NBC wasted no time in bringing the One Chicago world back to primetime early in the 2025 TV schedule, complete with the long-awaited three-show crossover set for the end of the month. Plans for Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. in January have already changed, though, with the network pushing back the episodes of all three shows that had been scheduled for January 15.
The delay is unfortunate news for fans who were hyped by the promos at the end of the winter premieres, but Med star Steven Weber explained to CinemaBlend why he thinks the Avengers: Endgame-style crossover will have fans going "bananas," and I'm so ready.
One Chicago's Delayed Next Episodes
The original schedule for NBC on January 15 had new episodes of Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET, and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET as usual for this time of year. The promos that aired after Med and P.D.'s winter premieres on January 8 also promoted that the next installments would air within a week, although Fire curiously didn't have a promo.
The schedule on January 15 has presumably been shifted due to President Biden's farewell address, which will broadcast on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. One Chicago reruns will then air the rest of the night, with new installments scheduled for January 22. A break was always scheduled ahead of the crossover on January 29, so NBC delaying new episodes by a week won't actually change much other than fans having to wait a little longer for the follow-ups to the winter premieres.
Plus, there are some details available courtesy of the upcoming episode descriptions. The next Chicago Med episode is called "Broken Hearts," and fans can expect this from Gaffney next week, per NBC:
An army of surgeons prepare to separate conjoined twins. Hannah reconnects with someone from her past. Archer treats a tyrannical boss with a heart problem.
The preview for "Broken Hearts" indicates that the person Hannah will reconnect with will be her sister, so hopefully we'll get some more insight on the tragic backstory Hannah shared back in Season 8. As for Chicago Fire's next episode, here's what "Chaos Theory" has in store on January 22:
The team responds to a crisis at a community center. Severide is forced to investigate one of his own Squad members. Kidd helps a teacher going through a post-incident spin-out.
Considering how the previous episode of Fire ended, I think it's a safe bet that Cruz is the Squad member who Severide will have to investigate. Cruz himself was much less enthusiastic about the return of the Flaco problem than actor Joe Mińoso was in playing it! As for Chicago P.D., Ruzek and Burgess will seemingly be in the hot seat in "Zoe" as the next new ep:
An unexpected visitor causes disruption for Ruzek and Burgess amidst an emotional investigation involving an unidentified young girl.
Cases on Chicago P.D. are always complicated when kids are involved, and perhaps more so for Ruzek and Burgess after becoming parents to young Makayla. It remains to be seen who this "unexpected visitor" will be, and whether the disruption will help or harm their investigation with Chief Reid still in Voight's orbit. Ruzek was of course part of Kiana Cook's big storyline of the winter premiere.
Clearly all three shows have plenty in store before the crossover kicks off on January 29, but that certainly doesn't mean that fans can't start getting excited for what's coming in the three-parter after comments from one star.
Fans Will "Go Bananas" For The One Chicago Crossover
For Steven Weber, the upcoming three-parter – called "In The Trenches" – will be his first One Chicago crossover event, as Dr. Archer didn't join Chicago Med as a man from Ethan's past until Season 6 in 2021. The "Infection" event aired back in 2019, just months before the COVID production shutdowns that would prevent a crossover for the next several seasons. (You can find that crossover streaming with a Peacock subscription.)
I had the opportunity to speak with Weber during NBC's recent One Chicago winter press event, and asked what it's like for him to finally be able to talk about the crossover after fans had been asking for another one for so long. He shared:
It's great. It's kind of a relief, and it was a great experience to be a part of. First of all, this crossover is going to make people go bananas, in the best sense. This is the One Chicago version of Avengers: Endgame. This is not just a little hint of, 'Oh, there's a doctor, and she or he is going to be talking to a police officer, and oh, there's one of the guys from Fire, and he's talking to –' No. This is a ride that's like an invasion. It's fantastic.
One Chicago has done plenty of mini crossovers in recent years like what Weber alluded to, with a star from one show popping over for a cameo on one of the other shows every once in a while. An Avengers: Endgame-esque event is a big step up from those, and perhaps even from the three-parters that aired before COVID. The actor went on:
People are going to be so thrilled because all their favorites are there, and in different capacities, of course. It has the overall effect [that] it's like a three-hour thrill ride. It's like going to the One Chicago amusement park, and everybody gets cotton candy and popcorn… and they're all going on this major ride. It was really fun, beautifully executed, and I had the time of my life.
Interestingly, the amount of time that passed between the "Infection" crossover and upcoming "In The Trenches" crossover has included several cast changes, so a number of stars from the 2024-2025 TV season haven't been part of one of these One Chicago events before. Archer certainly rises to meet crises on Med every week; will he be able to do the same for a city-wide threat alongside the casts of Fire and P.D.?
Find out when the One Chicago crossover airs on NBC on Wednesday, January 29 starting with Fire at 8 p.m. ET instead of Med. Before the event, you'll be able to find all three shows back in their usual slots on January 29.
