DVD/TV Series Review: Chicago Med: Season 3

 

++++Warning, this will contain season 2 spoilers, but no big giveaways from season 3++++

The 20-episode third season of Chicago Med aired during the 2017/2018 TV season. The season starts off a bit weak (in my opinion), mainly in the resolution of Dr. Charles' shooting. It picked up months down the line with his shooter on trial. That storyline is wrapped up fairly quickly, but the aftermath of it really reverberates throughout the season, affecting Sarah and her relationship with Dr. Charles. Toward the end of the season, Sarah's estranged father is introduced, and he ends up being involved in one of the multiple cliffhangers that ended the season. All of the main characters/actors return for the season. Norma Kuhling is upgraded to a series regular this season, and there are several recognizable recurring and guest stars this season, including Malcolm McDowell, Corbin Bleu, Mekia Cox, and Gregory Alan Williams. There is no "one-Chicago" this season with the other shows, Fire and PD, but several of the cast members from the other shows do appear on Med throughout the season.

The DVD set is a five-disc set. There is no behind-the-scenes material, deleted scenes, gag reels, etc. The only difference between this and a MOD set is that you get closed captions. So, if you only get discs when there are a lot of extras available, you may just want to stick with streaming this one. Ultimately, the show continues to be strong. It does have a soap opera element to it with the various relationships, but the show did a good job again to not make the relationships the focus of the show. Some of the storylines from last season were completely tied up, and others led to ongoing story arcs this season. I will not spoil any for those who have not seen it, but I think much like ER was able to do (for a lot of its run anyway), Med keeps the focus on the hospital and treating patients and then weaves in things about the character's personal lives and relationships. I still would not say Med is as good as the early seasons of ER, but it is the closest to the overall feel of that show I have seen since ER went off the air.

DVD/TV Series Review: Chicago Med: Season 2

 

The second season of Chicago Med follows the same format as season 1. It is mostly a case-of-the-week procedural show in which one or two big cases come through the emergency department, with smaller cases interspersed throughout the episodes to give all the characters some screen time. There are also storylines that play out throughout the course of the season, mostly involving the personal or professional lives of the characters, which is when the show can get a bit soap operaish. Some of the character dynamics shift in season two with Reece (Rachel DiPillo) joining Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) in psychiatry as a resident, Dr. Choi (Brian Tee) is now the chief emergency resident, which results in some tension with Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss), and Dr. Rhodes (Colin Donnel) gets a new boss with whom he immediately clashes with. Dr. Rhodes also starts seeing Dr. Charles' daughter, Robyn, played by Mekia Cox, which causes all sorts of issues throughout the season. 

The DVD set just has the 23 episodes spread across six discs. There are no extras or special features at all. Also, there is no big crossover this season with the other One-Chicago shows, but characters from both Chicago PD and Chicago Fire do appear in smaller cameo or guest-starring roles throughout the season.

The show continues to be strong in its second season. Like ER (which to me, is the standard by which all medical dramas should be compared), it mostly focuses on the medical cases, but as I said above, it can get a bit soap operaish. The writing and acting are both strong and the writers do a good job of giving the large ensemble cast material to work with. The season ends on a very large cliffhanger that will undoubtedly reverberate going into season three. So, if you liked season 1, then it is definitely worth sticking with the show in season two.

DVD/TV Series Review: Chicago Med: Season One

 

Chicago Med was, in 2015, the newest addition to the Chicago-based shows (spun off from Chicago Fire) produced by Dick Wolf, who also produced the Law and Order franchise of shows. For those who already watching Chicago Fire and PD, Med got a backdoor pilot in season 3 of Chicago Fire, and Nick Gehlfuss' character, Dr. Will Halstead, who is the brother of Jay Halstead on PD, made a couple of appearances on that show before Med officially premiered.

The show is a pretty standard medical drama that has, mostly, a case-of-the-week format, in which one or two major medical cases come through the hospital, and then also focused on character development. The main cast included Colin Donnell (from Arrow) as Dr. Connor Rhodes, Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning, Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton (who had a past with Severide on Chicago Fire), Rachel DiPillo as Sarah Reese (a medical student working in the emergency department), Brian Tee as Dr. Ethan Choi, S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin, Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood (the head nurse for the emergency department), and Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles (the head of psychiatry). Tee and Merkerson are interesting additions to the cast that created continuity issues (not that Wolf's shows have been big on continuity) as they had played other characters (Merkerson on Law and Order, and Tee who played a bad guy on PD the season before) in the same universe. Of course, the Law and Order shows were established to be in the same universe of shows as the Chicago-based shows via the crossovers between Fire, PD, and SVU. While the show did a good job telling its own stories, it was a part of the three-episode crossover with Fire and PD, and characters from the other two shows made short appearances throughout the season.

