Chicago P.D. is coming back to NBC later this year on the 2026 TV schedule along with the other One Chicago shows, meaning there will be a lot to look forward to... even with a major cast member exiting. Following the One Chicago crossover earlier this year, it’s possible we’ll be able to look forward to more crossovers next season, whether big or small. But I actually just found out a connection that Chicago P.D. has with another NBC series, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Chicago P.D. is connected to the One Chicago Universe, also consisting of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and the short-lived Chicago Justice. It is also connected to fellow Dick Wolf NBC franchise Law & Order through some crossovers with SVU. But that’s not all. TVLine pointed out that there’s yet another connection to a much older NBC series that many people may not have noticed.
P.D.’s 21st District is the same building used for the precinct in Hill Street Blues, which ran for seven seasons from 1981 to 1987 on the Peacock network. In reality, the building used in both shows is the Maxwell Street Police Station on Chicago’s Near West Side that was built in 1888. While interior scenes were mostly shot on soundstages in LA for Hill Street Blues and Chicago for Chicago P.D., the building is a staple on the cop shows for external shots.
This is far from the first time that shows have used the same sets or buildings, and it definitely won’t be the last. I just love that this one building connects shows set and filmed decades apart, especially since Hill Street Blues never actually names what city it’s set in. I have also been to the Maxwell Street Police Station to see where the 21st District is, and now knowing that I saw the building used in not just one but two iconic NBC procedurals is pretty awesome.
Coincidentally, the same police station is not all that Hill Street Blues and Chicago P.D. have in common. Dick Wolf got his start writing for Hill Street Blues, writing for eight episodes and earning an Emmy nomination in 1986. Who knew that a show that ended in 1987 and one that premiered in 2014 had so much in common?
While Hill Street Blues isn’t streaming anywhere, at least for now, fans can watch Chicago P.D. with a Peacock subscription and at least imagine the 21st District standing in as a different police station in the ‘80s. The series is coming back for Season 14 on Wednesday, October 7, at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock. Chicago Med and Chicago Fire will also be back for new seasons on October 7.
