If you love Chicago Fire, these are more shows like it for fans of firefighting drama!
Since 2012, Chicago Fire has been a mainstay for NBC. The kickoff of the One Chicago universe still enthralls viewers by balancing exciting emergencies with strong characters. Fans love to watch these firemen (and women) risking their lives while bonding as friends and romances.
There have been some shows like it, and many are quite similar to Chicago Fire. They can use the same thrills and drama while others focus more on the characters. A few stand out for their setting and even a light-hearted tone. For any fan of Chicago Fire, these nine shows are just the thing to fire up your TV binges!
911
This is a pretty obvious choice for another show like Chicago Fire. This hit show, which started on Fox and then moved to ABC, is known for some truly wild events. The pack of firefighters has handled every disaster imaginable: tsunamis, earthquakes, blackouts, plane crashes, the cruise ship sinking, and even a “bee-nado.” That’s mixed with smaller but fun storylines.
The cast is stellar, with Peter Krause, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and more. The character work is outstanding (especially the episodes flashing back to the lives of the firefighters) and gets better as the show goes on. The big-budget disasters draw you in while the characters make you stay, so it’s no wonder this firefighting series has become such a monster hit.
Streaming on Hulu
911: Lone Star
Once you’ve gotten through the regular 911, enjoy the spinoff, which just wrapped up its five-season run. Like the main 911, Lone Star also has its share of crazy disasters that fit into the Texas setting (such as a three-parter set during the 2022 winter storms). It also has the same fine character work and terrific cast.
Rob Lowe has a fine job as the commander battling depression, cancer, and more. It’s also great seeing the cast shift and grow, with Gina Torres providing a nice spark when she joins in season 2. While fans would wish the show was continuing, it had a good wrap-up and showed how the 911 franchise could spread to various states.
Streaming on Hulu
Station 19
Another show fans wish had gone longer, this Grey’s Anatomy spinoff was pretty connected to that series. In fact, it helps to be a Grey’s fan as there are regular crossovers and connections to the other shows, yet Station 19 can stand on its own well. The Seattle setting gives the firefighters good emergencies to handle amid the usual steamy hookups you’d expect from a Shonda Rhimes show.
The series has some very dramatic moments and the fire emergencies are always gripping. It doesn’t shy away from the psychological toll it takes on the team and a splendid heart to it. It’s more than worth a watch for Chicago Fire fans, as the romances provide more heat than the fires.
Streaming on Hulu
Fire Country
This CBS hit has a different take on the fire procedural. It’s set in a small California town where a pack of convicts are given the opportunity to work off their sentences by aiding the firefighters in emergencies. Among them is Bode (Max Thieriot), who left his hometown years ago and got into trouble. He has to handle this rough homecoming, not helped by how his parents are the local fire chiefs.
The setting helps the show stand out with the raging forest fires mixed with storms and other disasters (including a local fair gone awry). It’s a good tale of redemption, not just for Bode but for others, with some good romances and strong character work. Its current third season is continuing its strong run and any Chicago Fire fan should check out this hit too.
Fire Country Seasons 1-2 streaming on Paramount+ and Netflix, Season 3 airs Fridays at 10/9c on CBS.
Third Watch
It’s strange that a show that ran six seasons and 132 episodes isn’t that well known. This NBC drama focused on the firefighters, cops, and paramedics who share the same area in New York City. It was basically the One Chicago shows combined into one, with the characters mingling amid the various calls and emergencies. As you can imagine, New York has plenty of disasters for the firefighters to handle.
A powerful arc has the firemen dealing with 9/11 and its aftermath. The show has several now-familiar actors, such as Bobby Cannavale, Kim Raver, Michael Beach, Eddie Cibrian, and more. It’s really a template for what the One Chicago shows would become and any fan of those shows will love this drama too.
Streaming on Tubi and Prime Video
Emergency!
This 1972-77 drama was the groundbreaker for emergency dramas. Set in Los Angeles, it focused on a pair of young paramedic-firemen handling various emergencies, big and small. It balanced their tales with the hospital staff, with new characters coming and going. The show was one of the first to address then-modern life-saving methods and more exciting than shows of the time.
The series can be surprisingly good for modern viewers, and it’s fun to see how the show brings in new recurring characters to spice things up. Plus, you never know when a future face like a young John Travolta will pop up and make this show a retro blast for Fire fans.
Streaming on Peacock.
Rescue Me
The actual firefighting scenes on this FX drama aren’t as plentiful as on Chicago Fire. But it’s a stunning study of the long-term mental and emotional damage this life does to firemen. Denis Leary has his best-ever role as Tommy Gavin, a New York fire captain who still bears the scars of 9/11. His fellow firemen also deal with the fallout of the event and the series is remarkable in how these guys are self-destructive even as they help others.
The series is quite dark at times and doesn’t hold back in showing how terrible its main character can be. Yet it also explores the bravery of these firemen and what drives them to keep risking their lives. The terrific cast makes it work so if you want more about the firemen than the actual fires, this show is worth the watch.
Streaming on Hulu
Tacoma FD
Shifting to comedy, this truTV series is set in Tacoma, Washington. The joke is that Tacoma is known as one of the wettest cities in America, meaning there are not many fires. So the local firefighting team spends their time on local antics while clowning around the firehouse while the chief keeps wanting them to be serious.
It’s all played for laughs and the series has lots of them, especially when the chief’s daughter joins the team and shows she’s even more slovenly and wild than the guys. The four-season run has some heart, yet it’s the comedy that pulls you in, and it's nice to see some good laughs with the material.
Streaming on Netflix
London’s Burning
You think Chicago Fire has run long? This British series ran a whopping 14 seasons and 172 episodes, which is massive by British TV standards. That means a lot of drama to enjoy on the adventures of a pack of London firemen. The best part is seeing how things change in both technology and British society from 1998 to 2003.
The series addresses issues of race, class, and the political/cultural shifts in England. It’s also interesting to see the different procedures and rules they have as well as how London’s age makes some buildings riskier than others. It’s a strong show that may be a long binge but worth it to see how the British handle these disasters.
Streaming on Tubi
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.