A familiar face is returning to 51. Former Chicago Fire cast member Eamonn Walker will pay a visit to his old stomping grounds in the April 16 episode of the NBC drama. 

Eamonn Walker returns as Boden in the April 16 episode of ‘Chicago Fire’ 

Walker played Wallace Boden on Chicago Fire for 12 seasons before exiting the Dick Wolf series last year. The character decided to step away from his role as deputy district chief and accept a new role as CFD’s deputy fire commissioner. 

Now, Boden is back at Firehouse 51 in “Post-Mortem.” But it’s not exactly a happy reunion with his old colleagues. He’s charged with investigating a disastrous firefight and the surrounding mystery that left one of 51’s own in peril. 

“We’re so excited to have our beloved Chief Boden back,” Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman told NBC Insider, adding that the episode is “a thrill ride unlike any we’ve done before.” 

“Told with flashbacks and unique POVs, Chief Boden leads our team on a search to discover the how, who, and why of a fierce firefight that ended in disaster,” Newman teased. 

Eamonn Walker teases the return of Boden on ‘Chicago Fire’ 

While Walker says that getting back to work on the Chicago Fire set after some time away was “amazing,” the circumstances that bring Boden back to 51 are quite serious.

“Oh, it’s bad,” Walker told TV Insider of his character’s return to his old firehouse. “The only reason a deputy commissioner has turned up at a firehouse is because it’s bad… The chief would normally handle this, but right now, because what’s in question is the choices and decisions you made, every officer is potentially by the end of the night going to be fired.”

“So that’s why the deputy commissioner is there, and the fact that they’re his friends and extended family makes it doubly hard,” he continued. “But you know Boden, he will do his job first. And so part of the thing that is being played out is them wanting that old relationship back and Boden not allowing it to happen because the seriousness of the incident is the thing that must be played out first.” 

Which Chicago Fire regular is in jeopardy in “Post-Mortem”? Walker isn’t spilling any secrets, but he did promise that it’s a must-see episode for fans. 

“I’m not going to tell you who it is … It is a fan favorite, and that’s why this episode works so well,” he said. “That’s why the writing, when the moment they sent it to me and said, “Do you want to come?” I was like, ‘Definitely.’ Because it’s very special.”

Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock. 

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