“Chicago Fire” and “Chicago Med”
Heroism in a double pack – with big changes
Together, “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago Med” already have over 400 episodes.
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The heroes of the series “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago Med” are saving lives again – in a way never seen before in the brand new seasons.
They have been on TV since 2012, twelve years: the heroes of the Firehouse 51 department from “Chicago Fire”. The colleagues from “Chicago Med”, the second offshoot of the fire department series after “Chicago PD”, have at least nine years of professional experience. From May 6th, Universal TV will be presenting the new episodes of both series in a double pack as German ones TV premiere. Fans of both formats will have to deal with dramatic farewells, while at the same time potentially welcoming new fan favorites.
And because the “Chicago” protagonists are not immune to real developments, both series are returning with unusually short notice. Because series junkies are still feeling the effects of the protracted Hollywood strike. In the case of “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago Med,” this becomes clear when looking at the number of episodes. Both seasons only contain 13 episodes, which is fewer than ever before – so far the number of episodes has fluctuated between 16 and 24 per season.
But this initially unwanted paradigm shift ultimately suited the series’ creators’ concept, as did executive producer Andrea Newman in conversation with “TV Insider” revealed. Speaking about Chicago Fire, she said: “The theme of this season is change and Fire Station 51 has to embrace that change – people leaving and people coming. […] How they deal with it and the evolution of the fire station are the motifs of the season.”
Right at the beginning of the new season, the firefighters from 51 are forced to share their place with fire station 17. The condensed plot of season twelve definitely benefits from the hectic pace that comes with it. Or to put it another way: turning the strike emergency into a TV virtue.
There are also signs of change in the hospital
Change is also the watchword for the new “Chicago Med” episodes. After all, two series veterans, Nick Gehlfuss and Brian Tee, said goodbye the previous season. The departures combined with the delay caused by the strike were “a big challenge,” revealed the two showrunners Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider. But in this case it also served as a source of inspiration.
In the case of season nine, the fruits of this inspiration see some characters coming to terms with their past. With Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt, 64) is the person of Dr. Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell, 39) is the case, who joins the team as the new emergency room doctor. The two share a complicated medical relationship. And also Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber, 63) is caught up in his past – with dramatic consequences.
In addition to plenty of changes and fresh blood, the two new seasons have another factor in common: in both, there is a time jump of six months compared to the previous season. “We didn’t feel like it was realistic to jump straight to the next day or week after such a long break,” the “Med” showrunners said in explaining the decision. Viewers can look forward to a quick resolution of any cliffhangers…
“Together We Are Stronger”
Quite incidentally, this decision shows why both series enjoy such consistently high popularity – after twelve or nine years and over 400 episodes together, this is certainly not something to be taken for granted. The unique selling point of the universe created by Emmy winner Dick Wolf is that it realistically depicts human dramas and thereby connects the individual series in an organic way via crossover episodes. Because where there is a fire, there are usually (seriously) injured people and sometimes a case for the police. It has happened that favorites from all three “Chicago” formats met in one and the same episode.
That’s why it’s inevitable that the time jump in question occurs in each of them. After all, the motto of the “Chicago” universe has always been “Together We Are Stronger”. And this form of camaraderie can only be achieved in step.
If you’re ready for drama and heroism in a double package, mark May 6th on your calendar. Then Universal TV shows the new episodes of both series every Monday: It starts at 8:15 p.m. with season nine of “Chicago Med”, before the colleagues from the twelfth season of “Chicago Fire” take over immediately afterwards from 9:00 p.m.