For those who get the DVD set, the 18 episodes of the first season are spread across five discs. The only extras are the episodes from Fire and PD that made up the three-episode crossover, so if you did not watch the other shows, you could see the entire storyline of the crossover. There are no other extras like behind-the-scenes features, deleted scenes, or the like.

Overall, the show is very good. If you are someone like me, who only started watching the show because you like medical dramas, and did not watch the other Chicago-based shows, it is enjoyable as just a medical drama. If, however, you are a fan of the other shows, you can enjoy the crossovers and mini-crossovers throughout the season. For me, pretty much all medical dramas stack up against ER. While I would not say that Med is as good as ER, it is still very good (the name of the Hospital from ER is even named-dropped in Med). It does have a bit of soap-operaishness to it with romance storylines (although not as much in the first season as it would have in later seasons), but it mainly focuses on the medical storylines. It is well-written and acted, and definitely worth checking out.

DVD/TV Series Review: Chicago Fire Season 2

 

Season two of Chicago Fire follows the procedural story-of-the-week format but also interweaves several story arcs that span through at least a portion of the season. At the beginning of the season, Casey is involved in a storyline with the widow of the firefighter killed in the pilot episode, and trying to help her care for her children, and Severide beings investigating a series of arsons that fit a disturbing pattern. Molly's bar is one of the big "b stories" that run throughout the season with Hermann, Dawson, Joe, and Otis struggling to keep it afloat. This is also the first season with an official crossover with Chicago PD, which began its first season as an official spin-off of Fire. Of course, some of the characters from PD were introduced in season one of the Fire, and there was even a backdoor pilot episode for PD toward the end of season one, but this season had the first official two-part episode with PD that had a plotline that was clearly a twist on a combination of the Boston Marathon bombing and the Oklahoma City bombing. The season ends on a massive cliffhanger with nearly every character in peril during a warehouse fire.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras are pretty much the same as with the season one release. Each episode gets a behind-the-scenes featurette. Most of them run for 2-3 minutes and some are a bit longer. The pilot episode of Chicago PD and the second part of the two-show crossover are included, and then there is a web series entitled "I am a firefighter" featuring mostly the "b characters".

Overall, the show is well-written and acted, and has a good mix of action and drama with some humor (not exactly comedy) mixed in as well. The characters continue to be developed well and the large ensemble cast is juggled fairly well (although the cast is clearly broken into main characters and supporting characters). If you liked season one, then there is a good chance you will like this one as well. On the other hand, if the first season did not do much for you (or you straight up did not like it), then this season is probably not going to change your mind about the show.

DVD/TV Series Review: Chicago Fire Season One

 

Chicago Fire was at the time it premiered, in 2012, the newest entry into the massive Wolf production machine which includes the various installments of the Law and Order Franchise. This involved a Firehouse in Chicago, Firehouse 51, and revolved around the members of the truck crew, headed by Jesse Spencer's character Lieutenant Matthew Casey, the rescue squad crew, headed by Taylor Kinney's character as Lieutenant Kelly Severide, and the Ambulance unit, headed by Monica Raymund's Gabriella Dawson. The show was mostly an episodic case/accident of the week kind of show intertwined with the lives of the various characters in the firehouse. In many episodes, there were several minor accidents the crew had to deal with and then one major accident. The show starts out with an accident that kills a member of the firehouse and causes tension between Casey and Severide that lasts for part of the season. The show does a great job with character development and does more than just make the show about the accidents/action and nothing else. It really makes the audience care about the characters, which definitely helps when they are put into life and death situations, which happens often (as you can imagine). The show has a strong main and recurring cast including Lauren German, Charlie Barnett, Eamonn Walker, and David Eigenberg. The show also introduces characters played by Jon Seda, Jason Beghe, and LaRoyce Hawkins, who would later become a part of the spin-off show Chicago PD, in a story arc that runs throughout a good chunk of the season.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include several behind-the-scenes featurettes of varying length, but mostly in the 3-4 minute range, and then a series of in-character podcasts by Otis (played by Yuri Sardarov). So, if you like going through the bonus material, there is quite a bit there.

Overall, the show is a good mix of action and drama with a little bit of humor mixed in. It juggles the large ensemble cast well and really does a good job developing the characters which is crucial for a procedural drama. It is well-written and very well acted, so if you are a fan of story-of-the-week procedural shows, this is definitely worth checking out.

