NBC’s One Chicago franchise spans three shows — Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med — and more than a decade of NBC programming. (There was also a fourth show for one season; keep reading.) With hundreds of hours and three different emergency services to deal with, you need a guide to keep up — which is why we’ve created a One Chicago Watch Order to help you answer the call.
(Updated April 2026)
One Chicago Watch Order – Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med in release order
There are over 30 seasons across four One Chicago shows, all connected through crossovers.
- Chicago Fire season 1 (2012-2013)
- Chicago Fire season 2 (2013-2014)
- Chicago P.D. season 1 (2014)
- Chicago Fire season 3 (2014-2015)
- Chicago P.D. season 2 (2014-2015)
- Chicago Fire season 4 (2015-2016)
- Chicago P.D. season 3 (2015-2016)
- Chicago Med season 1 (2015-2016)
- Chicago Fire season 5 (2016-2017)
- Chicago P.D. season 4 (2016-2017)
- Chicago Med season 2 (2016-2017)
- Chicago Justice season 1 (2017)
- Chicago Fire season 6 (2017-2018)
- Chicago P.D. season 5 (2017-2018)
- Chicago Med season 3 (2017-2018)
- Chicago Fire season 7 (2018-2019)
- Chicago P.D. season 6 (2018-2019)
- Chicago Med season 4 (2018-2019)
- Chicago Fire season 8 (2019-2020)
- Chicago P.D. season 7 (2019-2020)
- Chicago Med season 5 (2019-2020)
- Chicago Fire season 9 (2020-2021)
- Chicago P.D. season 8 (2020-2021)
- Chicago Med season 6 (2020-2021)
- Chicago Fire season 10 (2021-2022)
- Chicago P.D. season 9 (2021-2022)
- Chicago Med season 7 (2021-2022)
- Chicago Fire season 11 (2022-2023)
- Chicago P.D. season 10 (2022-2023)
- Chicago Med season 8 (2022-2023)
- Chicago Fire season 12 (2023-2024)
- Chicago P.D. season 11 (2023-2024)
- Chicago Med season 9 (2023-2024)
- Chicago Fire season 13 (2024-2025)
- Chicago P.D. season 12 (2024-2025)
- Chicago Med season 10 (2024-2025)
- Chicago Fire season 14 (2025-2026)
- Chicago P.D. season 13 (2025-2026)
- Chicago Med season 11 (2025-2026)
An important note: the seasons of each of the One Chicago shows run parallel to each other (and occasionally cross over), so it’s not as straight forward as finishing all of Chicago Fire season 14 and then moving on to Chicago P.D. season 13; for full effect, watch an episode of each of the parallel season in rotation for each broadcast year.
Also, you may have noticed 2017’s Chicago Justice on that list; set inside the Illinois State Department’s office, it is the often-forgotten fourth show in the franchise. It only lasted one season.
What order to watch the Chicago series in?
With more than 30 seasons and literally hundreds of episodes, it’s difficult to know where to jump in with the One Chicago franchise. While we usually suggest release order for series like this, we’re going to break script and offer two concrete suggestions:
- If you are committing to the One Chicago franchise as a whole, start with the first season of Chicago Fire and move forward from there.
- If you want to sample things before making a decision, pick your emergency service preference. Each of the One Chicago shows are largely unconnected except for a handful of crossovers, so if you like cop shows, start with Chicago P.D. If you like medical dramas, stick to Chicago Med. Whatever Chicago series order you choose, start with the one you’re most likely to enjoy.
How to watch the Chicago series in chronological order
This is a very difficult thing to describe because it isn’t always clear exactly when things happen in the One Chicago. New episodes air on NBC on Wednesday nights, so it can seem like all these storylines are happening at once. If you really want to watch the Chicago series in chronological order, we suggest watching the first two seasons of Chicago Fire. Then, starting with season three, watching episodes of Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. back-to back. After season three, add episodes of Chicago Med to the rotation. It is a time-consuming process but it is the best way we can suggest.
