The countdown to the 2026 One Chicago crossover is officially under way and anticipation is building among Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD fans!
This year’s annual crossover event will bring the three One Chicago shows together with a mystery that begins when Firehouse 51 responds to a call on an airfield connected to a missing passenger jet. Things quickly spiral as a bigger and deadlier mystery unravels with NBC teasing that the consequences “could ripple beyond the runway and put countless lives in jeopardy."
It’s going to be another all-hands on deck situation and it seems the cast for the crossover is quickly beginning to come together!
The first promo for the crossover event confirmed the inclusion of 10 key characters from the three shows, hinting that these particular characters might have large roles to play in the crossover. Among the characters featured in the promo were Chicago Fire’s Severide, Cruz, Herrmann, and Kidd; Chicago Med’s Frost, Ripley, and Lenox; and Chicago PD’s Voight, Upton, and Halstead.
Of that group, the return of Halstead and Upton has been the big talking point, and understandably so, as this will mark the first time fans will see both characters together on-screen since 2022. It also seems the pair will be playing a key part in the crossover, which is exciting and makes sense as there would be no point bringing them back only to feature the characters in a limited guest capacity.
In addition to this group of 10, behind-the-scenes photos from the Chicago PD cast reveal that we’ll also be seeing Burgess, Torres, and Imani in the crossover. The three characters are featured in a series of photos from the set celebrating the return of Upton and Halstead, which confirms fans will get to see them in some capacity within the crossover.
As for the final character who has been confirmed to appear? That would be Chief Pascal, who will be on-hand to assist with the case at the heart of the episode. Pascal’s involvement was confirmed in connection to reports announcing Dermot Mulroney will be taking a step back from Chicago Fire just after the crossover event, with his involvement in the crossover confirmed by Deadline.
It’s important to note that these are just the first 14 One Chicago characters confirmed to appear in the crossover and this list is expected to grow immensely in the days to come. Typically, we see nearly the entire cast of each show present for the crossover events with only a few characters missing in action during the crossovers. That is expected to be the case with the 2026 crossover, though there is a real possibility that we’re going to see a few characters sidelined.
We’re already anticipating that Tony will not appear in the episode after he was injured on the job in Chicago Fire season 14, episode 12. It was noted he’ll need at least a few weeks to recover, and unless there is a major time jump, which is not expected, Tony will likely still be recovering when the crossover rolls around.
It’s also looking like Ruzek will not appear in the crossover due to John Patrick Flueger’s leave of absence. There was a glimmer of hope when we saw Ruzek in the Super Bowl spot for the crossover, but his appearance ended up being old footage. Coupled with the fact that he’t not appeared in any of the new behind-the-scenes photos from the episode, it’s looking like Ruzek will not be back for the 2026 One Chicago crossover.
We’ll see who else misses the crossover as NBC begins to drop more promotional content such as new promos, photos, and synopsis information which will help to reveal the identities of additional characters who will definitely be a part of the crossover!