DVD Review: Chicago Med Season 6

 

Season six was a shortened season (just 16 episodes) due to the covid-lockdown and the fact that all of the shows started production later in the year than they normally did. As you can imagine, the covid pandemic is front and center in the overall series arc this season. The first episode was especially covid-centric (we even find out that Doctor Charles contracted covid during the hiatus), but it was always in the background throughout the entire season. The show mostly stayed out of the political debate but did make references to people thinking it was a hoax, and references to misinformation and the like. The first few episodes also tied up the storyline with Dr. Charle's ex-wife and younger daughter Anna that was not able to be resolved at the end of last season, and then went on to the current season's storylines.

There is more cast turnover this season, with the addition of Steven Webber as Dr. Archer, who has a past with Dr. Choi coming into the ED. Also, as most people likely know, two original characters left the show at the end of the season. The show basically found a way to write out one of the characters and kind of left the fate of the other character in limbo as a part of the cliffhanger in the season finale. I will not spoil which characters/actors it was, but I will say I think that each deserved a bit better sendoff than the finale gave them. Although, I know one of the actors came back in the Season Seven premiere to have their story arc resolved (akin to how the Connor and Ava storyline extended from the Season Four finale into the Season Five premiere). 

Overall, the show remains good, although I would say not as good as in the first couple of seasons. It has definitely gotten a bit more soap-opera-ish over time and has doctors making very questionable decisions that probably (hopefully) are not made in real life. Oliver Platt continues to be the stand out in my opinion, although Brian Tee did a great job with his character's increased role this season. There are no extras on the DVD at all. There was no big "One Chicago" crossover this year (although characters from Fire and PD did make cameo appearances as happens every season), so the usual crossover episodes from the other shows that appear as DVD extras were not there. So, really, the only reason to get this DVD set is if you really prefer physical discs to streaming or if you want to keep an existing collection complete. 

DVD Review: Chicago PD Season 8

 

The 8th season was the first season of the show post-covid lockdown. So, the season had to finish up the storyline that was ending season seven, involving Kevin and the shooting involving the racist cop, and the fallout from that. Of course, while the show was off the air, the George Floyd killing and all of the protests that resulted from it occurred, so the show made that, and the whole BLM movement a focus of the show (at least early on). Once they were a few episodes in and the storyline involving Kevin was resolved, that started to be pushed more into the background, but was still a theme throughout the rest of the season. The good thing is that the show presented the issue from both the protestor's perspective and the police's perspective so it was not force-feeding any particular viewpoint. 

This season only had 16 episodes because they started shooting later in the year than normal, and there was no big "One Chicago" crossover with the other shows, although characters from Fire and Med did appear in a couple of episodes as has usually been the case. The show follows the same kind of format that it has from the beginning, mixing the "case of the week" stories with larger arcs. The show continues to do great character development with all of the characters. A big focus this season was Upton continuing to spiral toward becoming the next Voight, and Voight trying to prevent that. There is no life or death cliffhanger ending this season, but the season ends with more sketchy conduct that will have repercussions going into next season.

The DVD set does not have any extras this season. It is just a MOD set that has captions. In the past handful of seasons, the only extras on the DVDs have been the crossover episodes from the other shows, but since there was no crossover this year, this just has the 16 episodes and nothing else. So, the only reason to get this over streaming it is if you have an existing collection you want to maintain or you just prefer the physical discs to streaming. 

Overall, the show continues to be very good. The writing and acting are great. Most of the characters (aside from Platt) got at least one centric episode during the season. There was more cast turnover this year as the character of Rojas was not brought back and was not really replaced with a new team member. I do think it helps the show to have a slightly smaller ensemble cast, however, and there was no significant drop-off because of it. 

DVD Review: Chicago Fire Season 9

 

Season Nine of Chicago Fire was the first post-covid lockdown season. So, it is a shortened season (just 16 episodes) because they started filming later in the year, and was a bit uneven because they had to tie up some of the storylines from the last season (most notably Stella taking the Leuitenant exam) then transition to the new season's storylines. There was really no tidy send-off for Foster beyond what we saw at the end of Season Eight when she decided to re-enroll in school. We do find out that she is working in a covid ward, but that is it. Of course, that means we get new paramedic(s) on 61. So yes, there is more cast turnover this year. The show also is playing up the "will they, won't they" between Brett and Casey, teasing them getting together and throwing obstacles in the way. There is no big "One Chicago" crossover this year with all of the shows, probably because of wanting to limit covid exposure between the various cast and crews of each show, but there were instances where characters from PD and Med made short cameos in an episode or two. 

