TheOne Chicagocrossover tradition returned in early 2025, and while it was exciting,the three-episode event left much to be desired, meaning the next one must learn from its mistakes.NBC’s popular franchise (which consists ofChicago Fire,Chicago PD, andChicago Med) has produced four crossovers over the years. The fourth one arrived more than five years after the last, as the shows were limited by what they could do after the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, though,One Chicagois back and better than ever. But it still needs to do better with its next crossover, whenever that happens.
The threeOne ChicagoTV shows will resume their normal release schedule on Wednesdays in the fall of 2025, withChicago Medseason 11 at 8 pm ET,Chicago Fireseason 14 at 9 pm ET, andChicago PDat 10 pm ET on NBC (perTV Insider).
2025’sOne Chicagocrossoverfeatured the three TV series teaming up when a gas explosion rocked the city. Amongst the chaos, two of their own —Chicago Fire’s Stella Kidd andChicago PD’s Adam Ruzek — got trapped underground, leaving the other characters desperate to find them and who caused the explosion. By the time “In the Trenches” came to an end, everyone was alive. Everything went back to the way it started, andeachOne Chicagoshow returned to business as usual following the events of the crossover.Consequently, the big event felt too safe.
No One Important Died During One Chicago’s 2025 Crossover
Trudy Is The Only Character Who Came Close To Dying
EveryOne Chicagocharactersurvived the 2025 crossover. The only one who came close to dying wasChicago PD’s Trudy Platt, who got shot in the back by the perpetrators and had to be rushed to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center for emergency surgery. Dr. Caitlin Lenox and Dr. Mitch Ripley saved Trudy’s life, though. While one might look at Trudy’s (and every other character’s) survival as a good thing,it was highly predictable.
“In the Trenches” also featured Kidd and Ruzek in “danger,“but the three episodes did little to convince viewers that there was a chance either character would die. Yes, Kidd and Ruzek’s lives were at risk. They were trapped underground and losing a lot of air, after all. It also didn’t help that Kidd and Ruzek were unknowingly stuck with one of the culprits behind the gas explosion. But we never doubted that they would survivetheOne Chicagocrossover.
The One Chicago Franchise Must Raise The Stakes In Its Next Crossover With A Major Character Death
Who Should Die?
One of the points of a crossover is for the franchise to raise the stakes higher than any of the individual shows typically do. However,the 2025One Chicagothree-episode event did little to escalate tension.It didn’t leave viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering who would die and who would live. Instead, “In the Trenches” was a relatively safe crossover with little stakes. The one way thatChicago Fire,Chicago PD, andChicago Medcan rectify this mistake is to kill off a major character during their next collaboration.
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Most of the time, TV show characters dying feels senseless and quite frustrating for viewers. However, things are different withOne Chicago.The first responders risk their lives almost every day,and the odds are that some of them will die (and many already have). So, iftheOne Chicagouniversewants to raise the stakes in its next crossover and reel more people in, it must kill off a main character.
Why One Chicago Needs A New Crossover In 2025-2026
The Franchise Needs To Redeem Itself
NBC hasn’t announced that theOne ChicagoTV showswill team up for another crossover during the 2025–2026 season. Still, it would be wise for the producers to work together again. The NBC franchise is known for its crossovers — they’re part of what makes it so special. Seeing characters from all three series interact is thrilling, but what makes it more exciting are the circumstances that bring them together. While the 2025One Chicagocrossover was a bit of a dud, the writers can devise a new emergency that ups the ante and redeems the franchise after “In the Trenches.”
