Chris Mansa who portrays firefighter Mason Locke in the NBC drama did not appear in the premiere episode, titled “Hold on Tight,” prompting some concerns that the actor had left the show.
Chris Mansa Teases ‘Chicago Fire’ Return as Mason Locke
In the premiere episode of Season 11, Mason was noticeably missing from Truck 81’s team at Firehouse 51, later on it is explained that Mason had left Chicago in order to help fight forest fires in Colorado.
Mason had previously worked in Colorado as a firefighter before moving to Chicago to be with family, and it is explained by Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) that they were unable to stop him from following his calling.
It is important to note that the character may have moved to Colorado on a temporary basis and could well return to Chicago later down the line.
However, this explanation does suggest the character will not be appearing in the show again anytime soon. No official announcement has been made over Mansa’s appearance in the show to suggest he has departed.
In fact, Mansa has teased his return to the Chicago franchise as the actor shared an image on Instagram in June to say that he was looking forward to returning.
Standing in front of a street sign that said Mason, the actor wrote: “All signs point to Mason!! So excited to step into those boots again.
“As we all prepare for our ELEVENTH SEASON, make sure you catch yourself up on Season 10. You’ll get a good dose of Mason episodes 15-22.”
He added: “And if you’re a real OG slide back to Season 9 Episode 12; see how it began. Love you all, and thanks for the support.”
The actor’s IMDb page does not shed light on his return to the franchise, though, as he is last listed to have appeared in Chicago Fire Season 10’s finale and he has not yet been added to the cast list for Season 11.
Mansa also does not appear to have any other projects in the pipeline that he might have left Chicago Fire for, so it is possible that he will be back in a future episode of the series.
Newsweek has contacted Chris Mansa’s representatives for further comment.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC
