One Chicago’s Next Crossover Requires A Sacrifice To Avoid 2025’s NBC Special’s Biggest Mistake
The One Chicago crossover tradition returned in early 2025, and while it was exciting, the three-episode event left much to be desired, meaning the next one must learn from its mistakes. NBC’s popular franchise (which consists of Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med) has produced four crossovers over the years. The fourth one arrived more than five years after the last, as the shows were limited by what they could do after the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, though, One Chicago is back and better than ever. But it still needs to do better with its next crossover, whenever that happens.
2025’s One Chicago crossover featured the three TV series teaming up when a gas explosion rocked the city. Amongst the chaos, two of their own — Chicago Fire‘s Stella Kidd and Chicago PD‘s Adam Ruzek — got trapped underground, leaving the other characters desperate to find them and who caused the explosion. By the time “In the Trenches” came to an end, everyone was alive. Everything went back to the way it started, and each One Chicago show returned to business as usual following the events of the crossover. Consequently, the big event felt too safe.
No One Important Died During One Chicago’s 2025 Crossover
Trudy Is The Only Character Who Came Close To Dying
Every One Chicago character survived the 2025 crossover. The only one who came close to dying was Chicago PD‘s Trudy Platt, who got shot in the back by the perpetrators and had to be rushed to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center for emergency surgery. Dr. Caitlin Lenox and Dr. Mitch Ripley saved Trudy’s life, though. While one might look at Trudy’s (and every other character’s) survival as a good thing, it was highly predictable.
“In the Trenches” also featured Kidd and Ruzek in “danger,” but the three episodes did little to convince viewers that there was a chance either character would die. Yes, Kidd and Ruzek’s lives were at risk. They were trapped underground and losing a lot of air, after all. It also didn’t help that Kidd and Ruzek were unknowingly stuck with one of the culprits behind the gas explosion. But we never doubted that they would survive the One Chicago crossover.
The One Chicago Franchise Must Raise The Stakes In Its Next Crossover With A Major Character Death
Who Should Die?
One of the points of a crossover is for the franchise to raise the stakes higher than any of the individual shows typically do. However, the 2025 One Chicago three-episode event did little to escalate tension. It didn’t leave viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering who would die and who would live. Instead, “In the Trenches” was a relatively safe crossover with little stakes. The one way that Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med can rectify this mistake is to kill off a major character during their next collaboration.
Most of the time, TV show characters dying feels senseless and quite frustrating for viewers. However, things are different with One Chicago. The first responders risk their lives almost every day, and the odds are that some of them will die (and many already have). So, if the One Chicago universe wants to raise the stakes in its next crossover and reel more people in, it must kill off a main character.
Why One Chicago Needs A New Crossover In 2025-2026
The Franchise Needs To Redeem Itself
NBC hasn’t announced that the One Chicago TV shows will team up for another crossover during the 2025–2026 season. Still, it would be wise for the producers to work together again. The NBC franchise is known for its crossovers — they’re part of what makes it so special. Seeing characters from all three series interact is thrilling, but what makes it more exciting are the circumstances that bring them together. While the 2025 One Chicago crossover was a bit of a dud, the writers can devise a new emergency that ups the ante and redeems the franchise after “In the Trenches.”
