Taylor Kinney, Chicago Fire
Peter Gordon/NBC
This week, all three shows in the One Chicago universe will return to NBC, and that means we will finally get the answers to the many questions set up by last season’s finales. And boy, were there questions! Chicago Med finished off Season 10 with “…Don’t You Cry,” and the cliffhanger of who exactly was the father of Hannah Asher’s (Jessy Schram) baby. Meanwhile, Chicago Fire closed out Season 13 with “It Had to End This Way,” and the surprising pregnancy news for Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo). Finally, Chicago P.D. concluded its 12th season with “Vows,” which saw the Intelligence unit disbanded and Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) finally tying the knot.
But what can we expect in these new season premieres? We talked to the One Chicago showrunners about not just that, but what we can expect to see in the whole seasons ahead. For Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald, that means familiar faces, including the return of one Will Halstead. And though Nick Gehlfuss isn’t showing up in the premiere, he will indeed be showing up sooner rather than later, and bringing with him happy tidings.
“Suffice it to say Will addresses what Natalie is up to not long after he reappears,” MacDonald promised. And not just that, he gave us some details about Will Halstead’s reasons to return to the Windy City. “Will has brought Owen to town to see a Bears game and stops by Gaffney to say hello to old friends.”
If that isn’t the most wholesome scenario, then we don’t know what is.
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Gehlfuss, who will soon be suiting up as a series regular in another Dick Wolf procedural, CIA on CBS, was apparently very happy to reunite with his old castmates, according to MacDonald. “Nick Gehlfuss was definitely thrilled to reunite with old friends on set. People broke into applause when he walked onto the stage. He was dearly missed.”
That’s looking to the future, one we’re very interested to see. But here in the present, we’re still stuck in the middle of a love triangle between a pregnant Hannah Asher, the man she confessed her love to and then didn’t talk about those feelings with, Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell), and her close friend, and yet someone she’s never really had a romantic relationship with, Dean Archer (Steven Weber). Talk about awkward. And MacDonald did his very best to avoid giving us an answer to this question, particularly when we pointed out how unresolved the Asher and Ripley situation felt. “Absolutely, positively no comment,” feels like an answer, though. Or, at least a promise that the show will go there at some point.
But the show has a lot to touch upon, including the sudden departure of Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett), who has taken a temporary leave of absence from the show. MacDonald promised “a few references will be made to Maggie during the course of the premiere,” though he didn’t promise answers are coming right away. This is, after all, just a season premiere.
Oliver Platt and Cassius Hatosy, Chicago Med
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
If anyone’s in a good place during the Chicago Med Season 11 premiere, titled “We All Fall Down,” however, it’s Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt). “He learned a lot about himself and what motivates him last season — in no small part because he mended fences with Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo) and his two daughters, Robin (Mekia Cox) and Anna (Hannah Riley). But while last season was about confronting the past, this season will be about where Charles sees his life going in the future. And along the way, we will see that the past will once again play an integral part in that decision,” MacDonald teased.
Can that translate to the entirety of Gaffney? Perhaps the answer is yes, because MacDonald’s tease for the new season was the following line: “Everything old is new again.” Sounds both vaguely concerning and promising, doesn’t it?
Meanwhile, on Chicago Fire, romance is coming. And not just that, perhaps a two-show romance? Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman teased the possibility that we might see a lot of crossovers between Fire and Med this season, for a very interesting reason. “Two-show-romances is our middle name! There was Severide & Lindsey, Jay Halstead & Dawson, Antonio Dawson & Brett… and of course, there’s Mouch and Trudy. Fire/PD couples have been a staple, so yes, it feels like it’s time for some Med/Fire action! The crossover last year gave the newer Med and Fire characters a great opportunity to meet, face disaster together, and light some sparks. Who knows exactly where that will take us.”
Promising indeed.
Jocelyn Hudon and Hanako Greensmith, Chicago Fire
Peter Gordon/NBC
But before that, we’ll have to say some heartbreaking goodbyes, starting with Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri), whose goodbye we’ll get to see on-screen. “Ritter is with 51 at the beginning of the season, then a nearly-tragic twist of fate will lead him to take a hiatus from firefighting. Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) and Violet (Hanako Greensmith) are brokenhearted to say goodbye, even if it’s temporary, but Violet plays a big role in his decision to go,” Newman explained.
Sam Carver’s (Jake Lockett) departure is very different, and yet, just as devastating. But we will get answers, according to Newman. “Episode 1 reveals exactly where things stand between Carver and Violet. Carver’s departure looms large for Violet, and several other relationships on the show will be affected by it as well.” But does that mean we’ve seen the last of Sam Carver on the show? “We always love bringing characters back, and Sam Carver is very much still in the Fire tapestry, so when Violet least expects it…”
We’re trying to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
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Then there’s Stellaride, and the baby question, which is undoubtedly complicated for two on-duty firefighters. To that, Newman teased, “The timeframe will be a surprise for everyone involved. You can plan all you want when you decide to start a family, but the first thing you learn as a parent is that suddenly so much of your life is outside of your control.”Â
That’s not going to be easy for our two commanding, in-charge firefighters to accept, and it becomes just the beginning of the crazy journey that parenting is. As Herrmann says in Season 1, “It’s a helluva ride.” One we’ll be happy to see our favorite firefighting couple go through.
What’s the season about? Newman had one tease that we’ll admit left us very excited: “Family secrets, family infernos!” Let’s go!
Finally, on Chicago P.D., showrunner Gwen Sigan is returning to an Intelligence unit that’s dispersed in a way that we’ve never quite seen before. Consequences indeed. And that’s really the driving force for the premiere, the showrunner shared. “The unit’s never been disbanded before — I think for all of them, those repercussions are being felt strongly. For both Burgess and Torres, they are without a badge. And the rest of our team members are working patrol jobs. They’re ready to get back and I think that is a driving force in Voight’s (Jason Beghe) determination in our first episode — he needs his family back together.”
Arienne Mandi, Chicago P.D.
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
The Season 13 premiere, “Consequences,” also introduces a new officer, Eva Imani, played by Arienne Mandi. And her addition is definitely meant to change things for everyone in Intelligence. “Arienne’s character is really a breath of fresh air — she’s coming in with no prior knowledge of the Intelligence Unit, she’s a bit rough and tumble, and speaks her mind. Her skillset is also a great addition; Imani’s got a background in the military and in an ATF task force. She definitely shakes things up in the unit and especially for Voight.”
Sounds especially interesting considering the last person we saw hold up a mirror to Voight was ASA Chapman, and that relationship ended… well, we know how.
But is there hope for Voight and Chapman still? Can we expect to see her back? “Of course there’s hope! There’s always a possibility! We love Chapman and hope to have her back soon,” Sigan shared. “I think for both of them, they needed time apart; Voight made his decision and she heard him in the finale,” the showrunner shared. And of course, there’s the after. “It will be interesting to see him without Chapman. Both professionally and personally, he didn’t realize how much he was relying on her. I think that realization for him will affect the pair of them when they are forced to work together again.”
But there’s at least one couple not having issues when we pick things back up on Chicago P.D., and that’s Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger). And honestly, they’ve earned it. “Burgess and Ruzek are in a good place personally since the marriage, enjoying their relationship and still on a bit of a high from the wedding,” Sigan shared. “But of course, life has kept happening in the meantime. Since the events of last season, they are working separate from each other, and life looks different. As we see in the first episode, both of them are itching to get back to some normalcy and work together again.”
Now, to see how they and the team can get there.
The Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. season premieres air Wednesday, Oct. 1, beginning at 8/7c on NBC.