Credit: Getty Images.Shows Like Chicago Fire: The Best Firefighter Shows to Stream Next
It’s hard to imagine a time without Chicago Fire, but all good things must come to an end eventually. While Chicago Fire is nowhere near ending, there are times throughout the year where the One Chicago franchise is on hiatus or not on the air — which is where shows like Chicago Fire come in to tide fans over until the return of Firehouse 51’s beloved firefighters and paramedics.
Chicago Fire is NBC’s drama series following the personal and professional lives of firefighters and paramedics at the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51 in Chicago, Illinois. The series — which is created by Dick Wolf, the same mind behind the Law & Order and FBI franchises — is the first in the One Chicago franchise, which also includes Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.
“We were having so much fun making the show that nobody told us we had to worry about ratings and all of these things,” co-creator Derek Haas told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016 of Chicago Fire’s journey . “The first episode came out and it did OK. The second episode was way worse and I honestly thought we were dead in the water. We just thought, ‘Oh, OK, that was an interesting six months or year of our lives, but it was fun while it lasted.'”
Haas continued, “We knew the seventh episode was going to be a good one, it was a Thanksgiving episode and we were just thinking, ‘Man, if we can make it to the seventh, I think we’ll have caught on.’ And then lucky for us, NBC stuck with it, kept promoting it while playing it on Saturdays also. They didn’t get discouraged and let it breathe and then it found its audience. It was about halfway though the fall that we thought, ‘Oh, OK, maybe we’ve got something.’”
After more than a decade since its premiere, Chicago Fire has become one of NBC’s most popular primetime shows. But if you’ve finished the series and are waiting for new episodes to air, you may be wondering what to do next. Read on for a list of shows like Chicago Fire to stream while you wait for Firehouse 51’s return.
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Fire Country (2022 – Present)
Fire Country and Chicago Fire share so many fans that Chicago Fire was even accused of shading Fire Country in a scene in Season 11, where Mouch and Tony diss an unnamed firefighter show and make fun of an actor’s beard. “Come on! Some of these firefighter shows are a total crock,” Mouch says to Tony in the scene. “That guy had a beard. How you supposed to get a seal on a mask with a beard? Do they not care about the truth?” Tony responds, “Tell ’em to call us. We’ll straighten ’em out.”
Fire Country follows Bode Donovan (who has a beard), a young convict who volunteers with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — also known as Cal Fire _ as a way to redeem himself and shorten his prison sentence. Bode is assigned to his hometown in Northern California, where he must work with his former friends, other intimates and trained firefighters as they put out massive fires that risk destroying the region.
Fire Country airs on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Station 19 (2018 – Present)
Station 19, a spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy, follows the personal and professional lives of a group of firefighters at the Seattle Fire Department’s fictional Station 19, from the captain to the newest recruit. The main character is Andrea “Andy” Herrera, a lieutenant at Station 19 and the stubborn daughter of Captain Pruitt Herrera. The series, which is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes, also features Dr. Benjamin “Ben” Warren, a surgical resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and Dr. Miranda Bailey’s husband who left Grey’s Anatomy in Season Season 13 to join Station 19 and become a firefighter.
Station 19 airs on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.
9-1-1 (2018 – Present)
9-1-1 is a procedural drama series following the lives of first responders — police officers, paramedics, firefighters and dispatchers — in Los Angeles, California, as they respond to unique emergency calls. The series — which is created by Ryan Murphy, the same mind behind Glee and American Horror Story — stars Angela Bassett as Los Angeles Police Department patrol sergeant Athena Grant-Nash and Peter Krause as Los Angeles Fire Department captain Robert “Bobby” Nash. A spin-off of the series titled 9-1-1: Lone Star premiered in 2020.
9-1-1 airs on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.
Rescue Me (2004 – 2011)
Rescue Me is a comedy-drama series following the personal and professional lives of a group of firefighters at the New York City Fire Department. The main character is Tommy Gavin, a veteran firefighter who suffers from survivor’s guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism after losing his best friend and fellow firefighter, Jimmy Keefe, as well as 58 other firefighters he knew, who died in the World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The pilot of Rescue Me starts with Tommy’s separation from his wife, Janet. While most view Tommy’s firefighting as heroic, his family and fellow firefighters see him as selfish. Rescue Me ran for seven seasons on FX from 2004 to 2011.
