One Chicago Premiere Watchalong: I’m Talking Baby Bombshells, New Characters And More On Med, Fire, And P.D.
One Chicago is back!
What To Expect From NBC's One Chicago Premiere Night
As usual, the first One Chicago Wednesday of the fall will air Chicago Med first, at 8 p.m. ET. Called "We All Fall Down," NBC's episode description for the Season 11 premiere sheds some light on what to expect:
A family of victims from a house fire are rushed to Gaffney. Lenox fights to save two sisters injured in an all-night rave turned tragedy. Tensions mount between Goodwin and Abrams over difficult staffing changes.
Notably, that doesn't give anything away about the cliffhanger of Hannah knocking on Archer's door or what showrunner Allen MacDonald told us about Med's upcoming 200th episode with Nick Gehlfuss' return, but fans can count on getting some answers very quickly in the Season 11 premiere.
Chicago Fire's Season 14 premiere at 9 p.m. ET has some casting changes to explain, although it remains to be seen how much the exits of Carver and Damon will be addressed, since only Daniel Kyri will be back as Ritter to tie off loose ends. NBC's description for the episode, called "Kicking Down Doors," reads:
A new face at Firehouse 51 causes tension, while rising chaos in the city brings new challenges to the team. Herrmann stalls on plans of relinquishing his office to Mouch.
Well, I suppose it would have been too much to hope for a peaceful transition of Herrmann stepping down as an officer so that Mouch can take his place! I wouldn't want to give up that Firehouse 51 office either.
As for Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET, there are repercussions for how the team went rogue in the final episodes of Season 12 in the spring. Called "Consequences," the Season 13 premiere will feature:
Voight teams up with an unlikely ally to take a killer off the streets while fighting to bring his Intelligence unit back together.
Tune in to see which premiere is the most satisfying, most game-changing, and most memorable!
Hannah's Baby Daddy Revealed!
The showrunner wasn't kidding when he hyped that the big reveal of who the father is and why Hannah was knocking Archer's door would come very early on! I've spent the months since the Season 10 finale going back and forth on what I wanted to happen, but A+ to Archer for his response. Count me in! Plus, I still find my own interpretation of the Crunch Berries line from last season to be pretty hilarious. Talk about being accidentally right about something!
Starting The Season With Some Burns
So far, this woman covered with 90% of her body with thickness burns is the person who I feel the absolutely worst for in NBC's fictional Chicago. One Chicago has the rest of the night to convince me that somebody is more miserable.
Where's Maggie?
Chicago Med didn't waste time either in mentioning Maggie's absence, which fans knew to expect ahead of time after new about Marlyne Barrett stepping away. All we have so far, though? Goodwin told Dr. Charles that she hadn't heard from Maggie since she left. Doris has stepped up as charge nurse.
Never Go To A Rave In One Chicago
I can't say that I'm a rave regular in real life, but I wouldn't definitely avoid the rave scene in One Chicago. Depending on when one takes place, I'd expect 1) a medical crisis, 2) a fire, and/or 3) crimes requiring the attention of the Intelligence Unit.
Welcome Back, Naomi!
I didn't think I was too attached to Naomi Howard until her storyline at the end of Season 10, which was inconveniently when she was on the way out of the ED for a cardiothoracic focus. Welcome back, Naomi! Enjoy the ED... and an overheated OR with Dr. Archer. Can't win 'em all!
Down Goes Archer
I don't blame Archer for passing out with temperatures THAT high while wearing as many layers as he is, but I also want to know the story behind which nurses ended up on "Mop Sweat Off The Doctors' Brows" duties for the day.
Trini Needs A Refresher On How To Gossip On Chicago Med
Trini! If you get hot tea about doctors in the ED, you talk about it with other people before bringing in the subjects of the hot gossip! However Hannah planned on Ripley finding out about the pregnancy, I'm guessing that's not it.
In all seriousness, I find it very interesting that Trini saw Archer and Hannah talking about her being pregnant and it didn't even occur to her that Archer could be the father. I'm now even more excited to see reactions to these two having a baby together.
Doris Is Keeping Maggie's Shoes Warm Until She Gets Back
But where has Maggie gone?!
Hannah Has Big News For Ripley
I was really mostly leaning towards Archer as the father because I didn't want Ripley to be the father of Hannah's babies, and Luke Mitchell's character doesn't seem to be in the right headspace for parenthood.
But I can't help but feel bad for Ripley, since he went from excitedly thinking that he was going to be a dad to learning that his ex was pregnant with another man's child.
I can't help but wonder if Hannah ever had to assure Ripley that he didn't need to worry about her friendship with Archer as well, based on his knee-jerk reaction of wondering how far along she is.
And I know it's not the point of the scene, but I always wonder how many alarms go off in a building's security system whenever a TV character stops an elevator for dramatic purposes.
