Crossover events between NBC's hit One Chicago shows used to happen fairly regularly, but fans have been waiting more than five years to see the heroes of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med joining forces on an epic crisis threatening the Windy City. Now, half a decade after the three-part "Infection" crossover from October 2019, another event is on the way for the 2025 TV schedule that will be particularly dangerous for two characters. And after that news broke, I was reminded of something P.D.'s Marina Squerciati told me earlier this fall and had an idea.
First things first, though!
One Chicago's 2025 Crossover Event
With Fire, P.D., and Med all ending in the 2024 TV schedule after airing their fall finales back in November and with rewatching via a Peacock subscription the only solid option for a fix until the winter premieres, fans can certainly celebrate getting some big news! Wolf Entertainment has announced that the crossover will air on Wednesday, January 29 on NBC, but the lineup won't be the same as usual.
For the three-parter, Chicago Fire will air first at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Chicago Med at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. The cop drama, currently in its twelfth season, is the only one of the three to keep its usual time slot. The series are expected to revert to their usual times following the crossover.
So, what can One Chicago do to top the cinematic "Infection" event? This time around, a gas explosion will rock one of the Windy City's high rises, prompting the familiar first responders to rush in to rescue hundreds of civilians. That's nor enough for a full three-parter, though, and the plot will certainly thicken when a crisis develops beneath the ground. The result will be a race to save the forty people who are trapped underground, including two of their own.
Naturally, the description of the crossover didn't reveal the identities of the two characters whose lives will be in particular danger in the event, nor did the statement from One Chicago co-executive producer and Wolf Entertainment EVP Anastasia Puglisi, who said:
Putting together what is essentially a three-hour action movie is an incredibly ambitious task requiring complete coordination across our writers, casts, crews and producers, along with help from the city of Chicago. We’re thrilled to have the best talent in every department to meet this challenge, reinforce the One Chicago brand, and provide our fans with a unique and compelling viewing experience.
Historically, I've felt that One Chicago was best at making the Fire and Med hours of a three-parter feel more seamless than the Chicago P.D. hour, with the crime procedural usually keeping its 10 p.m. ET slot. That doesn't mean that the crossovers have fallen short, and recalling how I felt about the P.D. episode of "Infection" in 2019 also reminded me of what Marina Squerciati told me much more recently about another star she'd like to work with more, and I'd be on board with seeing their characters in peril together.
Marina Squerciati's Season 12 Comments
Now, when I say that I'd like to see these two characters in peril together, I'm working on the assumption that no One Chicago series regulars will actually die or face lasting damage from the crossover. Whichever two characters are trapped with the civilians in the crossover seem likely to bond and work together through whatever they endure, and I'd like to nominate Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess and Toya Turner as Kiana Cook for the underground disaster.
I spoke with Marina Squerciati earlier this year about Burgess' push for promotion and then successfully making detective. (Patrick John Flueger has his own take on it from Ruzek's point of view.) As somebody who was always hoping to see Burgess and Upton sharing a storyline (with both Squerciati and Tracy Spiridakos all for it), I had to revisit the idea of P.D. women actually sharing the screen.
With Kiana Cook on board in Season 12, I asked what kind of relationship she'd like to see between the two characters, and the Burgess actress shared:
I mean, any relationship. I was sad that Tracy's character and I never really got our chance. Like even at the end of the season, we never even get to say goodbye. But that was true of Ruzek and Atwater as well. I would like to have something more with Toya than than I did with Upton. I think we deserve that.
Did Marina Squerciati mean "Burgess and Cook trapped underground in peril together" when she said "any relationship" between the two of them? Considering that this interview happened back in early November, almost certainly not. But dang it, the crossover pairing them up would be fun... for me, at least! The longtime P.D. cast member went on to compliment New Amsterdam alum Toya Turner as the newest series regular, saying:
She's amazing. She really is. People come into that bullpen and it can break a man. We've been there twelve years. We have a rhythm. We have a way we do things. It's a dance. And oh my gosh, the first time she came in, she had so much dialogue, and she nailed it. She really is just a great addition, and we're so happy to have her.
Squerciati's ringing endorsement of Toya Turner as a new co-star definitely tracks with what Turner told me about how welcoming the Chicago P.D. cast was to her, up to LaRoyce Hawkins helping her pick out a couch. I spoke with her just one day after getting Squerciati's thoughts on Burgess and Cook, and she shared her own thoughts on the subject:
I agree! I saw someone had already made a name for us: Team Kiki. So I was like, 'Let's go!' [laughs] I would love that. We've had some interactions that'll be coming up in future eps. I want more of that for sure.
Are the One Chicago crossover installments any of the "future eps" that Toya Turner hinted at for Team Kiki? We won't find out for sure until the event airs in late January, and I'm excited either way. And even if we don't get Burgess and Cook together in the three-parter, I think it's encouraging that both actresses are so on board to work together more in the future.
For now, you can look forward to One Chicago's first crossover since 2019 on Wednesday, January 29 on NBC. Another option is to revisit past crossovers over winter break, as Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med are all available streaming on Peacock. The winter premieres will all air on January 8.
