When a show reaches 100 episodes, it’s always a big deal, though hitting triple digits and syndication availability used to be a far bigger deal before streaming. Still, it's a milestone, and NBC's Chicago Fire is gearing up for an even bigger and rarer milestone with its 200th episode. And showrunner Derek Haas is giving fans an idea of why this episode won't be one to miss.
Chicago Fire, the flagship of the One Chicago franchise, returns to NBC later this month for Season 10, and the drama will hit its big 200th installment five episodes into the season. Not much is known about what will happen, considering we still don't know how the premiere will play out, but Fire boss Derek Haas told TVLine that there will be some big decisions for the firefighters and paramedics that will likely change their lives forever. In his words:
[Episode 200 has] big events, big calls, big life-changing decisions. It’s really one of those episodes that when people look back at the run of the series, it’ll be a big, defining moment in where we are.
It says a lot about a show's longevity when an episode this late in the game could still serve as an exemplary hour. Just what could happen in the 200th episode, though? It’s hard to tell what those “life-changing decisions” will consist of, and whether they will be work-related or relationship-related, or a complicated mixture of both.
Season 9 ended with four characters’ lives in jeopardy, so viewers can expect Season 10 to start off in a big way that hopefully clears some of those cliffhangers up. While Chicago Fire does have a knack for killing off characters in its season premieres, it’s possible that the show's creative team held back on those big moments in order to save them for the 200th episode only a few weeks later.
The 200th episode could also include the aftermath of Stella taking her lieutenant’s exam. Season 9 ended with her going into the exam but didn’t show anything after it or any hint of whether her preparation paid off or not. While the premiere will likely recount the results of the exam, it’s possible that whatever score she got, which is most definitely a pass, won't have a major impact on things until the 200th ep rolls around.
Whatever happens in the milestone 200th episode, it’s going to be big and it’s going to be emotional. Hopefully it won't end with any major deaths, although it would be cool to see former characters making a return in some form. If Derek Haas is to be believed, and he always is, this upcoming milestone episode of Chicago Fire will put things into perspective and be a defining moment for not only the series, but the One Chicago franchise as a whole.
Chicago Fire never disappoints, so fans will definitely have this episode to look forward to in the upcoming 10th season when it kicks off on NBC on Wednesday, September 22, at 9:00 p.m. ET, along with all kinds of other major 2021 Fall TV premieres.
