One Chicago Podcast — Crossover Writers Roundtable

Episode Title: Victor Teran, Meridith Friedman, and Edgar Castillo (Crossover Writers)
Date: March 5, 2026
Host: Brian Luce
Guests: Victor Teran (Chicago Fire), Meridith Friedman (Chicago Med), Edgar Castillo (Chicago PD)

Overview:

This episode offers a behind-the-scenes deep dive into creating the epic One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning Parts 1, 2, and 3.” Host Brian Luce convenes three key writers from Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD—Victor Teran, Meridith (Meredith) Friedman, and Edgar Castillo—for a candid, often funny conversation about the sweat, chaos, and rewards of fusing three hit shows into one grand, three-hour television movie.

The writers reveal the daunting logistics, creative challenges, and moments of inspiration behind one of the franchise’s most ambitious undertakings—including whiteboard marathons, frigid outdoor shoots, wild stunt work, and emotional storytelling arcs that unite characters and audiences from all three series.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Pathways to One Chicago

• Meridith’s Journey to Med

  • Meridith began as a New York playwright earning half her living from theater and odd jobs, considering a return to teaching, before a leap of faith led her to TV. An unsolicited script reached Med’s showrunners, “and nine years later, I’m still here.” (04:51)
  • Notable Detail: She’s the second-longest writer on Med (after Steven “Hootsie” Hootstein). (06:05)

• Edgar’s Route to PD

  • Former community college professor, wrote scripts on the side, landed a job on FBI International, then was referred for Chicago PD after International’s cancellation. (06:27)

Planning the Crossover: Controlled Chaos

• Crossover Writing Room (07:43–09:10)

  • The process sprawled from three to five whiteboards, filled with diagrams of “planes and weird little drawings.”
  • Victor’s diagrams became a crucial storytelling tool, and a source of friendly teasing.

• Finding the Story: Planes, Boats, and Snow

  • The core concept began with a mysterious plane incident, an idea championed by producer Peter Jankowski, but the writers considered every possible form of transport (even a ship, which was nixed—“working around water is too hard.”) (10:00–10:24, 10:43)
  • The team faced freezing Chicago winter—thankful they didn’t shoot on water: “it would have been ice.” (10:36)

• Logistics and Scheduling (14:58–17:56)

  • Shooting was out of episode order, schedules overlapped, and continuity depended on script supervisors and assistant directors hopping between shows.
  • Shout-outs to production staff: “They busted their asses... and we couldn’t be more grateful.” (16:45)

Memorable Quote:

“We had a puzzle to put together… we were just doing brain gymnastics for a good two weeks.”
— Victor Teran (19:17)

Crafting the Epic: Favorite Moments & Toughest Challenges

Chicago Fire:

• Favorite Scene:
  • Fire started in the morgue, with dead bodies and chaos—a sequence devised thanks to a drop-in idea from Steven Hootstein. (18:05)
• Biggest Challenge:
  • Constructing the investigative mystery, timing the information and reveals. “It just made my head hurt.” (19:17)

Chicago Med:

• Kick-off Excitement:
  • Med’s hour started with the carried-over tension from Fire, with actors bringing “layers to every interaction.” (21:48)
• Teaser Moment:
  • The “baby blanket” story was suggested by Med showrunner Alan McDonald: “He’s really good at the things that just crack your heart open.” (22:54)

Chicago PD:

• High Pressure Landing:
  • Edgar’s task: “land the plane” by tying together all plotlines as the final hour. Not enough time, but teamwork prevailed.
  • Wrapping up all questions and emotional arcs under the wire: “It’s just so hard... we were kind of up against it at the end and had to really like kind of dig deep.” (29:48)

Notable On-Set Anecdotes

• Super Bowl Hijinks (12:16)
  • PD took over the Med stages to celebrate with a “thousand wings”—Med and Fire actors weren’t amused!
• Morgue Madness (18:05, 46:53)
  • The unprecedented fire-in-the-morgue sequence, with actors crawling over bodies, “bona fide horror” not typical for these shows.

The Anatomy of the Crossover: Blending Three Shows

• Writer Collaboration:
  • All pitched in on the story-breaking for all three episodes. The biggest difficulty: remaining true to each show’s voice and character boundaries. (13:10)
• Production Complexity:
  • Med and Fire teams had to adjust to each other’s styles and specialties, with unique stunts (car flips done old-school by pushing a Lexus with a rental Suburban at 50 mph! (24:09))
• Emotional & Physical Demands:
  • Largest number of locations and stunts Med ever attempted.
  • Continuity heroes and production staff received major praise for keeping order amid chaos.
• Flashbacks & De-aging:
  • A flashback sequence opening the third PD hour required de-aging tech—a rare narrative move for the franchise. (42:01)

Memorable Quote:

“We all have familiarity with each other’s characters, but we don’t know them as intimately as the writer of that show.”
— Meridith Friedman (13:10)

Standout Scenes & Cross-Show Interactions

• Inter-show Pairings:
  • Victor relished writing for “badass, straight-shooting” Upton and Lennox, women from the other series, “who both get the job done.” (45:34, 46:22)
  • Edgar enjoyed writing for Dr. Archer of Med, who ends up in a hazardous suit (“PAPR”), a situation completely new to him. (44:43)
• Flashback Scene:
  • Recalling the responsibilities and grief following a tragic fire—guest actors in era-accurate costumes, emotional weight, and expert technical advice from Steve Chicorotis. (27:41)
• Subtle Touches:
  • Edgar wrote the “flower moment”—a young character tries to rescue a wilting flower, symbolic of his lost innocence and future trajectory. (43:46)

