Chicago Fire’s premiere season aired in October 2012 and started NBC’s hit One Chicago franchise. Following its success came Chicago P.D. — which is heading into its tenth season — and Chicago Med. The triad of programs showcase the exploits and drama of Chicago’s first responders, with Chicago Fire focusing on the firefighters and paramedics working at Firehouse 51. Between the three of them, they’re now NBC’s most popular shows.
Gearing up for its 11th season, Chicago Fire has had its share of good, bad and moderate years. As audiences anticipate the newest cycle of the procedural drama, they may wonder how each season stacks up against one another. Here’s how each season ranks on IMDb from worst to best and why some of them flopped while others shone.
10. Season 9 – Average Score: 79
Season 9 was the first to come out of a 2020 renewal that extended Chicago Fire to 11 seasons. The series experienced a drop in quality that wasn’t within its creators’ control. Chicago Fire attempted to forge through filming amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virus became a massive hurdle to overcome. Deadline Hollywood reported that just a month after filming started, it screeched to a halt due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests. This season had the lowest number of episodes in the show’s history as well as the worst audience score.
9. Season 10 – Average Score: 80
How could a season that ended in the whirlwind wedding between Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd be one of the worst? It’s because after five episodes, the series lost fan-favorite character Matt Casey when Jesse Spencer left the show, though he came back for the season finale. Casey’s replacement Jason Pelham (played by Brett Dalton) didn’t last long. After a mere seven-episode run, Pelham also departed Firehouse 51 and the season took on a temporary feeling. The narrative suggested that Pelham left so Kidd can take his place, making his arrival seem pointless and disappointing — like many of Season 10’s episodes.
8. Season 1 – Average Score: 81
First doesn’t always mean best — but that’s not because Season 1 was low quality. Instead, it merely did what a premiere season should do: introduce the characters, establish relationships and create a foundation for upcoming seasons to build from. Viewers were introduced to the animosity between former friends Severide and Casey, as well as the romantic tension between Casey and Gabriela Dawson. This season also set the stage for the One Chicago franchise, which other procedural dramas have struggled to match. Season 1 completed its mission effortlessly, but the trade-off for doing its job so well was that it wasn’t as memorable as the years after it.
6. Season 3 – Average Score: 82.2
The third season of Chicago Fire started with a great loss when Lauren German left the series following the death of her character Leslie Shay. Season 3 would go on to have too many plot lines, making it hard to follow. Severide went on a grief-stricken bender and ended up marrying a woman in Vegas while Casey navigated his new relationship with Dawson. The season also featured a crossover episode with a story audiences couldn’t finish unless they watched two other television programs (which would become the norm). The melodrama of Season 3 diminishes the impact of the finale, making it forgettable and among the worst seasons of Chicago Fire.
7. Season 8 – Average Score: 82.3
The Season 8 premiere included the death of another fan-favorite character: Brian “Otis” Zvonecek (Yuri Sardarov). Otis died in the hospital after sustaining injuries while heroically saving his friends during a mattress factory fire. But the season failed to continue the momentum created by his loss. Instead, audiences were catapulted into stories like Casey accompanying his ex-wife to a charity event, other firefighters gaining an annoying roommate and Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) going on a fad diet with Stella. Season 8 of Chicago Fire held back story-wise and it showed.
5. Season 6 – Average Score: 82.5
Season 6 couldn’t live up to its predecessor but didn’t flop as hard as some of its successors. This middling season featured a touch-and-go relationship between Severide and Stella but ended in them finally uniting as a couple. Overall, the season laid off the action and excitement in favor of personal drama this season — including surprise visits from Severide’s parents, Casey and Dawson finding out they couldn’t conceive and Dawson moving to Puerto Rico. There was still plenty of action, but it was mellow compared to other years. Without an exciting cliffhanger in the season finale, Season 6 petered out by the end.
4. Season 4 – Average Score: 82.9
Season 4 started with Casey having to escape from his kidnappers. Though the show had already developed a reputation for killing characters, this season focused on him balancing personal drama and professional duties after he returns to find out Dawson is pregnant with his child. She miscarried and the couple navigated their grief as they continued working together at the fire station. The loss inspired Dawson to foster a boy they rescued from an apartment fire — even if it drove a wedge between herself and Casey. Though not the most memorable cycle, it hit emotional beats that were more memorable than the personal storylines of other seasons.
3. Season 7 – Average Score: 83
Season 7 had all the excitement that its predecessor lacked. It began with the reliable “new boss” trope to stir up trouble at Firehouse 51. The decision to bring in Assistant Deputy Commissioner Gorsch (Steven Boyer) helped change the cast dynamic, creating new tension and keeping the show fresh. As a new villain to take down, Gorsch inadvertently strengthened the bonds within Firehouse 51 — which proved helpful throughout major plot developments like the death of Severide’s father and Casey suffering from PTSD after a close call with a gunman. Season 7 freshened up Chicago Fire while delivering emotional and exciting storylines in every episode.
2. Season 2 – Average Score: 84
With a well-established foundation thanks to Season 1, Season 2 of Chicago Fire was among the best. This season kicked off with an arsonist who targets Severide and other firefighters. The arsonist ended up being a firefighter himself, further increasing the drama. As Severide and other characters put their lives on the line chasing this deadly maniac, Season 2 did not pull any punches. Dramatic tension came from all directions as Shay battled with grief and contemplated suicide, while Firehouse 51 was threatened with closure. Season 2 understood how far it could push the stakes and played right up to the line but not past it — creating the perfect balance of adventure and drama.
1. Season 5 – Average Score: 85
Chicago Fire’s fifth season gave audiences a bit of everything without overloading them with melodrama. Casey’s storyline was more of a political drama as a corrupt politician schemed to ruin his career and budding family. Severide promised his bone marrow to a dying cancer patient and entered into a whirlwind romance with her. Despite the transplant, her condition returned and she died with him at her side. All the while, the team at Firehouse 51 took on an arson/murder, a massive warehouse fire and even a hostage situation. Chicago Fire is at its best when it combines action, romance and character development and Season 5 did that better than any other.