Overall, the storylines this season were good, but as I said, a bit uneven. The show did not make the pandemic a focus (like Chicago Med does), but it is something that looms in the background. I did think the showrunners could not make up their mind with whom to cast as the new paramedic, which hurt the show a bit. I will not spoil anything for those who have not seen it, but I think the show could have handled that storyline and the characters better. Of course, there is a cliffhanger that leaves the fates of some of the cast members in a life-threatening situation as they fade to black, but this year it is not the entire cast in danger. The DVD set is just a MOD set, with no extras (but it does have English closed-captions), so unless you want the physical discs because you are maintaining a collection or just prefer discs to streaming, you do not get anything additional over streaming the episodes.

DVD Review: Chicago PD Season 7

 

The seventh season of Chicago PD sees more upheaval for the show, both in terms of cast turnover and from a storyline standpoint for the characters. As most are aware, Jon Seda was not brought back for season seven, and the show basically uses the season six storyline as a way to write him out. We also find out whether or not Voight killed Kelton (you can probably guess, but I will not spoil it for those who don't know how it turned out). The show does wrap up the season six dangling storylines pretty early on in the season, then the show gets into the arcs for the new season. The show gains a new cast member to essentially replace Jon Seda. Lisseth Chavez joins the team as Vanessa Rojas who was pulled out of the academy for an undercover assignment, then ended up with Intelligence, much like Ruzek joined the team. Hailey ends up taking her under her wing while butting heads with Voight along the way. Jay ends up with a story arc that plays out over the course of a few episodes, as does Kim and Ruzek. The season ends with a major storyline involving Kevin. Because the season ended early due to the covid lockdown, the show does not really end on a cliffhanger this season, just sets up a larger story arc. There are two crossovers this season. The first was the large "One Chicago" crossover with Med and Fire. That one ended up being a bit prophetic given the Covid outbreak that would hit a few months later. The second was a smaller crossover with Chicago Fire about 2/3 of the way into the season.

For those who get the DVD, there are no bonus features other than the episodes from the other shows that were a part of the crossovers. So, you can watch all the crossover episodes without switching discs (assuming you have the other shows on DVD too). So, if you are one who only gets the DVDs when there are a lot of behind-the-scenes or commentary tracks, the only reason to get this is if you have the prior season sets and want to complete your collection.

Overall, the season was very good. The writing and acting are still very strong, and pretty much every one of the main characters got some good material to work with this season. If you have been a fan of the prior seasons this one is definitely worth checking out. You definitely do not want to jump into this season without seeing the prior seasons because you will be missing some important character development and there are definitely some things that occurred in the prior seasons that impact this season. 

DVD Review: Chicago Fire Season 8

 

+++Minor Spoiler ahead+++

Season eight starts off where season seven ended, with everyone inside the mattress factory. That fire has a big impact on the season, both because of a character's death, (chances are most people reading this know who, but I will not spoil it) that reverberates throughout the season, but is also incorporated into another episode later in the season.

The show continues juggling storylines that so every character (even Capp this year) has major involvement in at least one episode. It also saw the return of Gabby for an episode, with Monica Raymund making a guest appearance. The big "One Chicago" crossover occurs early in the season, with a storyline about a weaponized bacteria that would be somewhat prophetic once Covid broke out. Then, later in the season, there is another crossover episode with just Chicago PD. The season was a bit shorter (just 20 episodes) because production was shut down early because of the pandemic. As a result, the show did not end on any real kind of cliffhanger. The season finale ended pretty much just like a normal episode but did leave one of the characters at a bit of a crossroads. 

Again, as has been the case with the past few season releases, the only extras are the Chicago Med and PD episodes that were part of the crossovers. There are no behind-the-scenes features or anything like that. So, unless you are completing a collection (or just really prefer physical media to streaming) there is no reason to get this on disc if you are a person who usually only gets the physical discs when there is a lot of bonus material to watch.

Overall, the season is very good. The show does a good job keeping the storylines entertaining and giving all the actors something to work with. The acting and writing continue to be very good, and there are definitely some emotional punches this season. So, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons of the show, it is definitely worth checking out. 

