The Big Picture

• Rome Flynn's character Gibson was meant to replace Gallo but unexpectedly left after 6 episodes in Chicago Fire Season 12.
• Fans were surprised by Gibson's departure as he showed promise and had an intriguing backstory.
• Flynn expressed sadness about leaving but hopes to work with Dick Wolf again in the future.

When Rome Flynn joined Chicago Fire, his character Derrick Gibson was expected to replace Blake Gallo after Alberto Rosende exited the show in the season premiere. After six episodes, however, Gibson left the firehouse, and Flynn communicated that his time on the show had ended. Flynn reacted to the departure which had left fans surprised. The character showed a lot of promise with an interesting backstory, and he appeared to be a great fit for Firehouse 51, something that is never guaranteed for new characters. He told Variety that he was sad to see the character leave and would love to play Gibson again. Below is what he said.

“Just like all the fans, I was sad to see Gibson leave. He was a character I very much enjoyed playing. I had a wonderful experience during my time on Chicago Fire and have great respect for the cast and crew and hope to team up with Dick Wolf again when the time is right.”

Flynn was announced as a new addition to Season 12, a welcome change since several characters were set to exit the show. He first appeared in Episode 2 as Firehouse 51 responded to an emergency and his work impressed Lieutenant Kidd. In six episodes, the show fleshed out his backstory and formed some relationships between him and several Chicago Fire characters. It was also revealed that Gibson was addicted to opioids and when his supply ran out, he started to withdraw, something that made him erratic and unpredictable. In his final episode, Gibson told Stella he was leaving the firehouse to seek help. Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman had expressed excitement over Flynn's casting in a previous interview with Variety, saying:

"He’s phenomenal. He’s an electric presence and a very different energy than a lot of our guys at 51. He’ll be shaking things up. As a character, there are a lot of layers to peel back on Gibson. He’ll be a fun new element to rock 51 a little bit."

Chicago Fire Season 12 Has Seen Several Characters Exit

Flynn is the third major exit in the show, following Kara Killmer's in the sixth episode and Rosende's in the first. Derek was expected to be Gallo's replacement and his exit leaves a wide gap in the dynamics of the show. Killmer's exit opened a new spot on Ambulance 61, whose filling has been a point of contention between Fire Chief Boden and Paramedic Chief Robinson. Another paramedic is coming to 51 after Jocely Hudon was cast following Lennox's (Wesam Keesh) firing. Where she sticks around remains to be seen.

An all-new episode of Chicago Fire airs this Wednesday at 9 PM ET on NBC. Stream past seasons on Peacock.

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