Chicago Fire has been on the air for quite some time. Its thirteenth season just started at the end of September. The cast is a decent sized ensemble, and characters have come and gone over the years. Wolf Entertainment has done a decent job of spreading out the plot lines and making sure that each character with a story to tell gets that opportunity. For the most part.
If there is one character that the show has dropped the ball on, it’s Darren Ritter, who is played by the superbly talented Daniel Kyri. Ritter is first introduced in the second episode of Season 7. When Firehouse 51 (the department the show is centered on) is called to a multi-alarm fire at a highrise, they come across Ritter and his Lieutenant. Though Ritter is new and trying his best, the Lieutenant has no problem insulting and humiliating him in front of the others. Herrmann (David Eigenberg) defends Ritter, but the damage is done and Ritter freezes. Mouch (Christian Stolte) is able to talk him down and Ritter helps him save two residents. But his confidence is shot, and he leaves the CFD for a short time. It is only when Mouch and Herrmann believe in him and offer him a position at 51 that he comes back.
Darren Ritter Is ‘Chicago Fire’s Unsung Rock Star
These first few episodes of Season 7 are the most we get of Ritter for quite a while. His next big story comes in Season 8, when he comes out as gay to Herrmann. While the storyline is handled well, Herrmann is accepting and lets Ritter know this with one of his dad jokes. There is not much more. The event happens quickly and just in passing. It’s almost one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments. Over the next several seasons, everything else we learn about Ritter is strictly through keen observation.
Through the seasons, interesting little tidbits have been dropped about Ritter. He joined the CFD to honor his uncle, a former firefighter who committed suicide a few years before. He is gay. He is sweet and funny and a great friend. His admiration and respect for his uncle shows he is very dedicated to family. And, once he found his place at 51, he proved to be an outstanding firefighter. He has shown to have a keen understanding of people and an empathetic ability to read emotions, specifically depression. Unfortunately, Chicago Fire has not felt compelled to expand on any of this or give us any further details into the character. Even his relationships and romantic interests are only passing mentions in brief conversations.
Most of the time, Ritter is relegated to being the wingman for fellow firefighters Blake Gallo and Violet Mikami, assisting other 51 members in their storylines, and generally just being a background character. Not much about the guy has been fleshed out. This is quite an oversight by the show, as Kyri is an outstanding actor and definitely has the chops to handle a big storyline. Clearly, someone at Wolf Entertainment saw something special in him, as this was not Kyri’s first appearance in the One Chicago universe. Just a few months before making his debut in Chicago Fire, he appeared in an episode of Chicago Med as Lane Tucker in Season 3.