It’s a universally accepted truth that every good network drama must kill off at least one fan-favorite character in an extremely bleak, weepy way at least once every few seasons. When it comes to “Chicago Fire,” one of the biggest major characters died in the very first moments of season 8, which claimed the life of Brian “Otis” Zvonacek.
Judging by the plethora of comments online remembering Otis as if he’s a real person (seriously, watch any YouTube video featuring that guy), the character who had been with Truck 81 since the show’s pilot , perhaps the most beloved “Chicago Fire” character of all time. The child of Russian immigrants was funny and sometimes underestimated, and over time he rose to a very prestigious engineer position. He also had deep relationships with many of the other lead characters, so when the powers that be decided “Chicago Fire” needed to move forward with real, deadly stakes, Otis bit the dust.
When and how did Otis die in the Chicago fire?
At the end of “Chicago Fire” season 7, it’s clear that someone is at odds. The season concludes with a major disaster as the firehouse crew battles an out-of-control fire at a mattress factory. When Season 8 returned, the show didn’t waste much time in revealing that its high-profile storyline had suffered a heartbreaking casualty: Yuri Sardarov’s Otis. The team is shown pulling him out of the burning factory after a boiler explosion, and from the way the sequence is filmed – and by the shock and grief on his coworkers’ faces – it’s quite clear that Otis will likely not recover. .
Otis later dies in the hospital, when an emotional Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) pleads with him, asking Otis to leave a spot in heaven free for his best friend. Otis’ last words to Cruz are: “Brother, I’ll always be with you.” In season 10, Cruise’s wife Chloe (Kristen Gutowski) has a child named Brian, but the pair decide to call him Otis in memory of the man who was like a brother to Cruise. This is all extremely sad in the way that only long-running network processes can be about first responders.
The writers killed off Otis for maximum emotional impact.
In An interview with TVLine in 2019Series co-creator Derek Haas said that he and the show’s writers room wanted to kill off a character, as the firehouse crew had spent several seasons avoiding near-death experiences in their lives. Haas remembered telling head writers Michael Gilvary and Andrea Newman during the summer hiatus, “We have to put some effort back into the show, and we have to show that the threats are real.” Haas admitted that when he wrote the ending of Season 7 he initially had no idea who would die in the mattress factory fire, but he spent almost a year talking to executive producers Dick Wolf and Peter Jankowski about the idea of a murder. Spent an hour. Out of Otis.
Haas told TVLine, “Dick, who has more experience than anyone in the world, said, ‘As long as you’re honest in telling the story, the audience will be with you.'” He also said that the writers made a point We considered the idea of killing off Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyrie), but they wanted it to be a main cast member rather than a relatively new addition, which would make for good TV. It would be Otis because he was Cruz and Lives with Brett, and he’s on Casey’s truck, and he’s at Boden’s house, and he’s Mouch’s best friend, and owns a bar with Herrmann,” Haas explained, alluding to the fan. Huey-Favorite is one of the only characters whose death will impact all the other characters and have ramifications in future seasons.
Haas told TVLine that he personally broke the news to Sardarov, who was his friend from before their “Chicago Fire” days. “From a personal standpoint, it’s really hard to tell an actor as a showrunner, ‘Hey, this is what we’re thinking,’ when you not only know him as a great actor, but a good human being and friend. , “Haas said, but he also said that Sardarov was “professional” and “kind” – partly because he is also a writer who loves the idea of doing something in the service of a good story. Understand.
Who replaced Otis in Chicago Fire?
The episode involving Otis’ death included a three-month time jump, which both allowed his coworkers to try to move on and revealed how important he was to Firehouse 51. After episode one, viewers meet Blake Gallo (Alberto Rosende), a new firefighter. The tragic background and willingness to jump straight into any rescue situation regardless of the danger. Although it takes a while for the crew to get accustomed to Gallo and he does not serve as a 1 to 1 replacement for Otis, the character eventually becomes part of the team. Gallo spent 80 episodes of “Chicago Fire” (about half of Otis’s episodes) and eventually moved to Michigan to connect with his newly discovered extended family. Rosende told Deadline That he decided to move on from the show.
Although Gallo is the most obvious replacement for Otis in terms of timing, the most recent season of “Chicago Fire” has introduced several new recruits, some of whom have become fan favorites in their own right. Daniel Kyrie’s Ritter stuck around after debuting in Season 7 (and becoming half of a dynamic duo with Gallo), and Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) also joined the team. This season, “My Best Friend’s Wedding actor” and secretly super-talented cellist Dermot Mulroney came on board as the new chief of Firehouse 51, while Adrian Rae, Jocelyn Hudon and Hanako Greensmith took over the role after Otis’ death in season 8. Since then he has played the role of paramedics.
Yuri Sardarov was also ready to move on to other projects
It’s worth noting that while series co-creator Derek Haas takes responsibility for Otis’ murder, Sardarov has also indicated that he was ready to move on from the show after spending years on a project. In An Interview with Tell Tell TV In 2019, he admitted: “It was hard, but it was also necessary. It was a combination of my wanting to move on and their need to make something happen that’s going to happen. And I think those two things came at the right time. But met.
Sardarov recalled a conversation he had with Haas, whom he said he first worked with in college, at the end of Season 7. From the sounds of it, he figured he’d have no problem going into the same conversation in which Haas pitched Otis. As a character who could give Season 8 a big, significant premiere death. He added, “We discussed the character and where he’s going, and I was very clear with him about the fact that it’s been eight years, and I started at 22. And now I’m 31 years old.” “The communication was very open and honest, and we both walked away from it feeling really good.”
Speaking positively about Sardarov, Haas told TVLine, “He’s at the beginning of his career, and this is not his swan song by any means.” It’s true: Since leaving “Chicago Fire,” the actor has already taken on other roles, including guest roles on “The Rookie” and “FBI: International” and the films “Adam,” “Daddy,” and “Amy and ” includes roles. Peter is getting a divorce.” Plus, Haas was right about the tear-jerking twist — six years later, it remains one of the show’s most talked-about moments.