Rescue Me is available to stream on Hulu.
Third Watch (1999 – 2005)
Third Watch is a crime drama series following police officers, firefighters and paramedics as they work in New York City’s fictional 55th Precinct from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., a shift known as the “third watch.” After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Third Watch Season 3 premiere opened with interviews with real-life New York Police Department officers and New York Fire Department firefighters, who told their own stories of the attacks. The series starred actors like Eddie Cibrian as Lieutenant James “Jimmy” Doherty, Bobby Cannavale as paramedic Roberto “Bobby” Caffey” and Grey’s Anatomy star Kim Raver as paramedic Kimberly “Kim” Zambrano. Third Watch ran on NBC for six seasons from 1999 to 2004.
Third Watch is available to stream on Prime Video.
Fireflies (2004 – 2005)
Fireflies is an Australian drama series set in the fictional town of Lost River, which has a population of 487 people. The series follows a group of volunteer firefighters as they fight fires in Lost River’s hottest and driest summer in decades. The series was filmed in the town of Hunter Valley in Wollombi, Australia, with other scenes set in the district’s the southern end of the Putty Road to Singleton. Fireflies ran on ABC for one season from 2004 to 2005.
Fireflies is available to stream on Prime Video.
London’s Burning (1986 – 2002)
London’s Burning is a British drama series based on the 1986 movie of the same name. The series follows the personal and professional lives of members of the London Fire Brigade’s Blue Watch as they responded to various emergencies, from extinguishing fires to tending to road accidents to rescuing cats in trees. The series was mostly filmed at the Dockhead fire station in Bermondsey and often used real-life firefighters working shifts as extras. London’s Burning ran for 14 seasons from 1986 to 2002.
London’s Burning is available to stream on Prime Video.
Tacoma FD (2019 – 2021)
Tacoma FD is a sitcom set at a firehouse in Tacoma, Washington. With almost 40 inches of rain per year and the nickname as “America’s wettest city,” the firefighters at Tacoma’s fire department don’t have many fires to extinguish, despite always being ready to fight them. Instead, they’re relegated to tackling some of the less-glamorous parts of being a firefighter, which result in hilarious scenarios. Tacoma FD ran on truTV for three seasons from 2019 to 2021.
Tacoma FD is available to stream on Max.
The Smoke (2014)
The Smoke is a British drama series following the White Watch, a team of firefighters in London, who are led by Kev Allison. The series also stars Doctor Who alum Jodie Whittaker as Trish Tooley, Kev’s supportive girlfriend, and Taron Egerton as Dennis “Asbo” Severs, a rookie at the White Watch with a troubled past. The Smoke ran for one season in 2014.
The Smoke is available to stream on Prime Video.
Cal Fire (2021)
Cal Fire is Discovery Channel’s documentary series that follows 6,100 firefighters in one of the United States’ largest emergency forces, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as they work to extinguish Calfiornia’s constant blazes. The department — also known as Cal Fire — is the inspiration for CBS’ Fire Country.
Cal Fire is available to stream on Discovery Plus.
Chicago P.D. (2014 – Present)
Chicago P.D. is the second series in NBC and Dick Wolf’s One Chicago franchise following Chicago Fire. The series follows the personal and professional lives of intelligence unit detectives and patrol officers at the Chicago Police Department’s fictional 21st district as they investigate some of the Windy City’s most major street offenses. The series includes several crossovers with Chicago Fire and features two relatives of Chicago Fire main characters: Antonio Dawson, the brother of firefighter and paramedic Gabby Dawson, and Sergeant Trudy Platt, the wife of senior firefighter Randall “Mouch” McHolland.
Chicago P.D. airs on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock.
Chicago Med (2015 – Present)
Chicago Med is the third series in NBC and Dick Wolf’s One Chicago franchise following Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. The series follows the personal and professional lives of doctors and nurses in the emergency department at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Like Chicago P.D., Chicago Med also has frequent crossovers with Chicago Fire, especially with paramedics like Sylvie Brett and characters like Kelly Severide, who is childhood friends with nurse April Sexton, a main character on Chicago Med.
Chicago Med airs on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock.
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