CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Fans of the NBC drama “Chicago Fire” may recognize a familiar face during Tuesday night’s episode.
Clarksburg native Emily Shaffer will be making her first of potentially many appearances in the world of Chicago EMS partially created by executive producer Dick Wolf, of “Law and Order” fame.
“I was really lucky to get a fun part,” she said on Tuesday’s edition of the “Mike Queen Show” heard on the affiliated AJR News Network. “My character is Diane Claman. She’s a doctor and, not to give anything away, but I have a little hand in saving the day.”
Episode 19 of the third season, “I Am the Apocalypse,” finds the crew from the Chicago FD making a trip to nearby Chicago Med when a chemical leak affects residents of the Windy City.
Besides moving the plot along toward the end of the season, Shaffer said the episode could ultimately prove to be the backdoor pilot of a spin-off series and a reoccurring role.
“That is their goal, to introduce this world and this group of characters and perhaps have something in the fall that would look like Chicago Med and not just Chicago Fire.”
While she said nothing is for certain, the success of Chicago Fire and and the show’s first spin-off “Chicago PD” give her hope.
Shaffer’s acting took her to New York to pursue it full-time, but began at Robert C. Byrd High in 2004, where she was involved with theater enthusiasts.
“We had a pretty small group there that was interested in theater but, oddly enough, I have a friend up here that I met in theater group at RCB,” she said. “We had a nice little program there that I could get a taste.”
Shaffer later graduated from WVU with a degree in theater and then moved to the Big Apple in 2008.
The role of Dr. Claman is not Shaffer’s first television gig. She also appeared on “Unforgettable,” “Covert Affairs,” and “How to Make It in America,” but none quite presented the same potential.
“It’s been a long, long work in progress,” Shaffer said. “You’ve got to take the tiny celebrations when you can, but this is a pretty good one for me so I’m excited.”
Tonight’s episode of “Chicago Fire” airs at 10 p.m. on NBC.