One Chicago Crossover Review: An Overpromised & Underdelivered Franchise Crossover Fails To Balance Its Storytelling

The 2025 One Chicago crossover is a celebration of NBC's premier dramas, but it is bogged down by imbalanced storytelling made worse by failing to establish the stakes at hand. After six years, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med have gathered once again for Wolf Entertainment's Windy City tradition. The last time Firehouse 51, Gaffney Medical, and Intelligence worked a whole shift together was back in 2019, with an ominous case that threatened Chicago with a virus attack. It would be an understatement to say that much has changed since then, with many major characters having left One Chicago since.

In the three-part One Chicago crossover of 2025, Firehouse 51 responds to a call in a government building. Instead of their usual emergencies, it proves to be more complicated because it involves a bold crime. Chicago Med and Chicago PD's best personnel come in and help Chief Boden's replacement, Dom Pascal, and his team not only ensure that lives are saved, but that those who are at fault will be punished.

The 2025 One Chicago Crossover Overpromised But Underdelivered

Fire, Med, & PD's Overall Story Gets Convoluted At Times

Doing a One Chicago crossover in 2025 was much needed. The franchise needed to re-establish itself, with so many new faces joining Firehouse 51, Gaffney, and Intelligence. On paper, the premise isn't as interesting as past special events. The inciting incident could have easily been a normal emergency that turned into an arson case for Severide. I understand that this was intentional, with the producers of the show previously saying that this year's One Chicago crossover wasn't going to be as grand as its predecessors because they wanted to focus on the characters.

Even with that sentiment in mind, the crossover still overpromised and underdelivered. It's great seeing people from different branches of the franchise work together, especially considering how rare these have become in later years. In terms of the overall pace and story cohesion, however, the crossover feels rushed and disjointed. Even its final villain twist falls flat, primarily because, despite Trudy Platt and Hank Voight's comments, we don't actually know Margaret Bates. It tried doing way too much and, in the end, accomplished very little. It doesn't help that there's no clear separation between the shows, which wasn't the case before.

The One Chicago special's narrative problem is best highlighted by the way it handles its couples. It essentially tells the same story with three different pairings: Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek; Stella Kidd and Kelly Severide, and Trudy and Mouch McHolland. Trudy's near-death experience would have been enough to be the emotional core of the crossover. Meanwhile, Ruzek and Kidd's predicament underground could have been more focused on the tension in the trapped bus instead of selling a false sense of doom for them.

The 2025 One Chicago Crossover's Best Moments Lie In Its Smaller Interactions

Character Pairings Work Well

Ultimately, the big wins lie in smaller moments. This is particularly true with Chicago Fire, with Firehouse 51 being able to fully show off its competency. It's also refreshing to see them go back to basics with an intense fire rescue — something that we haven't seen from the procedural in a while. Pascal is able to take over the team and establish how much progress he's had with his subordinates since taking over in the Chicago Fire season 13.

While the rest of One Chicago doesn't quite get the same focus, Chicago PD and Chicago Med have their respective highlights. Burgess' brief but powerful interaction with Dr. Caitlin Lenox shows how the franchise is united by one goal, despite its characters' differing opinions and principles. Voight coming to Mouch's aid as Trudy undergoes surgery is a reminder of their friendship that's barely highlighted in the series. Similarly, Intelligence newbie Toya Turner being posted at Gaffney and interacting with its personnel is a good way to get her acquainted with people beyond Intelligence.

Admittedly, NBC and Wolf Entertainment could have done a better job with the One Chicago crossover, especially because it had been years since the last one. Despite some disappointments, the event crystallizes what the franchise needs more of moving forward — smaller crossovers within the shows themselves. One Chicago's backbone remains its characters, and they are missing so many storytelling opportunities by keeping the shows so separated, leaving us waiting for years before some players even meet each other.

One Chicago

6/10

Created by

Derek Haas, Michael Brandt

First TV Show

Chicago Fire

First Episode Air Date

October 10, 2012

Cast

Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, Jason Beghe, Jon Seda, Sophia Bush, Jesse Lee Soffer, Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, Philip Winchester, Joelle Carter, Monica Barbaro, Carl Weathers, Yuri Sardarov

Pros & Cons

• One Chicago Crossover in 6 years
• New character pairings work well
• Firehouse 51 is able to shine
• Mouch & Trudy's story works as its emotional center

• Feels rushed and incohesive
• The villain twist falls flat
• Oversold a false sense of doom

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