Dick Wolf’s “One Chicago” franchise is one of the true juggernauts of today’s television. Spread across four different shows, it details the efforts of professionals who keep Chicago safe in a variety of ways. Because they all work toward the same goal, the shows share a great deal of DNA — sometimes literally, as characters are often related or closely connected. This means that the franchise benefits from the kind of synergy you rarely see in television. Characters can migrate from one show to another, guest star as needed and even indulge in regular crossover events during particularly major incidents. Combined with the franchise’s heavy focus on complicated personal lives, it’s no surprise the NBC universe has remained so successful.
Because “One Chicago” shows are so profoundly connected, it can be hard to separate them from each other. Still, each of the four shows have their own clearly established identity, which is enough for the viewers to pick a favorite should they so desire. But which “One Chicago” show stands above the rest? Let’s rank them all to find out.
4. Chicago Justice (2017)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the last place isn’t even a contest. The franchise’s brief foray into legal drama never really took off, and quality-wise, the show is easily the least interesting of the four “One Chicago” series.
On paper, “Chicago Justice” could have worked just fine. Thanks to the franchise’s famous synergy and constant cross-pollination between the shows, it could have become a hub for courtroom visits whenever characters from the more action oriented “One Chicago” series have to testify or are accused of something. Its co-existence with “Chicago P.D.” alone could have given the franchise its own spin on the “Law & Order” theme. The intent was certainly there with “Chicago P.D.” veteran Jon Seda’s Antonio Dawson as one of the “Justice” main characters.
Ultimately, there’s a reason all seasoned “One Chicago” shows focus on first responders. That theme has always been the franchise’s ultimate strength, and while “Chicago Justice” certainly had an element of that thanks to its investigator team, its comparatively conventional and “Law & Order”-like approach put it on the chopping block when NBC decided that four “One Chicago” shows was one too many. As a result, the ambitious but misguided experiment lasted just one season and 13 episodes, making it the shortest-lived entry in the franchise.
3. Chicago Med (2015-present)
While “Chicago Justice” is by no means as bad as its short shelf life suggests, from this point on, we’re standing firmly in the excellent serial drama territory. “Chicago Med” is organically connected to the paramedic side of its parent series, “Chicago Fire” — all it does is change the central location from Firehouse 51 to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and shift its focus entirely toward medical drama.
It’s a good shift, too. “Chicago Med” stands proudly among the best medical dramas on TV today, delivering formulaic but reliable nail-biter plots on a regular basis. Gaffney’s emergency center is one of the more compelling locations in the genre, and the many disastrous events that happen in the “One Chicago” version of the Windy City provide the show with endless material for impactful standalone plots and crossovers with other shows.
The series’ main weakness lies in its romantic storylines, which are a major component of every “One Chicago” program. While the show has just as much love in the air as its sibling series, many “Chicago Med” relationships tend to be on the lower end of the interest spectrum when “One Chicago” couples are ranked from best to worst. This slight blemish is enough to prevent the medical drama from landing any higher on the list.
2. Chicago P.D. (2014-present)
One of NBC’s best 10 p.m. shows ever, “Chicago P.D.” helped launch the “One Chicago” universe and remains one of its most consistent entries. Jason Beghe’s Hank Voight starts out as a straight-up “Chicago Fire” villain, but his clash with Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) doesn’t mark the end of the character. Instead, Voight becomes the lead of his own series, which reveals far more depth to the character and ultimately reframes him as a protagonist.
It’s an interesting starting point for a spin-off, and “Chicago P.D.” fills Voight’s 21st District Intelligence Unit with compelling characters who are more than a match for the “Chicago Fire” cast. The series explores morally gray policing in a way that feels distinct from its sister shows. The chemistry between the likes of Patrick John Flueger’s Ruzek and Marina Squerciati’s Burgess means that the show’s all-important romance game is on point, too.
1. Chicago Fire (2012-present)
Premiering in 2012 and still going strong, “Chicago Fire” remains the strongest firefighter drama on television and the foundation of the “One Chicago” franchise. It’s the show that started it all, blending vivid depictions of Chicago that make the city feel like a character with high-stakes emergencies, workplace tensions, romantic subplots, and shocking character deaths and exits. “Chicago Fire” serves as the blueprint for the entire franchise.
Firehouse 51 is an effective focal point for a procedural drama, full of details that make it stand out in a sea of generic offices and police stations. The combination of hands-on firefighters and ambulance staff is captivating, both during missions and in the characters’ personal lives. The show’s writing is tight and proves time and time again that the dangers these first responders face are diverse and threaten life and limb on a daily basis. The series also explores city bureaucracy, which can prove just as challenging as a roaring house fire — if not more so. The fact that Chicago Fire remains on the air with no signs of slowing down speaks to its enduring appeal.