Memorable Quotes:

“One of the coolest things about all three hours is Victor was able to write genuine moments of horror…we just don’t do that.”
— Edgar Castillo (48:26)

“He finally had purpose…That’ll make you cry for all the firemen you lost.”
— Brian Luce, on a pivotal emotional scene (39:56)

Favorite Collaborators, Teams, and Moments of Awe

• Shout-Outs to Key Crew & Departments:

  • Director Reza, line producer Demetra, production manager Eric—for achieving the near impossible: a real 737 and airfield access.
  • Chris Payne, special effects makeup, for “dead bodies,” exposure makeup, and sleepless dedication. (36:32–38:54)
  • Med’s Miranda’s performance with Dr. Charles (39:09); emotional scenes informed by real firefighter experience.
  • PD’s emotional flashback and de-aging tech: “I think that’s gonna turn out really cool.” (42:01)

• Uncut Writers’ Camaraderie:

  • The trio traded jabs and warmth, candid about “throwing pencils” but ultimately grateful for each other’s expertise and creative trust in building the episode together. (20:14, 51:58)
  • Victor’s leadership as “captain of the ship” on a daunting crossover for first-timers Meredith and Edgar. (52:12)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

On the process:

• “It grew to like five whiteboards with, you know, all three shows on them and diagrams of planes and weird little drawings.” — Victor Teran (07:43)
• “We learned Victor is a really great diagram maker and that’s a key, integral part of his process.” — Meridith Friedman (08:42)
• “As difficult as it was, it forced us to do something really different… that was part of the direction, like, let’s try to do one that feels different, a thriller, suspense…” — Victor Teran (11:03)

On the madness of the work:

• “I think my favorite moment is actually when our guys discover the bad guy’s in the morgue… the fire is bonkers, cause it’s in a morgue and there’s dead bodies and there’s up things flying through. Bodies.” — Victor Teran (18:05)
• “We waited four hours… I guess we’re not gonna have a car flip…and then it worked beautifully.” — Meridith Friedman (24:09)

On teamwork and gratitude:

• “Can I say ass? They busted their asses…” — Victor Teran (16:45)
• “Victor was definitely the captain of the ship.” — Meridith Friedman (52:12)

On character craft:

• “The emotional skeleton of this episode… was your idea… I still remember when you called me and said, ‘I’ve got this pitch. What do you think?’” — Meridith Friedman to Edgar Castillo (40:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Origins & Introductions: 04:51–07:46
• Breaking the Crossover Concept: 07:43–10:43
• Logistics & Shooting Chaos: 14:58–17:56
• Favorite Moments/Challenges by Writers: 18:05–23:30
• Stunt Stories & Car Flip: 24:09–25:32
• Flashback Sequence & Cross-department Teamwork: 27:41–29:02, 42:01–43:46
• Crew/Production Shout-outs: 36:32–39:09
• Favorite Characters to Write: 44:43–46:22
• Lost Scenes/Alternate Plans: 49:11–50:29
• Reflections on Collaboration: 51:58–54:02
• Showrunner Praise: 54:05–56:01

Tone & Overall Feel

The conversation is open, lively, self-deprecating, with inside jokes and plenty of gratitude for their colleagues. The writers are awed by the machinery behind the shows, proud of the new risks (genre elements, flashbacks, de-aging), and heartfelt about the personal and emotional stakes in these stories—both on screen and in the process of making them.

Summary Table of Notable Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |------------|------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 07:43 | Victor Teran | “It grew to like five whiteboards with, you know, all three shows on them and diagrams of planes and weird little drawings.” | | 11:03 | Victor Teran | “…let’s try to do one that feels different, that feels a little more like a thriller, suspense type of story instead of a big sort of disaster action thing.” | | 18:05 | Victor Teran | “My favorite moment is actually when our guys discover the bad guy’s in the morgue… and the fire is bonkers, cause it’s in a morgue and there’s dead bodies.” | | 24:09 | Meridith Friedman | “…some stunt guy said we could do this old school and have the Suburban push the Lexus, and… it worked beautifully.” | | 39:09 | Meridith Friedman | “I thought Miranda did just an incredible job in the scene where Dr. Charles tells her that Macy didn’t make it.” | | 45:34 | Victor Teran | “I really liked writing Upton… and Lennox, who are both badasses in their own way.” | | 52:12 | Meridith Friedman | “Victor was definitely the captain of the ship.” |

Takeaways

• Ambitious crossovers like “Reckoning” require intense, all-hands creative collaboration, endless logistics, and cross-departmental heroics.
• Writers relish the chance to stretch into new genres and character voices, supporting and trading off strengths.
• Each featured department—writing, stunts, continuity, special effects—was pushed to their limits to create a seamless, cinematic experience—and a “mind-blowing extravaganza” for fans.
• Moments both large (plane disasters, car flips, massive stunts) and small (a forgotten blanket, a wilting flower, a single tearful scene) worked together to make emotional storytelling possible at an unprecedented scale.
• The deep camaraderie and mutual respect in the writers’ room—peppered with jokes and modesty—underscore the complexity (and rewards) of TV storytelling on this scale.

For listeners new and old, this episode reveals not just the “how” but the “why” behind an unforgettable One Chicago crossover.