The One Chicago shows – Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med – ended without any crossovers, even though they had the perfect opening for one.
Chicago Fire and Chicago PD had similar storylines in their season finales in May 2023, but they didn’t jump on the opportunity to have a crossover. Matt Casey returned in the Chicago Fire season 11 finale when Stella Kidd got a new lead on the domestic terrorism case they were working on together. Elsewhere, in the Chicago PD season 10 finale, Adam Ruzek and the rest of the Intelligence Unit worked together to stop a white supremacist’s nefarious plans.
Chicago Fire premiered in 2012, and NBC, knowing they had something special in their lineup, expanded the universe with Chicago PD in 2014 (and then with Chicago Med in 2015). Over the years since, the network has produced multiple crossovers between the three shows, which have been dubbed the One Chicago franchise. Unfortunately, there have been very few crossovers in recent seasons, even though the finales of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD could have easily been tied together.
Adam’s Undercover Story & Chicago Fire’s Power Grid Storyline Fit Together
Ruzek’s undercover operation came to a head in Chicago PD season 10, episode 22, when Richard Beck’s plans were put into motion. Ruzek had been trying to gain the trust of the white supremacist for months, but he went into panic mode when Beck moved up his plans (that involved domestic terrorism). Meanwhile, Chicago Fire season 11, episode 22, featured Firehouse 51 tracking down (presumably) a different domestic terrorist group.
NBC had the perfect opportunity to link these two stories together — the odds of two terrorist groups targeting Chicago around the same time are slim to none. Unfortunately, the network didn’t jump on the potential crossover laid out right in front of them, and each show reached its own conclusions regarding its separate domestic terrorism stories. The Intelligence Unit killed Beck (after his grandson shot Ruzek) in the Chicago PD season 10 finale. Firehouse 51 neutralized the threat at a power grid (even though one suspect got away after shooting Mouch) in the Chicago Fire season 11 finale. So not only did the NBC shows feature similar storylines, but they also both have main characters whose lives are hanging in the balance as fans await new episodes.
One Chicago Hasn’t Had A Crossover Since 2020
It has been quite some time since One Chicago has had a crossover — the last one was between Chicago Fire and Chicago PD in February 2020. In the two-part event, Sean Roman returned to Chicago to search for his missing sister, Sarah, who was connected to a counterfeit Oxy operation. The Intelligence Unit and Firehouse 51 worked together to track down the drug dealers and find Roman’s sister. Unfortunately, Sarah’s drug dealer boyfriend Logan murdered her, and Roman got revenge by killing Logan. However, Hank Voight looked the other way and let Roman walk free, and since then, there have been no One Chicago crossovers.
Of course, COVID-19 made crossovers more difficult, given all the moving parts and people involved. Safety protocols were put in place to limit exposure, so it’s understandable why there has been a One Chicago crossover drought in the past few years. However, with COVID-19 levels dropping, it’s time for the Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med characters to interact once again.
The 2023-2024 Season Needs To Bring Back One Chicago Crossovers
NBC renewed all the One Chicago shows for the 2023-2024 television season, so there are still plenty of opportunities for the series to link up once again. As of the writing of this article, the network’s fall schedule contains Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med on Wednesday nights, but that is subject to change given the writers’ strike. However, whenever the time comes for the three shows to premiere, the writers should plan for a crossover. Whether it’s between all three series or only two of them, viewers will take what they can get.
NBC created the One Chicago universe for a reason, and it’s so that they can produce big events and interweave stories between all three shows. The network and the producers need to jump on as many opportunities as they can. Unfortunately, they missed a huge one with the 2023 finales of Chicago PD and Chicago Fire.
