Chicago Fire

Starring: Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, David Eigenberg, Eamonn Walker, Charlie Barnett, Lauren German, & Teri Reeves

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

After twenty-five years and six Law & Order series, creator Dick Wolf, decided that it was time for a change. His latest idea centers around the heroes of Chicago, and what he did was basically take the show Third Watch, and split it up into three different TV series that interact with each other, on a semi-regular basis, with a fourth one coming later this year. Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and Chicago Justice, make up the new look of drama on NBC, and the ratings have been hotter than the show that started it all, Chicago Fire.

As I said the show, the story lines, and the realistic way that it's filmed are very reminiscent of Third Watch, which was one of my all-time favorite shows, however, by splitting, the Firemen, Police, and Medical personal into three shows, the story lines run deeper, and the characters and character development is much stronger. This is why Chicago Fire works and is the only real stand alone show about Firemen to actually last more than just a couple of seasons.

Every character, even the part-timers have story lines and there is a deep connection to everyone involved in the show, but the main focus of the show is on Jesse Spencer who plays Ben Casey, one of the two guys in charge out in the field. Casey is very by the book and believes in the system, although that faith is tested on a regular basis. The other main focus is Taylor Kinney who plays Kelly Severide, who is the complete opposite of Casey. He will do anything to save lives and get to the bottom of a situation and the rule book be damned! The dynamic often causes conflict and causes people to choose sides, which further lends to the drama of the show.

The one negative I have is with how believable the stories are. Obviously it's a TV show and Hollywood is going to take it's liberties. The firemen are going to do things that are impossible and take risks that no one would ever take or survive if they did, but my issue is with things like the time. Someone will be injured and we'll be told they need months of rehab and could be out a year. The captain will talk about not having the money for a replacement and having to work short handed, putting the other men at risk. Then the very next episode, the injured man is back at work and cleared for duty. The actor doesn't even miss a couple of episodes, he's back the very next week. I don't know about you, but things like that bother me. Another timeline issue is involved with the crossover cameos, which don't always line-up. For example, Severide was involved in a Chicago P.D. matter, that was serious, and involved his whole family, but at the same time, there was no mention of it on Chicago Fire and it was business as usual? 

Obvious timeline issues aside, the action is fantastic, the story lines are gripping, the actors and actresses are as hot and exciting as the fires they are fighting, and there is a reason this is a top ten show. If you haven't started your journey into the heroes of Chicago, start at the very beginning with Chicago Fire Season 1, you won't be sorry.