Oliver Platt Has The Best Reactions In One Chicago
One Chicago has plenty of talented actors across the three shows, but I think Oliver Platt is the best at playing reactions without any dialogue. This storyline with the teen kid wouldn't be nearly as compelling if he wasn't the one having the conversation. As one of the last original Chicago Med stars standing, I hope Platt's not going anywhere any time soon!
Bad News For Dr. Lenox Is Great For Sarah Ramos
Lenox got the worst kind of news at the end of Season 11 when she learned that she carried the same deadly prion disease that killed her mother, but it's a juicy storyline for actress Sarah Ramos... as long as Lenox doesn't start showing symptoms that would take her out of the ED any time soon, anyway. She really needs a win in this episode with the two sisters.
Baby Mama Non-Drama
I'm already loving how mature both Archer and Hannah are being about this pregnancy. A little bit of conflict was inevitable, but dang it, I love seeing these two crazy kids* acknowledging their issues, having a conversation about it, and not leaving the conversation until they resolved it. Thank you, Chicago Med, for being so grounded about this!
(* Archer is definitely not a kid.)
Be Normal, Ripley
I love to see Ripley looking so genuinely happy to see Sadie and Amelia, but I also hope he's not throwing himself into a relationship in any way because of a reaction to Hannah having a baby with Archer. I hope he's being happy in a totally normal way, not a knee-jerk way.
Chicago Fire Time!
Season 13 didn't end last spring with any baby drama so much as very good baby news for the good ship Stellaride. Let's get into Season 14!
A Dirty Trick From Chicago Fire
Look, I'm as used to Chicago Fire starting seasons with major twists on the previous finale as any longtime viewer, but opening with Stella crying over a lost pregnancy after ending Season 13 with Stella (and Severide) joyfully crying over expanding their family feels kind of like a dirty trick. It could lead to a great story for Stella in particular, but it hits now.
Introducing Firefighter Sal Vasquez, Who Definitely Doesn't Have A Sketchy Secret Or Anything*
*Brandon Larracuente's character definitely seems like he has a sketchy secret as the newest addition to Truck 81. If somebody has to call in a favor for a character to even be assigned to a firehouse, there has to be some baggage there.
I Love A Good Chicago Fire Action Sequence
I'm not sure there's any show on network television that can rival what Chicago Fire does to bring emergencies to the small screen, which is especially standout consider the series is nearly 300 episodes. A burning truck isn't the biggest crisis that the heroes of Firehoue 51 have ever faced, but it's a pretty cool visual.
Violet's Not Letting Herself Be 'All Sad' About Carver
It's going to be sad to see Season 14 move forward without Carver, but seeing Violet's sadness in the premiere makes me all the more relieved that Jake Lockett got at least a brief farewell in the Season 13 finale. It wouldn't be the same if Violet had to establish that everything had happened off-screen, like Mouch establishing that Damon transferred within the CFD.
Hi, Agent Monica Reyes! I Mean... Chief of Staff Annette Davis
Look, I was already excited to see Annabeth Gish join the cast of Chicago Fire after she played Agent Monica Reyes on The X-Files, which I loved back in the day when I was probably too young to be watching. She doesn't seem like an ally to Firehouse 51 in Season 14, but I'm invested in seeing where her characters goes. from here.
Chicago Fire Can't Get Through To Chicago P.D.
We still have 25ish minutes until Chicago P.D. premieres Season 13, but seeing the heroes of Firehouse 51 stuck waiting for CPD unit to respond makes me wonder how P.D. is going to handle it, if at all. Could there be cuts to the police department? Could CPD have a hard time get a response from the CFD? Did Fire's EP Andrea Newman and P.D.'s EP Gwen Sigan collaborate on a storyline?
Violet Has A Friend "Over At 911"
Suffice it to say that Violet's friend at 9-1-1 on Chicago Fire is very different from if she had a friend on ABC's 9-1-1! It sounds like CFD (and the rest of NBC's Chicago) is in serious trouble this year if nearly 50% of all calls to the CPD aren't being answered.
Is Ritter Heading To NYC?
A big question since back in the spring has been how Chicago Fire will write out Ritter, since Daniel Kyri was cut from the cast. It appears that his exit may be tied to Dwayne, who joined the NYPD and has now been shot. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't think that'd be enough for Ritter to leave his life in Chicago behind. In the circumstances of Fire cutting Kyri from the cast and needing to write him out somewhere? Consider me a big supporter of Ritter/Dwayne.
Firehouse 51 Is Losing Rigs, And The Hits Keep Coming
Unfortunately, Pascal didn't get good news from Annabeth Gish's character, and major cuts are coming to the CFD, and all three rigs won't be full-time this season. It was awful news for the firefighters to hear, and even Violet and Novak learned that they'd be working a lot harder. To his credit, Pascal did turn it around with a pep talk, but he also didn't come entirely clean to Stella about why they had to keep Vasquez.
