Chicago Fire is a recent American TV program (2012, NBC) that focuses on the lives of firemen and paramedics working within Firehouse 51. While each episode includes action-packed rescues that they have to deal with, the majority of the show’s focus is on the relationships and personal dilemmas of the crew.

The show gives an amazing insight into the types of challenges emergency service men and women deal with on a daily basis, their comradeship amongst each other, and the second family they form with each and every member of the firehouse. The theme of family extends to the way in which the show includes the audience in feeling a part of the character’s lives; they ride the characters’ emotional highs and lows with them.

There are many storyline layers that the writers expertly navigate between through each and every episode. The audience is never left wondering “what happened with so-and-so” as the writers ensure that all plot points are paid off eventually.

The crew can be called out to different types of emergencies (usually 3 per episode) which may not relate to each other at all, but will provide context and raise the stakes for the character’s ongoing problems. For example; separate incidents within an episode may emphasise Kelly’s neck injury problems which can threaten his career, put pressure on Dawson’s problems with the paramedic union, or even demonstrate the love triangles that exist within the crew.

Occasionally, an episode will revolve around a particular call, or similar calls out to the same location or occurring to the same victims, but these are in the rarity and still focus more on developing the dynamics of the crew and demonstrating their character development.

Each episode will usually (but subtly) provide more emphasis on one storyline than another. This may be one that affects all of the crew, or may be a major turning point in a particular character’s arc. This particular storyline usually provides the framework for the structure of the episode, with other more minor storylines cut between throughout.

This negotiation around the genre conventions usually employed in procedural TV dramas means that audiences are more willing to continue watching as they become attached to the characters and want to see how their storylines progress. It also means that audiences get a sense of refreshment from the change in focus compared to the majority of other procedural dramas that focus on the “story/case of the week”. The clever writing makes Chicago Fire stand out from the pack.

Chicago Fire has proven to be so popular with audiences that a spin-off ‘Chicago PD’ has begun in 2014, focusing on certain police characters that appear in Chicago Fire.

A show I initially wanted to watch based on the aesthetic qualities in the trailer (*ahem* – hot firemen), I surprisingly began watching it after my uncle and aunty who hardly ever watch TV recommended it to me. Now, it’s safe to say that I’m hooked. This is mainly due to the fact that it defies the procedural conventions, has made me feel a part of the Firehouse 51 family, and compelled me to continue watching to see what happens to my favourite characters. A show that I’ve now gotten my mum hooked on, it’s become a favourite amongst my family and friends and definitely one I will recommend to others.