We’re just over a week out from another epic crossover, so what better time to decide which One Chicago show you couldn’t live without?
You guys, we are throwing down the gauntlets here as Jack Ori fights on behalf of Chicago Med, I fight for Chicago Fire, and Jasmine Blu throws it all down in support of Chicago PD.
Yes, we are really going to ask the ultimate question!
Of course, this is all in fun.
We love everything about the Chicago franchise, but if you’re anything like us, you also have a favorite. So, which is it?
Check out our arguments and then cast your vote!
Why Nothing Beats Chicago Med
I’m not surprised that Chicago Med has overtaken PD this season and is close to catching Fire! The medical drama has always been strong, but it’s that invisible youngest sibling that everyone always forgets about.
Med is like a combination of all the best things about the other medical dramas out there. Including Dr. Charles in the ED was a brilliant choice, as it allowed Med to do what almost no one else does and depict mental health issues as just as important as physical health ones.
Dr. Charles has had some very interesting cases over the years, and while this medical drama is not on the same level as Brilliant Minds (but let’s face it, nothing is!), you can tell the writers have done their research.
My clinical social work training goes to good use diagnosing characters before he does.
Similarly, Med has Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram), who has transformed herself from being in active addiction to the most dedicated OBGYN you could EVER have.
I also love her relationship with Archer. It’s not often that platonic love relationships are elevated to close to the same status as romantic relationships, and as a mostly asexual person, I really appreciate that.
Finally, Med dives into medical ethics, especially ethics around cutting-edge technology.
The season-long arc about the use of AI in medicine in Chicago Med Season 8 was brilliant, and I appreciated the recent episode in which a man was getting medical advice from an AI app that he considered a friend.
There are also plenty of non-technological ethical quandaries to dive into here. Will Halstead was a walking ethical dilemma, and Steven Weber’s Dean Archer gives him a run for his money in that department.
Sure, Med has had some soap opera-like plots that I could have done without (like that whole Will working undercover with Jay to expose some Mafia guy who needed medical treatment), but for the most part, the relationships are strong, and the medical angles are fascinating.
I’m glad it’s finally getting the recognition it’s due.
Why Chicago Fire Is the Best of the One Chicago Universe (And You Know It)
Let’s not even act like there’s a contest here: Chicago Fire is the OG, the show that built the One Chicago universe brick by brick — or, you know, blaze by blaze.
Without it, there’d be no Voight growling in interrogation rooms or Dr. Charles psychoanalyzing half of Chicago. The whole franchise starts and ends with Firehouse 51, the home of real-life superheroes.
Since 2012, Chicago Fire has been bringing the heat, literally and figuratively. It’s the kind of show that reminds you why first responders are American heroes, running headfirst into burning buildings and pulling off daring rescues.
And let’s not forget, they’ve handled everything from gas explosions to high-rise infernos while somehow making it all look effortless.
But here’s what really makes it special: Chicago Fire doesn’t rely on the same cast forever to stay good. The lineup has changed as often as the coffee supply, but the show keeps thriving.
Back in Chicago Fire Season 1, Chief Boden was the backbone of the team, with Casey, Severide, and Shay leading the charge.
Shay’s death in Season 3 was devastating — admit it, you cried. And while it took a minute to warm up to her replacement, Sylvie Brett eventually became a fan favorite.
Of course, Chicago Fire being Chicago Fire, it couldn’t stop there.
Sylvie moved out of Chicago to start a new life with Casey, leaving us all a little heartbroken. But hey, if you’re going to leave the firehouse, running off with a firefighter-turned-lumberjack isn’t the worst way to go. And yet, even without them, the show still works.
Severide is out there doing what he does best — saving lives and breaking hearts — while his wife Stella Kidd keeps the firehouse grounded. Even Chief Boden has passed the torch to Dom Pascal, proving that no matter who’s in charge, the team at Firehouse 51 is unstoppable.
And let’s give credit where it’s due: this show wouldn’t be the same without the rock-solid supporting cast.
Mouch, Herrmann, and Cruz are the unsung heroes who bring heart and humor to every episode. They’re the glue holding the firehouse — and sometimes the audience’s emotions — together.
No disrespect to Chicago PD or Chicago Med, but Chicago Fire is the foundation of the One Chicago universe.
It’s the show that captures the heroism, camaraderie, and sheer adrenaline that keeps us coming back week after week. Without it, there’s no universe to speak of.