DVD Review: Chicago PD Season Six

 

+++Warning, spoilers from the prior season ahead+++

Season six of Chicago PD starts out shortly after the events of the season five finale. Intelligence is dealing with the fallout of Olinski's death, and Voight is suspended pending an investigation of the shooting of the suspect who ordered Olinski to be killed. That storyline is wrapped up fairly early in the season, and then the show continues with pretty much the same format as it has used in the prior seasons. That is, mostly case-of-the-week with larger story arcs intertwined. The season introduces two new characters to act as foils for Intelligence, Deputy Superindent Katherine Brennan, played by Anne Heche, and Superintendent Brian Kelton, played by John C. McGinley (who also has Mayoral aspirations). Of course, there are crossovers with the other shows (Chicago Fire and Chicago Med) that occur during the season (the big, three-show crossover occurring early in the season) and a smaller crossover with just Chicago Fire later in the season. And, apart from the crossovers characters from Fire and Med make cameo appearances throughout the season. 

Overall, the season is very good. Each of the characters gets at least one episode that is centered on them, with Antonio getting an extended storyline that directly ties into the mild cliffhanger that occurs at the end of the season, and creates big problems for Ruzek and Voight. The writing and acting continue to be very good, and all the actors have the chance to give standout performances during the season. The cliffhanger at the end of the season is not as immediately dire as some of the cliffhangers for Chicago Fire have been with all the characters in a life and death situation but definitely sets up what will clearly be the early storylines for season seven.

For those who get the DVD, the only extras are the crossover episodes from the other shows so you can watch the entire crossover storylines without having to get (or watch) the discs from the other shows. There are no behind-the-scenes features, commentary tracks, or the like.

Ultimately, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons you will probably like this one. On the other hand, if the show has never done anything for you (or you were really only a fan of the actors or characters who left the show like Sophia Bush or Elias Koteas), then nothing in this season is likely to change your mind. 

DVD Review: Chicago Fire Season 7

 

Season seven of Chicago Fire pretty much follows the same format that the show has had from day one. Each episode is mainly self-contained. There are story arcs that weave through the episodes (both in the professional and personal lives of the various characters), and then the fire/rescue sequences that interrupt at pretty much any time. Then, of course, there are crossover episodes. This season there was a three-show crossover very early in the season with Chicago Med and Chicago PD, then a two-show crossover later in the season with Chicago PD. There is more cast turnover this year with Gabby off in Puerto Rico (Monica Raymund made a couple of appearances early in the season) and Annie Llonzoh joined the cast as the new paramedic, Emily Foster. The end of the season sees pretty much every member of the cast (again) in danger from an out-of-control fire, ending (again) on a cliffhanger.

For those who get the DVD set, the only bonus material/extras are the crossover episodes for Med and PD. There are no behind-the-scenes features as there were in the first few season releases. It is basically just a MOD DVD set with the episodes and that is it. 

Overall, the show is still good, and the writers have done a good job advancing the storylines to keep the show from getting stale. I think the cast turnover actually helps the show, even though it is sad to see characters leave. The acting continues to be very good, and the show does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast. I'd say if you have been a fan of the show's prior seasons you will probably like this one as well. On the other hand, if you have not liked the prior seasons of the show, this one will probably not convert you. If you only get the physical DVD sets when there are a lot of extras then you probably will just want to stick to streaming this (unless you are getting it to have a complete collection). 

DVD Review: Chicago PD Season 5

 

Season 5 of Chicago PD saw probably the biggest cast shakeup to date. The big one being, of course, that Sophia Bush left the show, storyline-wise having Erin take the FBI job in New York, real-life wise after she made mostly vague allegations of on-set abuse. The only concrete thing that I have seen about what pissed her off was that it was cold in the winter in Chicago and they were forced to film even when sick. Which, if you take that job, is pretty lame. But, given that she was allowed to leave 4 years into a 7-year contract, there must have been enough to her claims to let her go without a fight. Honestly, the show did not miss much of a beat without her. The other big cast move was bringing Jon Seda back after Chicago Justice's cancelation. In the storyline, Antonio was not happy being an investigator for the State's Attorney's office and decides to rejoin the team. While there was no real send-off for Chicago Justice, Monica Barbaro made a couple of appearances as Anna Valdez, but the show just pretended like life went on for the characters of the other show.

The big storyline of the season was whether Hank was going to be found out for murdering his son's killer. I am sure a large part of that would have involved cross-overs with Chicago Justice had the show not been canceled, however, Myeklti Williamson's character Denny Woods, was brought back to be a thorn in Hank's side and causing a lot of collateral damage in his wake trying to bring Hank down. Tracy Spirdakos was kept on as a series regular, and she got a couple of good story arcs, one trying to help Jay, and one that fleshed out some of Hailey's backstory. It was the kind of thing that Chicago Justice never did for its characters, which is probably why it ended up getting such a quick hook. The season ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger and sets up a potentially interesting sixth season.

