Chicago crossover: high stakes, strong emotions

NBC’s post-Olympic push hits a peak Wednesday (March 4).
That’s when all three Chicago shows mold into one high-stakes, high-octane night (shown here). The result — even with some scattered flaws — is compelling.
Fresh from high ratings for the Winter Olympics, the network wanted to keep the momentum. The first week, that meant launching “The Voice” on a Monday, with a quick rerun on Wednesday. The Chicago shows would have to wait a week.
But now they make a big return. Ostensibly, there are three hours here — “Chicago Fire” at 8 p.m., “Chicago Med” at 9 and “Chicago P.D.” at 10. In truth, they all fit together, with characters from each show in each hour.
The “Fire” people are first, rushing to the airport for a possible crash. Soon, the “Med” people are involved, dealing with mysterious effects. And the “P.D.” people have to find who’s responsible and prevent something bigger.
It’s a story that involves everyone … plus a few people who have been gone.
Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Sofer) and Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakas) were “P.D.” colleagues who married in late 2021. He left a year later for a long undercover job in Bolivia. She divorced him and left the show at the end of the 2023-24 season.
But now the case separately tugs them back (they’re shown here) … and gives the night its strongest emotional core.
Yes, there are flaws along the way, including two cliches:
— The onlooker who keeps griping to the doctors. In this case, oddly, it’s another doctor, Archer (Steven Weber).
— And the official who keeps saying no. This time, it’s an FBI guy who takes it to absurd extremes.
There are also some things that needed explanation and some open holes. At one point, for instance, Halstead is way to slow to give chase.
But flaws and all, this is a fast-paced night, drenched in risk and emotion. NBC continues its post-Olympic high.