Chicago Burning! First look at NBC's upcoming Chicago Fire, Med and P.D. crossover

A raging inferno engulfs a Chicago residential high-rise, kicking off a seamless three-part crossover event for Dick Wolf’s NBC Chicago franchise on Oct. 3. The blaze pushes the firefighters of Chicago Fire, the doctors and nurses of Chicago Med, and the officers and detectives of Chicago P.D. to their limits as they fight to save lives. The blaze comes a week after each show’s season premiere on Sept. 26, but EW got the showrunners to “first respond” about the crossover here. (See what we did there?)

Chicago Fire (8 p.m. EST)

All hands are on deck at Firehouse 51 as an apartment-building fire spreads quickly, trapping people on the higher floors, including one whom the firefighters may already know. The heat is on for Taylor Kinney’s Severide (shown below), and showrunner Derek Haas says the blaze impacts each of the firefighters, putting many in harrowing situations that will see them cross onto Chicago Med. Also in the season, new commissioner Chief Grissom (Gary Cole) causes tensions for Severide and Boden (Eamonn Walker), and a new paramedic, played by Annie Ilonzeh, will bring a fresh dynamic to the tight-knit family. Meanwhile, Gabby Dawson’s (Monica Raymund) departure leaves both her husband, Matt (Jesse Spencer), and her partner, Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer), with “unresolved feelings, anger, and an inability to understand” her decision.

Chicago Med (9 p.m. EST)

The devastating fire leads us straight to the ER, where Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) races to save the life of a Chicago Fire member. In the exclusive image below, Med‘s Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) attends to Fire‘s Zvonecek (Yuri Sardarov). Co-showrunner Diane Frolov says Chicago Med delves into the “ethical questions in life-or-death situations.” The new season picks up after a two-month time jump and introduces a new batch of medical students — plus the reveal of whether Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) accepts Will Halstead’s (Nick Gehlfuss) proposal. Connor and Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling) have to assess their relationship after he’s offered the job of a lifetime, while April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta) and Dr. Choi (Brian Tee) face complications regarding his sister Emily (Arden Cho), a recovering drug addict. And a cast member will be leaving, teases co-showrunner Andy Schneider, adding that it’ll “surprise” viewers.

Chicago P.D. (10 p.m. EST)

As the Med docs fight to save lives, Chicago P.D.‘s Intelligence Unit jumps into action to track down the arsonist behind the blaze. Fire‘s Severide will have a large part in this episode, as will Med‘s Will Halstead, who will have to address a medical situation with his brother, Det. Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), showrunner Rick Eid teases. In the first look from the episode below, Fire’s Kinney and Eamonn Walker are seen with P.D.‘s Det. Halstead (Soffer), Voight (Jason Beghe), Dawson (Jon Seda), and Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). Season 6 picks up with the team still grieving the death of Olinsky (Elias Koteas). Anne Heche joins as the new deputy superintendent, while a romance blossoms between two characters “that we haven’t seen before,” Eid says.