For those who get the DVD, the only extra is the Chicago Fire episode that made up the two-part crossover between the shows. Chicago Med was not involved in the crossover that year, although some characters from Med did appear on PD, per the usual quick cameos. But, there are no other extras, so really the only reason to get the DVDs (if you don't already just prefer physical media to streaming) is to keep a current collection complete. 

Overall, the show pretty much sticks to the formula that has worked for it. The writing and acting continue to be good, and the storylines (both the case-of-the-week stuff and the larger arc) are compelling. It is definitely worth the pick-up (or watching on your streaming service of choice).

DVD Review: Chicago Fire Season 6

 

The sixth season of Chicago Fire picks up right at the point where Season 5 ended, with many of the squad and truck members trapped (again) in an out-of-control fire, and Mouch, of course suffering a heart attack in the middle of it. Chances are fans of the show know the outcome, but I will not spoil it for anyone going in cold, (although the cover of the DVD gives hints as to what cast members returned to the show).

There are several overarching story arcs that progress throughout the season. Among them being Severide and Kidd's sexual tension, Gabby and Matt's strained relationship, Borden's potential for a promotion (a storyline that brings in Gary Cole about 2/3 of the way through the season as a rival for Boden), and a great story arc involving Otis (finally). The show does a good job giving most of the characters substantial material and balancing the action of the rescue scenes with the more soap-opera-like elements of the character's personal lives. And, there is a pretty good dig at the Chicago Justice cancelation in the first episode.

For those who get the DVD set, they are now full MOD DVDs with nothing to speak of for extras. The only extra is the Chicago PD episode from the season's two-show crossover. There was no crossover episode from Chicago Med this season, although characters from Med did appear on the show every so often. So, the only real reason to get the DVD if you are one that only gets physical media when there are a lot of bonus features is to complete an existing collection. Otherwise, you are not missing anything if you just stream it.

Overall, the show is still solid. Of course, Dick Wolff's production company pretty much specializes in producing long-running drama series (Chicago Justice not included), so it really feels like a show that can go on for as long as the network keeps renewing it or the bulk of the main cast returns. 

DVD Review: Chicago Justice Season One

 

Chicago Justice is the answer to how many Chicago-based dramas were too many before fans lost interest? The answer being four. It was, back in 2017, a part of the massive Dick Wolff (of Law and Order, and Chicago Fire, PD, and Med fame) productions. It basically was set in court (most of the time) and tackled a lot of heavy issues during its run (such as gun control, racism, gang violence, etc.). Of course, this could really be titled Chicago Justice The Complete Series because it only lasted one partial season, never making it past the initial run of thirteen episodes (13.5 if you count the backdoor pilot that it got in the third season of Chicago PD).

The series starred Phillip Winchester as Illinois assistant State's Attorney Phillip Stone, Carl Weathers as his boss, Monaca Barbaro as the junior assistant State's Attorney Anna Valdez, Joelle Carter (best known for her role in the series Justified) as Laura Nagel, who, along with Jon Seda's character Antonio Dawson who came over from Chicago PD, were investigators for the State's Attorney's office.

As I said, the show dealt with a lot of heavy topics, and actually got a lot of the law and some of the courtroom stuff right. Of course, legal dramas have to take a lot of liberty with courtroom scenes because the way things play out (for the most part) in real-life courtrooms are pretty boring and would not make for good television. I think what hurt the series was twofold. First, there was never anything more than superficial glimpses into the characters' lives outside of work. The audience never really got to know what the characters did in their "regular" lives, so it was hard to care about them. And, the show did not lean enough on the other Chicago-based series. The series premiere started out as the third part of a crossover with Fire and PD, but really after that, characters from the other shows just made cameo appearances. I think the show would have benefitted from having more of the PD storylines bleed into Justice, kind of as a setup to the courtroom dramas. Instead, you had everything wrapped up in a bow by the end of the episode from the initial investigation to the jury verdict. Certainly, that did not have to be the case with every show, but I think using the more established Chicago PD to help this one get its footing until it could stand completely on its own would have been a good idea. And, since it had already ended its season before the next season pickups were announced, it was never given a proper series finale. 

Overall, the series was good and should have had more rope than it was given. The acting was very good, and the writing, while it was not as good as it could have been, was better than it got credit for. There are no DVD extras beyond the Fire and PD episodes that make up the "One Chicago" crossover event to start the series off. So, really the only reason to get the DVD over streaming is if you have the sets for the other shows and want this one to make a complete collection.

