The biggest One Chicago event to date aired on March 4, bringing together the casts of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago P.D. for a three-hour thriller. The crossover featured a silent passenger jet, a nerve agent attack, and the long-awaited return of Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey Upton and Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead . The showrunners sat down with multiple outlets to explain how they pulled off the most ambitious crossover in franchise history.
How the Showrunners Topped Themselves With the Plane Story
Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman admitted the airplane stunt seemed impossible at first. “I did not think it was possible,” she told Deadline. “On every prep call leading up to it, I was like, ‘Guys, we can’t do a plane. It’s impossible’” . The crew filmed in -10 degree weather at a Chicago airport to capture the emergency landing.
The logline for the event set the tone: Firehouse 51 responds to a passenger jet that goes silent mid-air, only to discover everyone on board dead from a chemical weapon . Chicago P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan explained that unlike past crossovers, this one incident “continues throughout the three hours” with characters from all three shows “very intertwined” .
Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald praised the writing team of Victor Teran, Meridith Friedman, and Edgar Castillo. “The three of them basically function as their own little writers’ room,” he said .
Upstead Returns: Reuniting Upton and Halstead
The return of Upton and Halstead became the emotional center of the crossover. Wolf Entertainment president Peter Jankowski first suggested bringing back the legacy characters. “He was like, ‘What if we bring back some legacy characters and make it a big splashy story?’ And it worked,” Sigan recalled .
For Jesse Lee Soffer, the answer was an “instant yes” when he got the call . Tracy Spiridakos shared similar excitement about returning to see where the characters landed .
Upton returned as an FBI Special Agent based in Detroit, working a drug task force . Halstead had been undercover in South America tracking the same drug operation. Their reunion carried the weight of years apart, ghosting, and divorce papers.
The showrunners wanted to provide closure. “We wanted them to be on screen together, talking about some of what had happened all these years ago, and for us to see that they’re also different people now,” Sigan explained .
The episode ended with Halstead apologizing. “I’m sorry for all of it. I lost myself here, on this team, this city, and I’m sorry I couldn’t find my way back,” he told Upton . She accepted, and they went for drinks.
Spiridakos told PEOPLE the ending leaves room for interpretation. “I think it opened the door to further conversations. But I don’t think it was a, ‘Okay. All is forgiven’”.
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Voight and Pascal’s Shared History Revealed
The crossover revealed a hidden connection between Voight (Jason Beghe) and Chief Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) dating back to the Heart of Chicago fire in 2001 . Voight had asked Pascal and another chief to delay a fire inspection for two days so he could catch meth dealers. The building burned the next day, killing 22 people .
“That was fun…last season, when we did the crossover, you had this moment where they said hello, and it was this very loaded moment,” Newman said. “And it kind of informed some of this” .
The flashbacks showed young Voight saving a boy from the fire—the same boy who grew up to become the villain targeting first responders in the crossover .
Halstead noticed the change in his former boss. “You’re different,” he told Voight . Sigan explained: “When Halstead left, maybe three or four years ago, Voight was in a very different place… For Halstead, he’s seeing a different side of him” .
Pascal’s Sacrifice and What Comes Next
Pascal defied FBI orders to enter a burning apartment and retrieve a hard drive with critical evidence. He slipped the drive to Mouch before federal agents arrested him .
“He was the outsider,” Newman said. “He came in the outsider, and he lost his wife, and 51 rallied around him, and he became an insider… So now he makes this ultimate sacrifice for the good of not just 51, but for the good of Voight” .
Pascal received a text at the end reading “Call me when you’re out,” suggesting consequences ahead . Dermot Mulroney is scheduled for a hiatus, leaving his character’s future uncertain .
The Heartbreaking Death of Macy
The crossover claimed one life from Firehouse 51. Macy (Carlita Tucker) , the first graduate of Kidd’s Girls on Fire program, died from toxin exposure .
“Macy was the first candidate from Girls on Fire to go into the academy, and then come out as a firefighter,” Newman noted. “She’s very symbolic for Kidd” . Macy’s mother had told Kidd at graduation, “This is on you. Whatever happens is on you” .
MacDonald pointed to a scene where Dr. Charles tells Stella about Macy’s death as one of his favorites. “That’s just a very powerful scene. And I think that is one of the strengths of these crossovers”.
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Cruz, Novak, and Capp Face Deadly Exposure
Three firefighters ended up in isolation at Med after exposure to the nerve agent. Cruz (Joe Miñoso) , Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) , and Capp (Randy Flagler) all fought for their lives while doctors scrambled for an antidote .
Newman explained the choice to put Cruz in danger: “Cruz, he’s got this family life that we’ve seen grow. I mean, the great thing about all these shows is the history that we have that is kind of baked into all this” .
For Novak, the crisis brought her estranged siblings to her bedside thanks to a call from Frost. “The big gesture was problematic in some ways,” Newman said. “Both of them have come out of it with a renewed focus on other people” .
Also Read: Firehouse 51 Faces a Plane Full of Victims in Intense Chicago Fire Crossover Start
Archer and Asher Face Parenthood Pressure
Dr. Archer (Steven Weber) and Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) clashed when Hannah insisted on entering a contaminated ambulance to save a dying patient while pregnant with their child .
“We wanted to really put pressure underneath them because they’re basically friends that slept together one time, and they’re having a baby because of that, and they’re trying to maintain that friendship rather than venture into a romantic relationship,” MacDonald explained .
The baby survived, but MacDonald warned: “There’s always stress during a One Chicago pregnancy. I can’t promise you how that’s all going to turn out”.
What the Showrunners Tease for the Future
The fallout from the crossover will continue across all three shows. Newman confirmed they are doing an episode with a featured actor who isn’t a regular cast member who was particularly affected, “and that kind of renews all of the feelings that they have about the crossover” .
For Voight, “the emotional fallout continues through this season,” Sigan said. “It hits this nice place of our season where Voight’s dealing with this idea of roots, and where you came from” .
As for Upstead, the door remains open. “Anything is possible,” Sigan said when asked about what happens after that drink at Molly’s .
Stream every One Chicago episode on Peacock to catch up before the next wave of episodes hits NBC.
