With just over a week away from another epic cascade, what better time to decide which Chicago show you can’t live without?
Y’all, we’re here to challenge, Jack Ori fights for Chicago Med, I fight for Chicago Fire, and Jasmine Blu fully supports Chicago P.D. Chicago PD).
Yes, we really have to ask the ultimate question!
Of course, it’s all in good fun.
We love everything about Chicago’s teams, but if you’re like us, you have your favorite teams too. So, which one is it?
Check out our arguments and vote!
Why nothing’s better than Chicago Med
I’m not surprised Chicago Med surpassed PD this season and is about to go viral! Medical dramas have always been powerful, but what everyone always forgets is the littlest unseen sibling.
“Med” is like a combination of everything that’s good about other medical dramas. Bringing Dr. Charles to the ER was a no-brainer because it allows the medical community to do what few others are doing and describe mental health issues as just as important as physical health issues.
Dr. Charles has had some pretty interesting cases over the years, and while this medical drama isn’t on the same level as Inside Out (but let’s face it, nothing is!), you can tell the writers have did their research.
My clinical social work training helps diagnose the character before he does.
Likewise, Med’s Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) has transformed from active addict to the most dedicated ob-gyn.
I also loved her relationship with Archer. It’s not common for platonic love relationships to be elevated to a status close to romantic relationships, and as a mostly asexual person, I really appreciate that.
Finally, Medicine delves into medical ethics, especially the ethics surrounding cutting-edge technology.
Chicago Med Season 8 has had great episodes all season long about the use of artificial intelligence in medicine, and I enjoyed the recent episode in which a man gets medical advice from an AI app he considers a friend.
There are many non-technical ethical dilemmas here that need to be explored in depth. Will Halstead is a walking moral dilemma, and Steven Weber’s Dean Archer gives him a run for his money in that department.
Sure, Med has some soap opera-like plot points that I could have done without (like the whole Will-Jay-undercover-to-expose-some-Mafia-guys-in-need-of-medicine thing), but for the most part, the relationships are strong, and The medical angle is interesting.
I’m glad it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves.
Why “Chicago Fire” is the best in the Chicago universe (you know)
Let’s not even act like there’s a competition here: Chicago Fire is the OG, the show that built the One Chicago universe brick by brick — or, you know, a ball of fire.
Without it, there wouldn’t be Voight ranting in the interrogation room or Dr. Charles psychoanalyzing half of Chicago. The entire series begins and ends at Firehouse 51, the home of the real-life superheroes.
Since 2012, Chicago Fire has been bringing a veritable amount of heat. This is the kind of show that reminds you why first responders are American heroes, charging headlong into burning buildings and completing daring rescues.
Let’s not forget that they’ve tackled everything from gas explosions to high-rise hell while somehow making it all look effortless.
But that’s what’s really special about it: “Chicago Fire” doesn’t always rely on the same actors to remain great. The line-up changes as often as the coffee offerings, but the show remains a hit.
Back in the first season of “Chicago Fire,” Chief Boden was the backbone of the team, led by Casey, Seyfried, and Shea.
Shay’s death in Season 3 was devastating – admit it, you cried. Although it took Sylvie Brett a minute to usher in her successor, she eventually became a fan favorite.
Of course, Chicago Fire is Chicago Fire, and it can’t stop there.
We were all a little heartbroken when Sylvie moved out of Chicago to start a new life with Kathy. But hey, if you’re leaving a firehouse, escaping with a firefighter-turned-lumberjack isn’t the worst option. However, even without them, the show still works.
Severide was there doing what he did best – saving lives and breaking hearts – while his wife, Stella Kidd, kept the fire station in pristine condition. Even Chief Boden passed the torch to Dom Pascal, proving that the Firehouse 51 team is unstoppable no matter who is in charge.
Let’s give credit where credit is due: this show wouldn’t be the same without its rock-solid supporting cast.
Mauch, Herman, and Cruz are the unsung heroes who bring warmth and humor to every episode. They’re the glue that holds the firehouse—and sometimes the audience’s emotions—together.
No offense to Chicago PD or Chicago Med, but Chicago Fire is the foundation of the One Chicago universe.
The show delivers a dose of heroism, friendship, and pure adrenaline that keeps us coming back week after week. Without it, there would be no universe.
So, yes, we will always stand with the Chicago Fire. Who else can save Chicago a little at a time?
