagerly replied "oh, yeah!" He shared that he and the rest of the cast grew close during his time on set and "that's my family." He reflected that the show has run for so many seasons because "people want to be there," saying that if the opportunity arose for him to reprise his role, he "would do it in a heartbeat." Read Sardarov's full quote below:
Oh, yeah! Oh my God. Look, that's my family. We got so close on that set, and I just saw a bunch of them the other week. I would do it in a heartbeat, just because I miss everybody, and I love everybody. It was just such a pleasant set to be on. Everybody that comes onto that set, every actor that comes on goes, "Well, the rumors I've heard are true. This is the greatest cast that I've ever worked with." And they continue to do that, and that's why the show's so successful. That's why it goes on for so long. People want to be there.
Our Take On Yuri Sardarov's Comments
Brian Could Return In Some Capacity
Because the One Chicago franchise is based in reality, dead characters do not return. However, there has been a precedent set for actors to reprise their roles as deceased characters via flashbacks. Should the potential Chicago Fire season 14 be renewed, it is entirely possible that Brian could reappear for at least one episode. Sardarov's interest, and the fact that he is still in Dick Wolf's orbit after appearing in a 2023 episode of his show FBI: International, could make a return very likely should the writers find a suitable storyline that would require a flashback.