DVD Review: Chicago PD Season 4

 

The fourth season of Chicago PD picks up pretty much right after the events of the season three finale. Voight is being investigated for the murder of his son's killer, and, of course, Erin is caught up in that. As you can imagine, he ends up off the hook, but I will not spoil the particulars. Then, the show pretty much follows its case of the week format. About a third of the way into the season there is a crossover episode with just Chicago Fire, in which the team has to investigate Kelly Severide for a hit and run accident. Then, about 2/3 of the way through the season there is the big crossover that includes Fire, PD, and the new series Chicago Justice. Med did not have an official episode in the crossover, but much of the Fire episode and the PD episode was set at Med, so many of the characters from Med did appear. The episode of Justice was its series premiere (having had the backdoor pilot during the third season of Chicago PD the previous year). The season ends with a slight cliffhanger leaving the fate of one of the main characters up in the air.

This season did see some cast turnover with Brian Gerahety's and Samuel Hunts's characters having been written out, and Jon Seda's character taking a new job as an investigator for the State's Attorney's office (so Seda could transition over to Chicago Justice) about halfway through the season. Also, Marina Squerciati went on maternity leave about 3/4 of the way through the season, so the character of Burgess was allowed to go on furlough following an episode that involved a family member of hers. That paved the way for the addition of a new character, Detective Hailey Upton (played by Tracy Spirdakos), who transfers to Intelligence from Robbery-Homicide. 

For those who get the DVD, there are no real extras like deleted scenes, or behind-the-scenes clips like there were in previous season releases. The crossover episodes of Chicago Fire and Chicago Justice are included, however, so, even if you do not watch the other shows, you can see the entire storyline from the episodes play out. 

Overall, the series was still going strong in its fourth season. The writing and acting was solid, and whatever tension there was on set between actors (which is more than just a rumor) did not bleed over into the finished product). The show also did a good job balancing storylines for the large cast, and while not every character got an equal amount of screen time, none of them seemed like "also-rans". So, if you are a fan of the first three seasons, this one is definitely worth a look.

DVD Review: Chicago Fire Season 5

 

Chicago Fire is definitely a show that found what works and sticks with it. So, as in past seasons, it is mostly a procedural drama that intertwines several story arcs throughout the season. The two big arcs were Dawson and Casey's quest to adopt Louie, which as you can imagine does not go smoothly, and about 2/3 of the way into the season, a new love interest for Severide that has ties to Chicago Med. Then, of course, there is the "One Chicago" crossover. This season, the shows involved in the crossover were Fire (which was part 1), PD (which was part 2), and the newly minted yet short-lived Chicago Justice. Its premiere episode was part 3 of the crossover. While Chicago Med did not have a full episode during the crossover, a good portion of the first two parts were set in the hospital and many of the characters appeared. The season, yet again, ends on a major cliffhanger that sees many of the characters in life-threatening danger.

For those who get the DVDs, the only bonus features are the crossover episodes with PD and Justice (there are actually a couple of crossover episodes with PD this season). Unlike prior seasons there are no behind-the-scenes shorts for the episodes. So, if you only get the DVD sets when they have extras available, then you may want to just stream this (all the seasons are now available on Peacock, and I believe the episodes of the current/most recent season stream on Hulu) unless you are just getting them because you have the prior seasons on DVD.

Overall, the series is still well-written and as it has always been, well-acted. The cinematography is very good as well, giving a lot of good views of Chicago. The writers do a good job with balancing storylines for the large ensemble cast and make sure to give something for most of the secondary characters. They also pull off a good mix of action and drama with a bit of humor mixed in. It is definitely worth the watch.

DVD Review Chicago PD Season 3

The third season of Chicago PD picks up a short period of time down the line from the events of the season two finale in which Erin quits PD, and is spiraling out of control because of the death of Nadia. Voight placed her on furlough, and, as Sophia Bush had not left the show at that point, it is obvious that she came back. I will not, however, spoil exactly how they brought the character back into intelligence. Once that is resolved, the show pretty much picks up the weekly procedural format that it is known for, mainly a case-of-the-week format along with callbacks to prior storylines and larger arcs. 

This happened to be the season in which Chicago Med premiered and was brought into the fold, and as you can imagine, along with the three show (Fire, Med, and PD) crossover that occurred about a third of the way into the season, characters from Med and Fire made brief appearances in various episodes. In this first crossover, there was not a continuous storyline that ran through all three shows. The Fire portion of the crossover was set up the episode of Fire leading into the crossover night as a way to get the Fire characters to the hospital, and that arc bled into the Med portion of the crossover, and the Med episode then introduced the arc that was resolved in the PD hour. This season also had another crossover with Law and Order SVU to tie up the Greg Yates storyline from season two. And, the season had a backdoor pilot episode for Chicago Justice, the series that was greenlit to premiere the following season. The season ends on a pretty big cliffhanger that leaves Voight's character in a precarious spot.