Why real A Chicago fan honors the name of the Chicago Police Department
The middle child never gets respect. That’s why they have to accept it, and that’s why the Chicago Police Department accepts this.
PD may not have the longevity of “Chicago Fire” or the comforting feel of “Chicago Med,” but PD is a rebel for a reason and everyone loves a “bad boy.”
The Chicago Police Department is who Med and Fire turn to when they need help, so who is the best and most important in the series?
You can’t talk about “one” chicago franchise without acknowledging that the Chicago Police Department remains the most faithful tribute to this great city. Intelligence agents spend more time on the streets of Chicago, battling the elements and spanning multiple communities than they do piecing together cases in a bullpen.
From Pilsen to Canaryville to the South Side, the Chicago Police Department honors the courage and honor of Chicago.
This is the most immersive of the series, made even better by Chicago PD’s clever filming, cinematography, and well-crafted action sequences that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
What could be said more is that Chicago Med stayed entirely within the walls of Gaffney or the Chicago Fire Department, spending most of its time between fire station shenanigans and bar hangouts. Just saying.
What makes “Chicago PD” so great is that the show’s most complex characters aren’t just the villains of the week.
Hank Voight is that guy, so much so that he started out as the villain on Chicago Fire and he was so awesome to see them go ahead and give him his own series. Best decision in the universe.
Dr. Charles is great and Chief Borden is a great dad, but where’s the fun when you have a slightly insane uncle who you can call when things get real? This is your Hank Voight.
We spent at least the first two seasons of Chicago P.D. trying to figure out whether he was actually a good guy in his own episode. Honestly, wouldn’t it be more fun that way?
Chicago PD brings all the grit, moral ambiguity, and delicious dark gray areas into the One Chicago universe. Voight’s catchphrase is: “Tell me the truth so I can lie for you.” It doesn’t get any grayer than that!
The show showcases a unit of bad guys who stop at nothing to make the streets of Chicago a better place. Sometimes that means slapping criminals or throwing them in a cage, but the end justifies the means.
Of course, that approach shifted around season eight, with a focus on police reform and mitigating those nasty civil rights violations, but that didn’t stop the show from continuing to take risks, and it never lost its edge.
Voight and Haley always pushed the boundaries to their absolute limits, while Burgess, Atwater, Torres, and Cook brought new perspectives that placed policing within the bounds of necessity.
For the Chicago Police Department, the stakes are always high. The series premiere did kill off a major character, and it didn’t shy away from delivering some of the most devastating deaths and blows.
Shay and Otis’ deaths are undoubtedly a tragedy, but let’s not act like Olympsey, Justin, and Nadia weren’t devastating.
But the best thing about Chicago PD is that deaths are avenged. Even when characters exit the series, their impact remains, and that’s never more evident than the revolving door shenanigans of Medical and Fire.
When was the last time anyone mentioned Dr. Connor Rhodes? Peter Mills? Yes, we think so.
Chicago PD has a smaller cast, which means we actually get to spend more time with the characters and better follow their stories from beginning to end.
Our characters are so good that they’ve even appeared in other series on other networks. Ahem, Hailey Upton of the FBI, need we say more? Our character actors are even saving other series (a nod to Jesse Lee Sofer in FBI: International ).
Speaking of crossovers, it doesn’t get better than Olivia Benson and Hank Voight being in the same room as The Bureau and SVU team up for Chicago P.D. Season 2 An iconic crossover. You know, when the Chicago Police Department isn’t carrying the Chicago One crossover, that is.
Chicago PD is all about the characters. Whether you like the old days of Lindsay, Olinksy and Dawson, the “ship era” of Upstead, or Chicago PD Season 12, its strongest season in years, featuring Walt and the OG Atwater and the iconic ship Burzek solves crimes alongside newcomers Torres and Cook.
Every era of Chicago PD has characters who aren’t total bad guys.
But that’s what you have to do when you’re trying to bust the biggest drug bust in the city’s history, hunt down a Criminal Minds -level serial killer, or put down, ahem, we mean take down violent rapists and kidnappers. It’s all in a day’s work for the Chicago Police Department, so respect it!
Now you get it. So, where do you stand?
It’s time to show the ultimate in faith, loyalty and fandom! Please vote for the best Chicago show below. No, you won’t get a backup of these three! 🤣