So yeah, we’ll always stand with Chicago Fire. Who else is going to save Chicago, one fire at a time?
Why Real One Chicago Fans Put Respect on Chicago PD’s Name
The middle child never gets respect. That’s why they have to take it, which is exactly why Chicago PD is taking this.
PD may not have been around as long as Chicago Fire, and it doesn’t have the comforting feel of Chicago Med, but PD is a rebel with a cause, and everyone loves the “bad boy.”
Chicago PD is who both Med and Fire turn to whenever they need something, so who is really the best and most important series of the franchise?
You can’t talk about the One Chicago franchise without acknowledging that Chicago PD stays the truest to honoring the great city. Intelligence spends more time in the streets of Chicago, battling the elements and spanning multiple neighborhoods, than in the bullpen piecing together cases.
From Pilsen to Canaryville to Southside, Chicago PD pays homage to Chicago in all its grit and glory.
It’s the most immersive series of the franchise, made better with Chicago PD’s slick filming, cinematography, and fantastically crafted action sequences that keep you on the edge of your seat.
That’s more that can be said about Chicago Med exclusively remaining within the walls of Gaffney or Chicago Fire splitting most of their time between firehouse shenanigans and hanging out at a bar. Just saying.
What makes Chicago PD so great is that the most complex characters within the series aren’t just the antagonists of the week.
Hank Voight is that dude, so much so that he started as a villain in Chicago Fire, and he was so damn great to watch they just went ahead and gave him his own series. Best decision in the universe.
Dr. Charles is nice, and Chief Boden was such a dad, but where’s the fun when you can have that slightly unhinged uncle that you can call when things get real? That’s Hank Voight for you.
We spent at least the first two seasons of Chicago PD trying to figure out if he actually was a good guy on his own series. Let’s be honest, isn’t that more interesting to watch?
Chicago PD brought all the grittiness, moral ambiguity, and delicious dark gray area to the One Chicago universe. Voight’s catchphrase is literally, “Tell me the truth so I can lie for you.” It doesn’t get any grayer than that!
The series showcases a badass unit that did whatever it took to make the streets of Chicago a better place. Sometimes, that meant slapping a perp around or tossing them in the cage, but the ends justify the means.
Sure, the approach shifted somewhere around Season 8 with a focus on police reform and toning down on those pesky civil rights violations, but that didn’t stop the series from still taking risks, and it never lost its edge.
Voight and Hailey were always there to push boundaries to the absolute limit, and Burgess, Atwater, Torres, and Cook brought new perspectives that put policing under a necessary scope.
With Chicago PD, the stakes are always high. The series premiere literally killed a main character, and it hasn’t shied away from delivering some of the most devastating deaths and blows.
Shay and Otis’ deaths were tragic, for sure, but let’s not act like Olinksy, Justin, and Nadia weren’t DEVASTATING.
But the best thing about Chicago PD is that deaths are avenged. And even when characters exit the series, their impact still lingers, which is more than can be said about the revolving door shenanigans of both Med and Fire.
When was the last time anyone mentioned Dr. Connor Rhodes? Peter Mills? Yeah, we thought so.
Chicago PD has a smaller cast, which means we actually get to spend more time with the characters and follow their stories better all the way through.
Our characters are so great they even float to other franchises on other networks. Ahem, Hailey Upton on FBI, need we say more? And our character actors are even saving other franchises (shoutout to Jesse Lee Soffer on FBI: International).
Speaking of crossovers, nothing topped Olivia Benson and Hank Voight in the same room, as Intelligence and SVU joined forces back in Chicago PD Season 2 for an ICONIC crossover. You know, when Chicago PD isn’t carrying the One Chicago crossovers, that is.
Chicago PD is all about the characters. Whether you loved the old era of Lindsay, Olinksy, and Dawson, the ‘ship era of Upstead, or Chicago PD Season 12’s strongest season in years, with Voight and OG’s Atwater and iconic ship Burzek solving crime with newbies Torres and Cook.
There isn’t an era of Chicago PD where the characters aren’t utterly badass.
But then you have to be when you’re making the biggest drug busts in the city’s history, hunting down Criminal Minds-level serial killers, or putting down, ahem, we mean taking down violent rapists and kidnappers. It’s all in a day’s work for Chicago PD, so put some respect on it!
And there you have it. So, where do you stand?
It’s time for the ultimate show of faith, loyalty, and fandom! Cast your vote for the best One Chicago show below. And no, you don’t get a fallback of all three! 🤣