For those who get the DVD set, the bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes for some, but not all, of the episodes, as well as the crossover episodes from the other shows (so the Med, Fire, and Law and Order SVU episodes of the respective crossovers). So, a decent amount, but not a ton of extras. 

Overall, the series continues to be well-written and acted. The show does a fairly good job giving all of the main characters good material to work with, and continues to develop the characters. It is definitely hard to juggle a large ensemble cast so not every character gets an in-depth storyline this season, but I did not feel that any character was ignored. So, if you enjoyed the first couple of seasons of the show, this one is definitely worth watching. 

DVD Review: Chicago Fire Season 4

Season 4 of Chicago Fire picks up immediately after the conclusion to Season 3 when Dawson finds the stripper dead in Casey's apartment. The season three loose ends get tied up fairly quickly into the season, and then the show goes on to new storylines. As has been the case with prior seasons, this one follows the format of larger story arcs that play out in between the various fire/accident calls the crew gets sent to. Some of the larger arcs this season involve Casey running for Alderman of the 21st  district, Chilli spiraling because of personal issues (much like other characters have), a medical issue for Otis, Joe trying to help another gang member get out, and of course, many love interests for Severide. 

The show also features many appearances from characters on Chicago PD and Chicago Med (which officially premiered during Fire's 4th season). And, there was the official "One Chicago" crossover event where each of the shows tied together in some way. Unlike some seasons in which there is a single storyline that crosses between each show, the event that gets the members of Firehouse 51 to Chicago Med was set up in the episode leading into the crossover, then a medical case that looked to be ancillary to that storyline ended up being the main part of the Med and PD hours of the crossover. 

For those who get the DVD set, the 23 episodes are spread over six discs. The bonus material includes behind-the-scenes material for most of the episodes, as well as the Med and PD installments of the crossover. A decent amount of material for those who like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the show continues to be well-written and acted, and blends a lot of action with elements of drama, comedy, and romance (it is a bit soap-opera-like at times). There is a bit more cast turnover this season, but not as much as the prior couple of seasons. I would say if you liked the prior seasons of the show you will probably like this one. On the other hand, if procedural shows with a large ensemble cast are not your thing, or if you have just not liked the prior seasons, there is nothing about this one that is likely to change your mind. 

DVD Review: Chicago PD Season Two

The second season of Chicago PD follows a very similar format and tone as the first season. It alternates between cases from the intelligence unit (which is the focus of the show) and the main beat cops Burgess and Roman (played by Brian Geraghty) Burgess' new partner since Atwater was promoted to the intelligence unit. It is mostly, but not exclusively, a case-of-the-week type procedural which also crosses over with the "parent" show Chicago Fire, and a couple of times through the season with episodes from Season 16 of Law and Order SVU, which is also a part of the Dick Wolff production machine. In fact, in the crossover later in the season, a case that continued one of the SVU storylines from a decade earlier was brought to a conclusion. The events of that crossover would have ramifications that lead into season three, as one of the characters is at a major crossroads as the season ends on a cliffhanger. 

The acting and writing on the show are very good. The writers do a great job redeeming the character of Hank Voight, while still leaving him with a very hard edge. Of course, the show has a very large ensemble cast, and while not every cast member gets an in-depth storyline or even character-centric episode, the writers do a good job balancing the cast and making all the characters interesting. While season one really focused on the character of Antonio, this season, the focus is on Erin. We learn a bit more about Lindsey's background and meet her mother, played by Markie Post, who as some will remember was one of the leads on the great 80s sitcoms, Night Court. This season also introduced the character of Will Halstead played by Nick Gehllfuss (who has a small recurring role on Shameless before this) who would go on to play the same character (although written differently) on Chicago Med which would premiere the next season as another Chicago-based spin-off. Interestingly, Brian Tee who would also be hired for Chicago Med played a completely different character in one episode this season, which made it a bit surprising that he managed to get cast as Ethan Choi since the shows are pretty good about continuity. 

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include behind the scenes featurettes for some, but not all of the episodes (similar to what are included in the Chicago Fire DVD sets for seasons 1-3 of that show) and then the episodes from Chicago Fire and Law and Order SVU that were a part of the crossovers so you can see the entire story even if you do not watch the other shows. Overall, I would say if you like the first season and are a fan of Chicago Fire, you will probably like this season of PD. On the other hand, if you did not like the first season of PD, and/or the weekly procedural drama format does not appeal to you, then it is not likely that this is going to change your mind.