The countdown to the return of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD is officially on, and we’ve reached yet another milestone in the journey to their returns!
With the One Chicago shows’ return dates now about a month out, NBC has officially kicked off its promotional efforts, which have begun with the release of the first promo for the new seasons. One Chicago fans were quick to take notice when NBC began airing a new spot during its primetime programming blocks this week, teasing the return of One Chicago Wednesdays starting on October 7 with the season premieres of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD.
As is often the case with the first promos for the new seasons, NBC relied entirely on old footage for the promo and recycled footage from Chicago Fire season 14, Chicago Med season 11, and Chicago PD season 13. Across the brief promo, we see clips from some of last season’s biggest moments with clips featuring several of the franchise’s biggest characters, with Kidd, Severide, Goodwin, and Voight serving as the core focal points for the promo, which you can watch below.
Stella being featured in the new promo, I know that’s right!#ChicagoFire #ChicagoMed #ChicagoPD #OneChicago pic.twitter.com/NDwZLCt5nt
— Georgia (@georgiaxbov) August 27, 2026
While it’s always disappointing not to get new footage in the first promo for the new season, there is reason to get excited.
When NBC begins airing the One Chicago Wednesdays return promos, such as the newly released one for the 2026 seasons, it’s a sign that we’re in the home stretch of the hiatus. They are always the first major piece of promotional material NBC unveils and serve as the kickoff for the network’s promotional campaigns for the new seasons of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD.
Now that the first promo is out, the countdown is on for the next wave of promotional materials. The second item we typically see NBC release after the first promo is key art for each show as well as a new One Chicago franchise graphic. This key art always gives us a hint of what’s to come and can also give us our first official look at new additions to the casts.
After the key art drops, it’s not long before we get a second promo that features new footage from the premieres and gives fans their first proper look at what’s to come in the new episodes. These promos tend to release a few weeks out from the premiere date, which means we’ll likely see them start to pop up on NBC in mid-September. And that leads up to the final piece of promotional material for the premieres: new episodic photos!
The release of the premiere photos is always the big closing moment for the promotional efforts, and those photos never fail to give fans plenty of things to talk about. Episodic photos not only give fans the chance to see their favorite characters but also typically offer up hints of what's to come, with NBC being known for serving up some minor and major spoilers via the photo drops.
So while the first promo circulating on NBC might not give us a new look at the seasons ahead, it’s the sign that the promotional campaign for Chicago Fire season 15, Chicago Med season 12, and Chicago PD season 14 has officially begun and that One Chicago fans are in store for a wave of new materials in the weeks ahead!
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