Which One Chicago series has the biggest problem to solve?

Does Chicago Fire, Chicago PD or Chicago Med have the biggest issue for their characters to fix going into the next One Chicago season?

All three One Chicago series were left in disarray for next season. The writers of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago PD all did an excellent job of screwing things up so that there are big questions that will draw viewers back this fall.

Many TV dramas end their seasons on a sad or confusing note—the cliffhanger has become an almost required part of modern TV, as shows will do anything to bring back fans for the next new episode. But the One Chicago franchise took that to another level with its season finales.

Each one of the finales featured at least one major plot twist that will change the show forever, and that’s not hyperbole. Whether it’s something that happened on-screen or the recent round of off-screen developments, every series has a big problem to deal with right now.

So who’s got it the worst? Which series has dug the biggest hole for its characters, and maybe even its writers, to get out of? Let’s evaluate the bumpy road ahead for each of the One Chicago shows, starting with:

Chicago Med

What’s gone wrong: Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) is clinging to life after being struck by a car in the hospital parking lot. Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett) has cancer. Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) and his ex Dr. Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling) will both have left by the time season 5 begins.

How bad is it: Obviously, the writers want audiences to be focused on Natalie and whether or not she’ll survive—but like many a One Chicago cliffhanger in the past, the odds are good that she’ll recover. There’s been no indication that Torrey DeVitto is leaving the show, and the idea doesn’t sound plausible either given that it would be taking another character away from a show that has already gotten rid of three series regulars in this past season alone.

Honestly, things on Chicago Med are a lot worse than one character’s car accident. What the fans, and maybe even the writers, may not have considered is how much trouble the hospital will be in because of the cast shuffling behind the scenes. Without Connor and Ava, the show has basically eliminated the cardiothoracic surgery department, and it’s down to one psychiatrist thanks to the season premiere writing out Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo).

What used to be a versatile series showing many facets of a hospital, is now basically focused on the Emergency Department. And then there’s the plot repercussions of that: What happens to the hybrid OR that so much money was spent on, without Connor there to run it? How big of a PR blow does the hospital take, since he was also the one that the hospital hyped up to get patients in the door? (Remember his magazine article, and then this season, the high-profile patient who came specifically requesting Dr. Rhodes.)

Will Ava’s various indiscretions ever come to light? If so, will they create a PR scandal that the hospital has to deal with? After all, she did confess to murdering a patient—who also happened to be part of the hospital board. That won’t go over well at the next board meeting.

Heather Headley, who portrays hospital chief operating officer Gwen Garrett, has just booked a new series. So if she’s unavailable, or if the show simply forgets about her character (which it does tend to drop plotlines), then what happens at the top? Does the hospital get a new COO? Do we just stop hearing about the hospital board and the money problems?

All of these things will (or at least should) have a major effect on the way the hospital is run next season, and they’re all because of cast developments—two of which were the producers’ choice. Chicago Med has to think carefully about what it’s doing, because next season it’s setting itself on a whole new adventure.