NBC is bringing together the Voltron of public service shows on their One Chicago franchise – Med, Fire, and P.D. – for a TV crossover event early next year. Dick Wolf’s company produces the franchise, and this event marks the first time three Wolf-made series have crossed over since 2019. Anastasia Puglisi, executive vice president of Wolf Entertainment and co-executive producer of all three series told Varitey:
“Putting together what is essentially a three-hour action movie is an incredibly ambitious task requiring complete coordination across our writers, casts, crews and producers, along with help from the city of Chicago. We’re thrilled to have the best talent in every department to meet this challenge, reinforce the #OneChicago brand and provide our fans with a unique and compelling viewing experience.”
And what an experience it will be. Thanks to this country’s crumbling infrastructure, the harrowing events on the One Chicago franchise seem less and less far-fetched. It would seem art imitates life. The crossover logline reads: “When a gas explosion rocks a high-rise, Chicago’s first responders come out in force to rescue hundreds of civilians. It’s the calamity beneath the surface, however, that sends our heroes on a race to save 40 people trapped deep underground, including two of their own.”
Worlds Collide in the ‘Chigaco’ Universe
Television crossovers are a time-tested way to pull in viewers, as fans love the synergy of two familiar worlds coming together. And now that there are cinematic universes around IP, it’s easier than ever for TV and movie properties to intermingle. There is something about seeing the disparate characters and stories intermingle that scratches an itch in our lizard brains that makes compelling TV. It’s two great tastes that taste great together. The narrative equivalent of an explosion at the cereal factory that brings chocolate and peanut butter together – hey, maybe that will be a plot in a future episode in the world of One Chicago.
Chicago Fire, Med and P.D. are incredibly successful, each having at least 10 seasons and Fire having 13 seasons, as the original and longest running. Chicago Fire started in 2012 – Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow had nothing to do with this one – and Med premiered in 2015 after P.D. in 2013. Wolf’s company also spun off a series called Chicago Justice, but due to comparisons to Law and Order (the brightest jewel in the Wolf Entertainment crown), the show was canceled after just one season.
The three-part event will air on Jan. 29 beginning at 8 p.m., starting with Chicago Fire, followed by Chicago Med at 9 p.m. and P.D. at 10pm.
