Chicago Fire May Have Lost Its Spark, But It Still Does One Thing Better Than Anyone
Do you still remember the characters who died many seasons ago? Because the show’s creators do.
The procedural shows have been popular with viewers for many years. Projects dedicated to the work of firefighters and other emergency personnel offer a 50-minute dose of drama and action.
Chicago Fire creators Michael Brandt and Derek Haas have been writing together since the 1990s. They sold their first script while Brandt was working as an assistant editor on Robert Rodriguez's The Faculty in 1998, but their first known project came five years later, a Fast and Furious sequel. Another famous film of the duo is the western 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.
So, Brandt and Haas definitely know a thing or two about quality scripts.
Chicago Fire Started Out Good, But Now Seems to Be Losing Its Grip
The series they created, Chicago Fire, is not just another story about firefighters, but a critically and commercially acclaimed drama that has lasted 12 seasons. The secret to such longevity is simple: well-written characters and logical plot twists that not only keep the old viewers in front of the screens, but also attract new ones.
Recently, however, fans have been complaining about the decline in the show's quality. According to many viewers, Chicago Fire has lost its suspense, dynamic and intensity and has become more of a soap opera, focusing not on the work of the firefighters, but on endless personal drama.
Chicago Fire Treats Continuity Like No Other
Still, even those fans who are tired of the personal problems of the main characters will admit one thing – no procedural on TV handles continuity better than Chicago Fire, and at least for that, the show deserves respect.
“Most shows, a character dies and they’re rarely mentioned. I love that this show always remembers these characters. Even Hawkins' death is still affecting Violet’s storyline,” Reddit user McJazzHands80 wrote.
And that is undoubtedly one of the reasons why some fans continue to watch Chicago Fire. While other shows treat characters as plot devices to move the plot along for a while and then can be thrown out of the script without anyone even remembering them, Chicago Fire pays tribute to those who were once loved by the fans.
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Leslie Shay died in a building collapse in season two, but she was not forgotten – viewers can still see her name on the sign, other characters remember her, and her death was even a major plot point in some of the following episodes, just like Otis’ tragedy.
Small but important details like this allow viewers to see that the action of each episode does not take place in a vacuum, but is part of a larger story, which is something many other procedurals lack.