One Chicago actors who are headed to new shows next season

Charlie Barnett

Charlie Barnett’s career has been on a very fast rise since he was let go from Chicago Fire as the team’s then-newest firefighter, Peter Mills. Over the last two years in particular, he’s been going from project to project, and so it was no surprise when he was also snapped up during the newest pilot season.

The One Chicago alum has landed a series regular role in Ordinary Joe, which follows parallel timelines in the life of one man (played by Mad Men and Zoo actor James Wolk) based on a key choice that he makes. Barnett is playing Wolk’s character’s best friend, though if he’ll appear in all of the timelines or just one or two of them remains to be seen. At least it sounds like he’ll have a lot of screen time.

Of all the pilots that have been announced so far, this series is one of the best. For those not in the know, Wolk is a pretty darn good actor, and the idea of him sharing the screen with Barnett is an appealing one; the two should work well together. Plus, the concept could be great if it’s handled right; does anyone remember a little movie called Sliding Doors that starred Gwyneth Paltrow and remains one of the great romantic comedies of all time?

Perhaps the best part of his casting is that Ordinary Joe is intended for NBC, so if the network does go forward with the project, Barnett will be back on the same network where he had his breakout role with Chicago Fire.