One Chicago Showrunners Break Down Epic Three-Show Crossover—Upstead Reunion, Pascal’s Sacrifice & ‘Med’ Baby

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from the One Chicago 3-episode crossover event airing March 3.

Tonight’s Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. epic crossover on NBC has exceeded the expectations set by prior events, going well beyond anything they’ve ever done. Hello, this team had a plane land in freezing temperatures, chased down a bad guy connected to Voight’s (Jason Beghe) past, reunited Upstead, and managed to keep characters alive from all three shows under quarantine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.

Deadline spoke to all three showrunners: Chicago Fire‘s Andrea Newman, Chicago Med‘s Allen MacDonald, and Chicago P.D.‘s Gwen Sigan to answer questions left behind in the aftermath of the crossover.

DEADLINE: You guys really landed a plane in this crossover. I don’t know how you’re ever going to top this.

ANDREA NEWMAN: Well, I’ll say that the airplane stunt was totally new. It was an epic undertaking. Not only were we filming a plane flying and landing, but we were also filming it in what was like -10F at the airport in Chicago. It was madness. All of our teams were there, our incredible crew and cast, who weathered this. It’s one of the most exciting things that we’ve done. I did not think it was possible. These guys will tell you that on every prep call leading up to it, I was like, “Guys, we can’t do a plane. It’s impossible. How are we going to do this?” Ultimately, our crews and line producers— who are superstars— pulled it off.

DEADLINE: What was it like for the writers facing this huge undertaking?

ALLEN MACDONALD: When we do these crossovers, we usually assign a writer who’s specifically going to be on the crossover. For tonight’s event, the three writers were Victor Teran from Chicago FireMeridith Friedman from Chicago Medand Edgar Castillo from Chicago P.D. The three of them basically function as their own little writers’ room. They each come up with their own ideas. The three of them break out for three hours, and then they interface with all three of us, and the wonderful executives at Wolf Entertainment. They have just done an incredible job. They’re three very talented writers, and a lot of this is a credit to them.

DEADLINE: Hi, Gwen. We need like an hour to break down all things Upstead. What can you share about reuniting Haily Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) for the crossover, after so much bad has happened between them?

GWEN SIGAN: It was really exciting for us to have them back together in the same episode. They both left in different years, and their partnership was such a character on the show. The two of them together, and how they grew together, and then obviously grew apart by the end of it. But this is the first time we’ve gotten to see them on the air together in quite a few years, and so we wanted to provide some sort of closure for both of them.

We wanted them to be on screen together, talking about some of what had happened all these years ago, and for us to see that they’re also different people now that they’ve spent all this time apart. They’ve also been out of Chicago long enough that they’ve done other things and learned how to be, I would say, a bit healthier than they were when they were on the show. Because they were different, they were able to speak about things in a different way. We wanted to leave the door open for the pair of them and provide a nice ending to their partnership in the city together.

DEADLINE: Okay, but what happens after that drink at Molly’s?

FOLLOW: Anything is possible.

MACDONALD: What I want to know is what happens after that drink and leaving Molly’s.

DEADLINE: I think Gwen is going to leave us hanging on that one, Allen. Let’s pivot to Fire. We knew Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) was going to be away for a few episodes. But is he going to the clink?

NEWMAN: That’s a great place to take a break. Why wouldn’t you do it there? [Laughs] No, for Pascal, this crossover was a great part of his journey with 51, with how he came in as an outsider. He came in as somebody who was new to the firehouse and was “no Chief Bowden,” which is how everybody would refer to him. Over the course of the last two seasons, he’s really developed. He’s gotten closer and closer to the team, and he’s family. I think the turning point was really when his wife died last year, and everybody showed up for him after that in a way that made him realize, “Oh, this is my family now, this is where I belong.” So for them, he’s willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and put himself on the ropes and put his career and life in jeopardy. The decision he made here is going to be a bumpy road for him.

DEADLINE: Gwen, can we discuss the moment where Jay looks at Voight and says, “You’re different.” What insight can you share?

NEWMAN: I got chills.

MACDONALD: That was an amazing moment.

FOLLOW: Yeah. When Halsted left, maybe three or four years ago, Voight was in a very different place. So much of this episode was about looking at your past and taking responsibility and ownership for things and the consequences, whether they be intended or not, which is not the most Voight-ian thing to do. The man very much lives in the present. He’s not self-reflective. He’s not that introspective. So for Halstead, especially in that last hour when we’re getting into Voight’s past and what he did all those years ago, Halstead sees that Voight is now thinking about things and is actually affected by it—and that’s new.

That’s not something that Voight tends to do often, and I think it’s something he’s gotten a lot more comfortable with over the past couple of years. So to Halstead, he’s seeing a different side of him, and is very surprised by it in that moment. I think it makes him take action in the next scene as well. So it was a nice moment for both of them.

DEADLINE: Usually, what happens during the crossovers is pretty self-contained, when possible. However, there are moments here, like with Pascal and our Med babies, that you can’t avoid. What can you tease about what’s ahead?

MACDONALD: Archer (Steven Weber) and Hannah’s (Jessy Schram) baby, that’s just something that is going to have to play out over the rest of the season. Both on the personal level, between Archer and Asher, trying to figure out if they are just best friends having a baby, or if they’re going to become something more. And you know, there’s always stress during a One Chicago pregnancy. I can’t promise you how that’s all going to turn out.

DEADLINE: Just let them fall in love and live happily ever after.

NEWMAN: Just do what Rosy says!

MACDONALD: I’m gonna call the writers’ office.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.