The nine shows of the FBIs, Law & Orders, and One Chicago all share a TV universe thanks to Wolf Entertainment, and that means a pretty expansive franchise spread across two networks and dating back to 1990. FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International are just weeks away from a big three-part crossover, months after Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Organized Crime debuted its first-ever three-show crossover. In contrast, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med haven’t had a big crossover since back in 2019, so I’m wondering: is it One Chicago’s turn next?
Admittedly, a lot of what I’m wondering probably has more to do with wishful thinking than anything else, but considering what the FBIs have in store and what the Law & Orders delivered in the fall half of the 2022-2023 TV season, I think it’s fair! So, let’s first look at the recent crossovers before diving into One Chicago.
How The Law & Orders Managed It
NBC gave the three L&O shows a big debut back in the 2022 TV schedule when the detectives across Law & Order, SVU, and Organized Crime joined forces in their season premieres. The crossover introduced the original show’s newest regular with Mehcad Brooks as Det. Jalen Shaw to replace Anthony Anderson, dealt a serious injury to SVU’s Rollins that would ultimately contribute to her decision to leave NYPD, and let Organized Crime’s Stabler actually share some scenes with Benson.
It was the first time that the three sets of detectives had all worked the same case, and the stakes had to be sky-high for three different units to have to pitch in. The shows are of course very similar in format, but tonally different, with relatively few personal connections between the characters. The crossover made L&O franchise history, and was a strong way to start the 2022-2023 TV season.
How The FBIs Are Joining Forces
The first crossover between the FBIs since FBI and Most Wanted launched International back in 2021 is on the way on April 4, starting with International at 8 p.m. ET, followed by FBI at 9 p.m. ET, and ending with FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. The three episodes each have “Imminent Threat” in the title, which is proof enough that the crisis of the week will have high enough stakes to warrant agents from all over the world pitching in. It’ll start with an abduction overseas having a connection to a growing threat in New York City, which will mean all hands on deck.
While the FBIs occasionally share characters, International being set primarily in Europe means that three-parters can’t happen on a regular basis, and FBI and Most Wanted haven’t done any two-parters recently. Of course, there were constraints on crossovers starting in fall 2020 due to COVID-19, not too long after FBI Season 2 delivered the first-ever bridge between the FBIs and One Chicago back in that spring.
Why A One Chicago Crossover Is Overdue
Compared to the Law & Orders and FBIs, One Chicago has frequent mini crossovers with actors jumping between shows for cameos. After all, there are enough medical crises, fires, and crimes in this corner of the Dick Wolf TV universe that Med, Fire, and P.D. share characters fairly often. But the last three-show event was in 2019 with the “Infection” crossover, and the last two-show between Fire and P.D. was in early 2020, before the COVID production shutdowns across the entertainment industry.
And the COVID complications make it completely understandable that crossover events can’t happen annually anymore, but seeing the Law & Order three-parter and looking forward to the FBIs' upcoming event really makes me miss seeing all the Chicago characters working together. A lot has changed in recent seasons, with Jesse Spencer leaving Fire, Jesse Lee Soffer leaving P.D., and Med welcoming and then saying goodbye to multiple series regulars. A big event would just be fun!
While I'm guessing that we would have heard by now if One Chicago had a crossover in the works between two or three of the shows anytime soon, I’m going to hope that one is on the way for the 2023-2024 TV season. Of course, NBC hasn’t renewed any of the One Chicago series just yet, but hopefully news on that front will come sooner rather than later.
For now, I and other fans of the Wolf Entertainment universe can look forward to the upcoming CBS event on April 4. You can also revisit past crossovers streaming: the three FBIs are all available with a Paramount+ subscription, and the Law & Orders and One Chicago shows are streaming via Peacock Premium subscription.
