After more than a five-year crossover drought, the three One Chicago shows — Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med — will unite once again during the 2024–2025 TV season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for all three series.
The One Chicago universe debuted with Chicago Fire in 2012, and following its instant success, NBC quickly put together a franchise. Since the premiere of Chicago PD (and later the debut of Chicago Med), the three shows have crossed over on multiple occasions, whether it’s for a big event or a quick cameo.
According to TVLine, the creative minds behind the One Chicago franchise are developing a one-night, three-episode crossover event involving Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD. A date has not been announced as of the writing of this article, but a plotline has. The story for the first One Chicago crossover in five years will begin with an office building explosion that sends the entire city into chaos. The firefighters, police officers, doctors, and other first responders will have to come together to save lives and discover who’s responsible.
With more than 680 episodes and 26 seasons under its belt, the One Chicago franchise is undoubtedly one of the most successful ones on network TV. So, it makes sense why NBC would want to take full advantage of its power and release crossovers. However, following “Infection” in October 2019, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med haven’t had a three-part crossover event. There are many reasons for this five-year hiatus, but most of them circle back to the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 shut down almost all film and TV productions in the spring of 2020. When they were able to come back, most casts and crews had to follow certain protocols to ensure everyone’s safety. Unfortunately, these restrictions meant that a three-part crossover between Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med wasn’t logical. So, bringing the three shows together was pushed to the back-burner. The One Chicago characters from different TV shows couldn’t interact, and every series did its own thing for a while. Plus, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 further delayed any potential plans for crossovers.
