Monday, March 2, 2020

One Chicago: a franchise featuring the great city of Chicago


Some of my new favorite shows are the collective known as One Chicago. It consists of Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and Chicago Med. Created by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas and produced by Dick Wolfe (Law and Order franchise), the shows follow the men and women who serve and protect the citizens of Chicago as well as the medical staff that treats them in emergency situations. The shows air Wednesday night on NBC starting at 8 pm with Chicago Med, followed by Chicago Fire at 9pm and Chicago PD at 10. Although the lineup changes as needed for the franchises crossover episodes. It was recently announced that each show has been renewed for three more seasons. Past episodes are available on streaming services such as Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. They will also be available on NBC’s Peacock streaming service which is set to launch on July 15, 2020.


Chicago Fire premiered October 10, 2012 and is currently in its eighth season. Of the three shows, Chicago Fire is my favorite. It is the stories and lives of the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51. Firehouse 51 is the home of Truck Company 81, Engine Company 51, Rescue Squad 2, Ambulance 61 and Battalion 25. Starring Jesse Spencer as Captain Matt Casey of Truck Company 81. Most might remember him as Dr. Robert Chase from House M.D. (2004-2012). He is usually aloof and introverted, but he is fiercely loyal and protective of the firefighters in this command and in return receives their loyalty and respect. Taylor Kinney plays the handsome and ladies’ man Lieutenant Kelly Severide of Rescue Squad 3. Charismatic, a bit of a maverick, Severide was raised and groomed to climb the ladder within department. And despite the best efforts of some, he is perfectly happy and content with his boots on the ground on calls. There are so many great characters and interactions between them that it looks and feels like it could be a real firehouse. I like the realistic feel (although I’m sure there is a poetic license taken) to the fires and rescues. The impact of the job on the men and woman who risk their lives. I have cried more at Chicago Fire than any other show. Even rewatching episodes years later, I still cry at the emotional impact of the story, despite knowing that the characters service or don’t, it is still a very emotionally impactful.


Chicago P.D. is the first show in the franchise that I was introduced to after it began syndication on the Oxygen, USA and MyNetwork TV (channel 13) channels. Premiering on January 8, 2014 and currently in its seventh season, it follows the elite Intelligence Unit of the Chicago P.D. Lead by Detective Sergeant Hank Voight (played by Jason Beghe), a tough, take-no-prisoners approach to police work and its afraid to bend or even break the law to solve crimes. A few of my favorite characters include Officer Adam Ruzek (played by Patrick John Flueger) who at the beginning of the show as a bit of a whiny show-off but has truly matured into a seasoned officer. Another favorite of mine is Officer Kevin Atwater (played by LaRoyce Hawkins), a loyal brother and friend who is constantly trying to find the balance between being a black man and a brother in blue. Chicago P.D. is one show that has had a revolving door of actors leaving the show. Beginning with Sophia Bush, who played Detective Erin Lindsay and one of the original cast members, left the show after four seasons. Despite the cast changes, the show remains a high octane of drama, suspense and a race against time with a bit of ambiguity. Does the case truly get solved with the bad guy in cuffs or is someone taking the fall? The stories of Chicago P.D. don’t always have the same emotional impact that Chicago Fire does but the stories are impactful and keep you hooked.


Chicago Med is the newest show in the One Chicago franchise and my least favorite. Premiering on November 17, 2015 and currently in its fifth season, it follows the doctors and nurses of the Emergency Department (ED) of the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. One of my favorite characters is Dr Daniel Charles (played by Oliver Platt), the chief of psychiatry and is often called on to consult on difficult cases. Another favorite character of mine is Sharon Goodwin (played by S Epatha Merkerson, many know her as Lt. Anita Van Buren of Law and Order), the Chief of Patient and Medical Services. She is often called on the make decisions on the legality of treatments, especially against patient wishes, and the allocation of the hospital resources. I do like that Chicago Med often shows the fine line doctors face when treating a patient. How they do they make a treatment decision when the patient is not responsive or cooperative? Can they face the life or death decision and its consequences? One of the reasons I watch the show is that characters from Chicago Fire and Chicago PD will appear as needed for a story. Sometimes the drama between characters is good and other times, especially now with one current storyline, it’s like enough already! One Chicago is known for its crossover specials which follows one case as the department entities deal with a crisis. One of my favorite crossovers is the Infection (October 16, 2019) crossover.


In conclusion, the shows of One Chicago make for a great night of television. Chicago Fire is by far my favorite for being emotional and impactful. Although the stories and actions of its characters may not be too realistic, it still gives an insight to the firefighters and their jobs. And it’s just different from the many police procedurals and medical shows that are on many different networks. Chicago PD is also a great show that shows the sometimes nitty and gritty of police work when the bad guy sometimes isn’t the right bad guy. Chicago Med is still kind of growing on me; but it still isn’t one I rush to watch on Wednesday night. If you haven’t checked out the One Chicago franchise and you have access to the streaming services, I highly recommend starting with Chicago Fire.

No comments:

Post a Comment