Every Chicago Fire Season, Ranked From Worst To Best

Chicago Fire is by far one of the best procedurals on television today. Created by Dick Wolf, the show has earned real love from the fans. All of it thanks to the storyline and the strong characters shown in the series.

However, the seasons have not been equally well received by the audience over the years. So we decided to rank them all from worst to best.

Well, almost all of them, since the show is now in its 11th season and still has a finale to air on May 24, so won't include it (yet). Here goes the rest!

10. Season 9

Season 9 had a lot of off-screen drama to deal with. It was the first season to be released after the show was given a multi-season renewal by NBC, and production took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This resulted in a shortened season and many changes to the storyline to accommodate the safety protocols being implemented for the first time.

The plot leaned a bit more towards melodrama, and viewers reacted accordingly, granting season 9 the worst IMDb score of the entire series. It's not impossible to watch, but it definitely takes the bottom place in our list.

9. Season 10

The season has a lot of highlights. Good ones, like the wedding of Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd. And not so good ones, like Casey's departure, that kind of changed the mood of the season.

Well, still, his departure was handled with dignity. But it took the showrunners a while to find its footing in the aftermath, and by the time it does, the season is already heading towards the end. With Casey coming back again, somehow making it all better.

One more upsetting thing for fans was realizing that Jason Pelham, who became fan-favorite in no time, was just a placeholder for Kidd to take the lieutenant spot.

8. Season 3

It had started in a dramatic and heartbreaking way. The writers intentionally killed off the beloved character Leslie Shay.

She died tragically and like a hero, and that episode was epic, and frankly one of the most powerful in the entire series. But except for that, the season juggles a lot of different subplots that actually don't always seem to even come together.

So in general, it seems like the season doesn't work as a whole unit, but is okay if you look at it as a bunch of individual episodes.

7. Season 6

This one slowed down the action of previous seasons in favor of personal interaction between characters, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it does slow things down on rewatch.

6. Season 8

Otis' death is one of the most heartbreaking episodes of Chicago Fire. And it happened right in the middle of season 8. It's brilliantly written and acted, and no matter how many times you watch it, it still manages to tug at your heartstrings.

This season premiere and the episodes that explore the consequences of Otis' death are Chicago Fire at its very best.

5. Season 1

It holds up incredibly well compared to the first seasons of other long-running dramas, and that's largely because the show has known from the beginning to focus on the chemistry of its cast.

Now that over a decade has passed, it's a pleasure to see characters like Severide and Casey so young. Season 1 still has some awkward moments, but that makes sense because we're all still getting to know the characters.

4. Season 7

This one came out of the gate with a bang and never really let up during its run.

A new boss was introduced to the firehouse, and the tension between him and the characters added some vibrancy that had been lacking in the previous season.

There was also a renewed sense of unity as all the subplots fit nicely into the overall arc of the season.

3. Season 4

This season gives Casey a lot of the spotlight, from dealing with the news that Dawson is pregnant to fighting for his life after being kidnapped. The decision proved to be a wise one, and helped solidify Casey as one of the show's main draws.

There's not a lot of action or near-death experiences in season 4 (the kidnapping aside), but the show has managed to tell compelling emotional stories without getting sappy or overly reliant on melodrama.

2. Season 2

This one had one of the show's best storylines. That includes an arsonist who turned out to be a former firefighter, for example. The writers did an outstanding job by building that story up since the first season.

In general, nothing in season 2 feels over the top. And frankly, that was a problem that some of the later seasons ran into quite often.

1. Season 5

Our list tops with season 5. It sums up the show's appeal: exciting action, touching scenes between the characters we love the most.

The writers haven't forgotten the humor either, which manages to break up the tremendous tension that comes with risking your life on the job.

Everything is perfectly staged in season 5. Whether it's a hostage situation, a warehouse fire, or an arson case that later turns out to be murder, it's still wildly entertaining to watch.