Find out in which order you should watch the ‘Chicago’ shows to understand the storylines
It’s almost time to enter back into the One Chicago universe, the place where all of your favorite shows are: Chicago P.D., Chicago Med and Chicago Fire. Wednesday’s are the nights to fully immerse yourself in these series, which air back-to-back from 8PM to 11PM. Find out when the Chicago shows are returning, what you can expect from each episode and how to watch the shows in the correct order.
When does One Chicago return?
You won’t have to wait much longer to see your favorite Chicago-based shows on NBC because they are returning sooner than you might expect.
On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, NBC will be resuming the shows for a full night of One Chicago. Chicago Med will air first at 8/7c, followed by Chicago Fire at 9/8c and finally Chicago P.D. at 10/9c.
What is the plot of each new episode?
Chicago Med ended with a major cliffhanger during the midseason finale on November 12, after Dr. Lenox (Sarah Ramos) was attacked by a patient and a major power outage occurred at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. The plot of the upcoming episode, titled “Triple Threat,” reads: “The doctors deal with the professional and personal fallout from the choices made during a city-wide power outage.”
Chicago Fire left Kelly (Taylor Kinney) stuck inside of a burning building while Firehouse 51 was falling apart (metaphorically). The returning episode on January 7th, titled “A Man Possessed,” will bring fans right back into that disaster.
As for Chicago P.D., the upcoming episode, “Born Screaming,” will follow “Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and the team as they attempt to solve the Raymond Bell case once and for all, while fans will finally know the fate of Eva Imani (Ari Mandi), who found herself in a harrowing situation as the November midseason finale “Impulse Control” faded to black.”
If you want a refresher on what happened in the most recent episodes, catch up on the midseason finales on Peacock!
How the shows are connected
The Chicago universe first began over 12 years ago with the introduction of Chicago Fire in 2012, followed by Chicago P.D. in 2014 and Chicago Med in 2015. If you’re looking to watch the shows in order, find out how each series was introduced.
Chicago Fire follows the firefighters and paramedics at Firehouse 51. Although Chicago P.D. didn’t begin for another two years, the show was introduced through a backdoor pilot in Chicago Fire’s Season 1 episode 23, “Let Her Go.” This pilot brought in key characters that would later appear in Chicago P.D., including Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) and Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda). The new series followed the Chicago police department’s Intelligence Unit.
Similarly, Chicago Med was introduced in a backdoor pilot of Chicago Fire. In season 3, episode 19, titled “I Am the Apocalypse,” the Firehouse 51 team was trapped in the hospital during a quarantine. This episode introduced key characters from Chicago Med, including Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt), and Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss).
Be sure to tune in to One Chicago Wednesdays and catch up with your favorite characters on January 7, 2026 on NBC or Peacock!
