‘Chicago Fire’ season 3 spoilers: Another ‘Chicago PD,’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ crossover coming
We have to give the entire creative team for the Dick Wolf NBC machine credit for how they manage to integrate so many crossover events over the course of a single year. We’ve had one big crossover already between “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago PD,” and “Law & Order: SVU,” and based on what we are hearing right now, it sounds like there is another one coming in the later part of this TV season, as well.
While some plot points about this event are still under wraps (except that it may involve a manhunt), we do have a sense of what is at stake here. Speaking to TV Guide, Matt Olmstead (showrunner for the two Chicago series) teased the following about what some of the basic plans are:
“It’s a real good one. Big swings, big stakes … There’s nothing really cemented yet, but we’re definitely doing a big, bigChicago Fire-SVU-Chicago P.D. three-way crossover coming up around Episode 20.”
Now, you have to wonder this: Are these sort of crossover events a great thing? We feel like it can be, but it depends on the story. You have to find a way to make the interactions natural, and the challenge is especially is how to figure in a special unit of the NYPD into a story involving a more general branch of fire and law enforcement in Chicago. That is why “SVU” is typically less involved, and it is harder to make things work in terms of logic.
Still, hopefully this will draw some headlines for all three shows, which could use another bump in awareness as the spring season gets more competitive.
What do you want to see on this particular crossover? Share today with a comment, and head over here to have some other news on everything we cover sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)
Michael Goldman
January 25, 2015 @ 1:36 am
I was just thinking that they want to do this because NBC is planning to get rid of SVU and they want to take advantage of it while it’s on. Ms. Mackay knows her stuff, but shouldn’t each show have enough episodes left to finish the season on it’s own strength? if NBC is planning to get rid of SVU, it needs to be offered to another network, not cancelled. It’s not fair to the viewers who are willing to support it. Just because NBC is clueless doesn’t mean that we are.
hallie24
January 30, 2015 @ 6:13 am
That would make no sense as of right now all three shows are doing well for nbc and most likely be picked up next seasons. They do crossovers so he can give a story that he can tell in 3hrs (as csi always did) but it also gives them a chance to get fans that don’t watch all three to get into that show they may not normally watch. The draw back of course is some of the smaller stories are pushed to the side.
Michael Goldman
January 30, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
I would agree with you, but nothing NBC does makes any sense. Everybody’s contract is up on SVU (except Mariska’s) and NBC has cut the payroll on SVU for the last 4 years. Kelli Giddish and Danny Pino made nothing($75,000-110,000 an episode is nothing) and are due MAJOR RAISES. If SVU is only interested in cutting the payroll, then one or both may be gone. You have a better chance of seeing the Good Lord than Mariska Hargitay taking a pay cut from her $400,000+ an episode salary. They already did a crossover this season. I can’t remember shows doing 2 in the same season.
Michele MacKay
January 23, 2015 @ 10:35 pm
The crossovers so far have all been very intense and epic and it’s fun how it turns watching TV into a special event, fun for both the fans and the casts to all get together for one big party. I think it’s easy enough to create stories between SVU and CPD. The Intelligence Unit isn’t a general branch, it’s an elite unit that does undercover work, SWAT-style raids and wrangles criminal informants. And it has a lot of freedom to choose its own cases, so all they have to do is write one involving special victims and a link to New York City. And now there are bonds between the characters because they have worked together and trust each other.
Similarly, it’s very easy to do crossovers between Chicago Fire and Chicago PD because they’re all first responders in the same neighborhood. The police station and firehouse they use are literally a block and a half apart in real life just as they are in the fictional universe of the two shows. And the characters all have close ties, being friends, lovers, and siblings.
Where they have to get creative and really juggle the logistics is when it involves all three shows, and not just CPD/CF and CPD/SVU. But they proved they could do it with flying colors back in November, Crossover Week was spectacular and so much fun, so I have no doubt they can do it again.
Ugh
January 23, 2015 @ 5:36 am
Is this because the ratings for SVU are dropping? They hoping the crossover will increase viewers???