Is One Chicago free on Peacock or streaming anywhere?
If you want to watch the One Chicago franchise, then Peacock is your best bet. NBCUniversal’s streaming service is currently home to Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med. While some of the episodes are available for free, you will need a paid Peacock membership to stream each of the shows.
As of this writing, Chicago Justice is not on Peacock or any other streaming service. However, the full series can be rented or purchased digitally from a variety of video-on-demand platforms, including Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Amazon Prime Video. Please note that the availability of these shows might change as streaming licenses expire.
One Chicago FAQs
What’s the difference between each of the One Chicago shows?
The titles are pretty self-explanatory, but if you’re curious about the premise of each show, this should clear things up:
Chicago Fire (2012-present) – This show focuses on the Chicago Fire Department. This series launched the One Chicago franchise. Most episodes center around rescue operations while dealing with the personal and professional lives of the firefighters and paramedics.
Chicago P.D. (2014- present) – A police procedural focusing on the Chicago Police Department. At times the cops use legally dubious tactics to get the job done.
Chicago Med (2015-present) – A medical drama set at a Chicago hospital. Like most hospital shows, it follows the doctors and nurses as they deal with patients, administrative issues, and their personal problems.
Chicago Justice (2017) – A series focusing on the Cook County’s State Attorney office. It ended after one season, and it’s currently the only One Chicago show that isn’t available on Peacock.
If you come across Chicago Hope and The Chicago Code, don’t worry about those shows. These are unrelated shows that have no connection to the One Chicago franchise.
Is One Chicago connected to Law & Order?
The One Chicago television shows are produced by Wolf Entertainment, the same production company that is responsible for Dick Wolf’s Law & Order television shows. As a result, the One Chicago shows take place in the same fictional television universe as Law & Order.
Although most of the Law & Order shows take place in New York City, there have still been a few crossovers with the One Chicago franchise. Erin Lindsay from Chicago P.D. appears in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode Comic Perversion. The storyline is then continued in the Chicago P.D. episode Conventions.
There was also a three-way crossover between Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The crossover began with the Chicago Fire episode Nobody Touches Anything, with part two airing as the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode (appropriately titled) Chicago Crossover, and concluding with the Chicago P.D. episode They’ll Have to Go Through Me.
What else has One Chicago crossed over with?
The One Chicago franchise is also connected to FBI, a police procedural produced by Dick Wolf. Detective Hailey Upton from Chicago P.D. appears in the FBI episode Emotional Rescue. This means that One Chicago shares a continuity with the FBI spin-offs FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.
Since One Chicago takes place in the same television universe as the Law & Order franchise, we can reasonably assume that it shares a continuity with the various shows Law & Order has crossed over with. This means that One Chicago takes place in the same universe as Homicide: Life on the Street, New York Undercover, Deadline, and In Plain Sight. While there haven’t been any crossovers with those shows, it’s nice to know that they’re out there somewhere beyond the Chicago city limits.
Where are the One Chicago shows filmed?
While most television productions are filmed in California or Canada, One Chicago keeps things authentic by filming in Chicago, Illinois. That’s right, the show doesn’t use a fake backlot to replicate Chicago. Each of the One Chicago shows uses soundstages at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios and uses the city for outdoor scenes and exterior shots. If you’re a big One Chicago fan, you can tour Cinespace Chicago Film Studios.
If you want to visit more of the franchise’s iconic locations, the fictional Firehouse 51 is actually Engine 18, which is located at 1360 South Blue Island Avenue in Chicago. The police station seen in Chicago P.D. can be found at 943 West Maxwell Street. If it looks familiar to you, that’s because it’s the same police station that was used for Hill Street Blues.
Which Chicago Fire actor is a real firefighter?
Anthony Ferraris, who plays a character with the same name as him on Chicago Fire, is a now-retired firefighter who served as the engineer of rescue squad 2 running out of Firehouse 91 in Avondale, Chicago. A real-life hero turned hero onscreen!