Stella And Severide Are Becoming Parents After All?
Stella may not be pregnant in Season 14, but apparently Stellaride may be recruited to foster some older kids who need a home. Fostering is a common way for One Chicago to pursue parenthood without writing in any pregnancies; perhaps these two will be next.
Time For Chicago P.D.
Season 12 came to a bittersweet ending back in the spring with Burgess and Ruzek finally getting to tie the knot, but they didn't quite have a full house at their wedding, and it was following a very difficult episode for the entire unit. And there are going to be consequences in Season 13.
Goodbye To Kiana Cook
In the midst of Voight trying to convince Commander Devlin that he needs to reinstate the Intelligence Unit ASAP, we get the news: Toya Turner's exit is being written into Season 13 as Kiana Cook taking "a permanent spot in the 17th." It's not the most ceremonious exit that a Chicago P.D. series regular has ever gotten, but it beats the unexplained exit of Lisseth Chavez's Vanessa Rojas!
Ruzek Needs To Brush Up On His Lying Skills
Maybe the Intelligence Unit has been disbanded a little bit too long, because this was not Ruzek's smoothest undercover attempt to get information. He also gave up the "I'm police!" a little too quickly for comfort. Good thing that woman is also an undercover cop, with Arienne Mandi playing Eva Imani as Cook's replacement.
Can Burgess Catch A Break Sometime?
Burgess got to celebrate her wedding back in the spring, but I wonder if that'll be the last time we see her smile in a while. The poor woman went from getting the promotion to detective after a lot of time, a lot of work, and a rite of passage, only to be stripped of her badge and stuck at home shortly after. Why can't she have nice things?
Will Atwater Make Detective?
We're 38 minutes into the new season of Chicago P.D., so I guess it's time for my annual request: can Atwater make detective one of these days? He's been deserving it for years now.
Voight Tried To Do It The Right Way
To Voight's credit, he tried to win Commander Devlin over to approving the reinstatement of the Intelligence Unit. When that didn't work, Voight brought out his leverage: proof that Devlin and other CPD brass had covered up the theft of a lot of weapons that shouldn't have been on the street, and had never been reported. So, Vought got the approval to put Intelligence back together again, but he probably guaranteed that Devlin won't want to do any favors in the future.
Eva Imani Joins The Team
Imani managed to unintentionally convince Voight that she should be the next addition to the unit. Although hesitant at first, Voight promising her a "long leash" helped win her over, and she agreed on the condition that it's "just for a while."
The Intelligence Unit Is Back Together
With the exception of Kiana Cook, the entire Intelligence Unit is back on the job by the end of the Season 13 premiere! While Atwater and Ruzek were clearly bored in their beat assignments, I'm happier for Burgess and Torres that they get to come back to the job. Burgess clearly wasn't loving the life of a homebody, and Torres.... well, the suspension from work said his professional life wasn't going well, and the beard indicates that his personal life is still rocky.
As for Eva Imani, I don't think one episode is enough to tell whether or not she'll fit in with the rest of the team. She didn't really go out of her way to endear herself to Atwater or Ruzek when they met, but that was also before any of them knew that they'd be working together in Intelligence. I can see why Voight picked her, but that doesn't mean she'll be the new favorite of the unit.
One Chicago Premiere MVPs
My MVP of the Chicago Med premiere has to be Dean Archer. This wasn’t his most eventful episode of the series, but his reaction to Hannah’s pregnancy – whether he or Ripley was the father – was what I was the most nervous about heading in to Season 11. Fortunately, Med nailed it in three ways: 1) Ripley not being the father, 2) Archer having a mature reaction to the news, and 3) Archer pushing slightly but ultimately supporting her.
I've gone back and forth on the Chicago Fire MVP, and my instinct was to go for either Stella or Severide for the premiere. I think I'll have to give it to Violet, though. She powered through the loss of Carver and was a steady presence throughout the episode. It's been great to see Hanako Greensmith's work as Violet grows as a leader.
Chicago P.D. didn't really give screentime to most of the Intelligence Unit, so MVP will have to go to Voight. I could appreciate that he went all out to try and get his team reinstated, and apparently the unit has an even better close rate than I realized. He at least tried to do things the right way as well, and I think P.D. is more interesting when Voight is more conflicted about how far away he should veer from the straight and narrow.
And that's it for the fall 2025 premieres of One Chicago! If you want to rewatch any or all of the episodes, you'll be able to find them streaming next day via Peacock. You can also catch the next episodes on Wednesday, October 8 starting with Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, continuing with Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET, and concluding with Chicago P.D.a t 10 p.m. ET.
Next week's episode will also be the milestone 200th for Med, with the return of Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead, so longtime fans won't want to miss it.
