What show comes first in the chicago series

Whether you're a fan of Chicago P.D., or more of a Chicago Med kind of person, this gripping franchise that followers lawyer, doctors, police and firefighters around the fictionalised reimagining of Chicago is full of loveable characters and heart-wrenching drama.

RELATED: 10 things you may have missed while watching Chicago Med

And even if you don't dip between the shows in the series, here are a few fun facts about your favourite characters and the showrunners that created them that link all four of these shows in the one universe.

Created by Dick Wolf

The Chicago franchise is also occasionally referred to as 'One Chicago', which goes to show just how adjacent the characters' storylines are to one another.

All four shows in the series — Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire and Chicago Justice — were created by Dick Wolf, who you may also know as the creator of the Law & Order series.

Wolf first created Chicago Fire in 2012, and during its premiere and subsequent few episodes receives fairly weak ratings. However, a few weeks into Season 1, it spiked to become US network NBC's no. 2 scripted drama series, and was approved for a spin-off series in 2013, which became Chicago P.D.

Character crossovers

Fans of Chicago Med will know that the franchise often uses characters from the other shows as a crossover, with those from Chicago Fire making an appearance every now and then.

One such example of this is during a two-part episode of Chicago P.D., in which a major explosion takes place at Chicago Med where Casey and Dawson are volunteering at a charity run, so Firehouse 51 of Chicago Fire and the officers from Chicago P.D. work together to track down the culprits.

The crossovers don't just stop there however. Occasionally Dick Wolf is able to fit a storyline of Law & Order in with the rest, such as when in Chicago Fire the fire fighting unit rescues the owner of a house on fire when they find him clutching a suspicious box. As such, the Chicago Intelligence Unit of Chicago P.D. is brought in for further investigation, leading them to work with Special Victims Unit of Law & Order to take down a child abuse ring.

Family matters

As if fun character crossovers wasn't enough, there is also evidence of a family tie across two of the Chicago shows.

Will Halstead, former plastic surgeon, former resident and current Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Centre, is Chicago Med's dreamboat doctor in its first season, and we later learn that Will has a brother who might look a little familiar to fans of Chicago P.D.

Jay Halstead is a detective with the Chicago Police Department's Intelligence Unit, and often crosses over from Chicago P.D. to Chicago Med to interact with his brother Will.

The two have a close but frequently contentious relationship, and it's known that they never got along well with their father, Pat Halstead.

Molly's Bar

A fan of any one of the Chicago shows will be familiar with Molly's Bar, the haunt that most characters across all four shows will return to at the end of most episodes.

Show creator Dick Wolf intended this one bar to be a unifying theme between the shows, and has stated that most episodes in the franchise are intended to end with a scene at Molly's, purposely connecting the characters of each show.

Stream complete seasons of Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire and Chicago Justice on for free 9Now.

It’s rare to see three television series that intertwine as much as Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD do. The three series follow first responders and hospital staff in present-day Chicago. The trilogy began with Chicago Fire in 2012, and Chicago PD followed a year later, with Chicago Med premiering in 2015. Many of the episodes from each series features characters from the other Chicago series, and some episodes of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD features characters from Law and Order: SVU, which was created by Dick Wolf, who also created the Chicago franchise.

These series have many positive reviews; Fire, PD, and Med earned a 7.9/10, 8.1/10, and 7.5/10, respectively from IMDb. Kelsey Sova ‘22 likes these series because of the way they intertwine. “I like the way the series tie together,” she says. “There is something different in every episode.” The Chicago series is currently available to stream through the NBC app. The shows are all rated TV-14 and are not recommended for young viewers.

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One Chicago is an NBC staple. For the uninitiated, that's the name used to describe all the shows in the Chicago universe: Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. 

Each of these shows has a storied history. Chicago Med has been running since 2015, Fire since 2012, and P.D. since 2014. All are executive-produced by Dick Wolf, mastermind behind the Law & Order universe. And they've been running for seven, 10, and nine seasons, respectively. 

Here's what you need to know about how to watch the One Chicago franchise. (Yes, they're all available to stream the next day.) 

How to Watch Chicago Med 

Chicago Med airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on NBC. Join Dr. Will Halstead, Dr. Crockett Marcel, and the rest of Chicago Med hospital's brightest as they save patients' lives—and become entangled in each others'. Watch on NBC.com and Peacock. Season 8 premieres September 21 at 8/7c. 

How to Watch Chicago Fire

Chicago Fire airs Wednesday nights at 9/8c on NBC. Follow Chief Wallace Boden, Kelly Severide, and the rest of Chicago Firehouse 51 forge headfirst into danger. Watch on NBC.com and Peacock. Season 11 premieres September 21 at 9/8c. 

How to Watch Chicago P.D. 

Chicago P.D. airs Wednesday nights at 10/9c on NBC. See Sgt. Hank Voight and his team fight the war on crime in Chicago. Watch on NBC.com and Peacock. Season 10 premieres September 21 at 10/9c. 

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