FIREFIGHTER Brian “Otis” Zvonecek was missing from the season 8 premiere of Chicago Fire in 2019.
Fans of the show were left wondering what had happened to the beloved character and why he was killed off.
What happened to Otis on Chicago Fire?
When season 8 of Chicago Fire premiered on airwaves, Otis, played by Yuri Sardarov, tragically passed away due to burns sustained in season 7’s mattress factory fire.
He dies by the side of his best friend and roommate, Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso), after telling him, “Brother, I will be with you, always,” in Russian.
His death deeply affected Firehouse 51, and while mourning their fallen teammate, the firefighters erected a memorial to Otis.
Chicago Fire executive producer Derek Haas spoke about the choice to kill off Otis to TV Insider.
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“The audience has to be reminded that these calls are dangerous and sometimes people don’t make it,” he told the outlet.
“We thought, what if we killed off Otis and he dies heroically? We realized there was so much emotional landscape we could cover.”
Speaking about the choice to kill Otis specifically, he said:
“There were other candidates including Ritter (Daniel Kyri), but he had only been around this last season. For it to be a real surprise, you need it to be a core cast member.”
“I first talked to [franchise creator] Dick Wolf and ultimately got the go-ahead and then I called Yuri, whom I’ve known since before the show. He was gracious and professional. He has a mind that understands creative choices and he agreed to come back and do the season’s first episode.”
How can I watch season 10 of Chicago Fire?
The first episode of season 10 of Chicago Fire will drop September 22.
The premiere is expected to provide fans a definitive answer whether or not anyone from Squad made it out of their underwater rescue gone wrong..
You can watch Chicago Fire on NBC at 8/9c.
The show will air between season premieres of Chicago Med and Chicago PD>
The complete ninth season of the show is streaming on Hulu, Peacock and Amazon Prime, meaning you can catch up on all the drama ahead of the season 10 premiere.
The first few episodes of season 10 are anticipated to help build towards the 200th episode event in the series.
For the latest Chicago Fire season 10 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.