My New TV Show Obsessions

Okay, so in the last few weeks I have been sucked into the Chicago universe and when I say Chicago universe I am referring to NBC's  Chicago shows, specifically Chicago PD and Chicago Fire. I am obsessed with those two shows now. More so Chicago Fire than PD if I'm being completely honest, but not by much. Some background on the shows:

Chicago P.D. -  District 21 of the Chicago Police Department is composed of the uniformed cops, who deal with street crimes, and the Intelligence Unit, which deals with major crimes like drug trafficking and high-profile murders. Sgt. Hank Voight -- a tough boss who doesn't mind bending the rules a little in the pursuit of justice -- heads the unit's elite team. The responsibilities of life on the force take a toll on the officers, as they struggle to balance their personal lives with the strain of the job.

Chicago Fire - The firefighters, Rescue Squad members and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51 are deeply committed to their rewarding and exhilarating jobs, despite the inherent danger and stressors. The truck company is led by Lt. Matthew Casey, who sometimes butts head with the leader of the Rescue Squad, the brash Lt. Kelly Severide. Regardless of personal tension, when it's time to face the job, all the courageous team members quickly put their issues aside and their lives on the line.

I first got into this franchise because Sophia Bush, who I absolutely adored as Brooke Davis on my absolute fave show One Tree Hill, was starring in Chicago PD. Her character was completely opposite of what she played on OTH and I was very intrigued. Previous shows she had appeared on after OTH didn't fare well and this one looked promising. But due to me watching so many shows at the time I didn't watch it when it first came on. I just didn't have the time. Cut to years later and the show is on it's third season and I can't stop seeing things about it on my Twitter timeline. By this point I wasn't watching as many shows and I figured it was time.

Thanks to an online friend I got the link where to watch and I cleared time to watch. First episode I was absolutely sucked in. The story, the characters all had my full attention.  As I continued watching I noticed there were some crossovers with Chicago Fire. Some episodes were connected with the other series. Now I knew NBC did these crossover events, but I didn't know if it was required to watch the other series episodes in order to follow along properly. I was told not really, but in the back of my mind the story was incomplete if I didn't. So, I would watch the corresponding Chicago Fire eps (as well as L&O: SVU) and get the whole story and it made so much more sense to me.

Once I finished PD, I was a bit bummed. The show was so good and now I was at the point where I had to wait for new episodes. I needed more to binge watch. So liking what I saw on Fire, I figured I'd try it. And once again I was hooked after the first episode. Like PD the stories and characters just drew me in. On top of that it was interesting to see a show about firefighters. Chicago PD was not the first police procedural that I watched and enjoyed. While the show is a whole different grittier take on police procedure it still somewhat has the same procedural formula, but never has there been a show I watched about firefighters and paramedics and the things they come across.

So, I found myself binge watching through all the seasons until the current season and again feeling bummed once I got caught up because now I have to wait for new episodes. Despite that I find myself just re-watching episodes over and over again. Both shows are pretty rare in which I absolutely love all of the characters and can't really pick a favorite. Downside to getting into the shows so late is that I got attached to some characters and they get written off and I didn't get to truly savor the time spent with them. Not so much in Chicago P.D. but on Chicago Fire one character in particular I absolutely adored was written out for I guess a good reason, I don't know, but it sucked. I might as well just say the character, I'm talking about Leslie Shay. I expected it of course thanks to one of the stories crossing over on P.D. concerning her exit, but it still sucked balls. Besides that all of the characters are likable for so many different reasons, at least to me. The shows do a good job of dealing with serious topics and throwing some lighthearted moments to balance it out.

There is another show in this Chicago universe that I haven't really gotten into which is Chicago Med. I've watched a few episodes but I haven't gotten hooked on it like the other two, but I'm slowly giving it a shot. Medical shows have never been my cup of tea. The only one I was really a fan of was Scrubs and that was a comedy. I watched Greys Anatomy for like two seasons and I couldn't really get into it. I'll give Med a chance though because of the whole crossovers of not only storylines but also the characters, as it's a normal occurrence to see a character from one of the other shows cameo in each series. Sometimes it's a storyline specific guest spot or a 30 second appearance. Molly's from Chicago Fire owned by Gabriela Dawson, Christopher Herrmann, and Brian "Otis" Zvonecek provides a singular meet up for all shows typically at the end of each episode.

That's another thing I love about all these shows is that they are not just connected and crossover because they are located in Chicago, which is obviously one of of the reasons. There are relationships between characters on each show that gives an organic connection between shows that naturally has them overlap. Here are the connected relationships. Now it may get wordy and confusing but it works. Gabriela Dawson from Chicago Fire is the sister of Detective Antonio Dawson from Chicago P.D., Detective Jay Halstead from Chicago P.D. who is the brother of Will Halstead on Chicago Med, Trudy Platt from P.D. is now married to Randy "Mouch" McHolland from Fire, Kelley Severide from Fire was old school friends with April Sexton from Med and there are a couple other romantic pairings that crossover.

Anyway, this whole post probably just looks like a bunch of senseless babble but those two shows are my new obsessions and thought I'd share. I'm not looking forward to having to wait for new episodes but I'll get through it. I bought the DVDs to hold me over when I feel the need to watch. Internet is not always reliable ;). I really do recommend these shows if you're looking out for something new to watch.

Until next time! Peace, Love, and Hugs!