Chicago Fire Pilot: Nine Year Anniversary

 

It's hard to believe that nine years ago, this series debuted, and ever since, it has become a big community. I have a lot 

If you are wondering, today (October 10) marks the ninth anniversary of the series Chicago Fire debuting on NBC. During the premiere week, Law & Order SVU had its two-hour season 14 premiere (which was very understandable). 

In the pilot, the men and women of Firehouse 51 went on a call, but one of the firefighters got killed while trying to rescue someone trapped in a housefire. A month has passed, and the death is still taking a toll, even putting friction between Truck 81, led by Matt Casey, and Squad 3, led by Kelly Severide, about how each blames the other for losing one of their lives. 

Soon, the new candidate, Peter Mills, comes to 51. He's pretty much like us, meeting everyone and getting the lay of the land. While his first call went pretty well, seeing the recuse later in the episode got him excited to be a part of the team and knowing that his father was also a firefighter. 

Then there's Gabby Dawson and Leslie Shay, two paramedics on Ambulance 61. Dawson makes bold and daring efforts to save her patients, even saving a child from cardiac arrest. And not to mention saving Herrmann's life as well. Shay helps Severide, who's been dealing with severe pain in his right shoulder after that bad call earlier in the pilot, by giving him a bottle of morphine.   

On the night that Chief Boden fights a cop sleeping with his wife, the 51 team gets a call of an apartment fire that had Casey and Herrmann's lives in jeopardy. But Severide and the rest rescue them, and just as everyone is out of the building and watering down the fire, the mayor of Chicago finally gets a chance to meet with Firehouse 51. 

The episode ends with everyone from 51 waiting for news about Herrmann. Casey helps Dawson with the information about the little girl she saved earlier in the attack. Casey makes a phone call to his girlfriend, who returned the engagement ring earlier, hoping that she could come over. 

The pilot was good, and as nine years go by, it ages pretty slowly, mainly because four of the cast members in that pilot have gone. I still love to watch the pilot once in a while. I'll admit that while it does have some soapy moments, it blossomed into a real character-driven series that focuses on the heroism of these characters and what they do above and beyond their work shifts.

I can't go against that. This pilot started the Dawsey fanbase with Casey checking up on Dawson after that incident, saving that little girl. And not to mention her asking if he would want to do something later that night. Who can argue that they should be together after that? I'm not!

The rest of the season was a solid first season. The one episode that defined the series was "A Coffin That Small." In the episode, that family, who had lost someone, was driven for a funeral, and as they went by the firehouse, the entire firehouse team suited up and saluted to them as they drove by. It had me in tears and still gives me chills rethinking that scene. 

And not to mention that the first season gave us the introduction of Antiono Dawson and Hank Voight. Voight vs. Casey. Who knew that down the road, these two would be working together after what went down with Voight's son being arrested and catching Voight for being a dirty cop? 

We've also got Chicago Med, which has been the one show that I've been waiting to get made since Dylan Baker's performance in the first two seasons of Chicago Fire. And not to mention the crossovers! Oh, the crossovers have been the second-best thing with these shows. 

Nine years, three shows, and this show has grown into one big fan community. It's just amazing how those nine years have gone by. We've been through a lot with these characters, and I can't wait to see what comes next. Here's to nine more years with all three shows! 

Can you believe that it's been nine years since the pilot aired? Have you gone back to rewatch it? How has the series changed for you? Leave a comment below and tell us your thoughts! 

On NBC, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD will return with a new season on Wednesday, November 11.

Thrilling New Series: FBI "Pilot" Series Premiere

If you're a fan of the Dick Wolf series, mainly the Chicago series, this might be a show you would enjoy. While the sequel premiere wasn't the most excellent pilot to watch, it's got some teeth and interest that makes me want to tune in.

When a bombing at an apartment building goes off twice and takes many, even a child, the FBI team of Agents Maggie Bell and Omar Adom Zidan takes the case. But as their investigation begins, it leads to twists and turns as their suspects either get killed in another bombing or jail. But not only do the bombings get connected, but also the killings, as their investigation leads to a white supremacist leader, Robert Lawerance.

Just as Lawernce is on a talk show, the team searches for the last bomb that will go off any minute, which was at a prayer event. But with Agent Kristen Chazal's quick and expert in disabling the bomb, while Bell and Zidan awaited Lawernce to make a phone call to his 'lawyer" that was supposed to be a direct call to activate the bomb, but didn't

We learn through the episode more about Agent Bell, who lost her husband a few years ago as an investigating reporter, as she deals with the after-effects of the bombing in that a mother lost her child. But she gets the courage after capturing Lawernce to go to the little boy's funeral.

It wasn't the best pilot of the year, but I very much enjoyed watching this pilot and enjoyed the cast as well. The model plays so well with each other on screen. The exciting story kept me on the edge of my seat like other Wolf series like Chicago PD and SVU. Missy Peregrym is as fantastic as Agent Bell. Dallas Roberts kills as the villain in this episode, but not as great when he guestarredtar on Chicago PD. Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

Not to mention that it's funny with this fact that it's been 30 years since Dick Wolf and CBS were working on Law & Order, but the network passed on it and went to NBC for the next twenty years.

You can catch FBI Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.

The Show to Watch: Champions "Pilot" Series Premiere

The latest NBC comedy series, Champions premiered last Thursday and it's with all strides as the best new comedy of the season.

Created by Charlie Grandy and Mandy Kaling, the pilot opens up as Vince, a gym owner in Brooklyn, NY along with his brother, Matthew, is about to give up his life for a new one in Florida. But when Priya, an ex high school girlfriend, comes by with a surprise that he has a 15 year old son, Michael, who needs to find a place to stay during the audition process at the Academy of Arts.

After taking him in, things don't go that well when Michael feels that Vince doesn't want him around and that he spilled the beans about selling the gym in front of his brother. Vince comes to terms, finds Michael and gives him the courage at his audition, even though he was a half hour late. When the Academy accepts Michael and tells Vince that there's a place for Michael to stay, he tells them that Michael will be staying with him, but will keep the address in mind for later.

I'm in love with Champions. It's one of the best new shows on the season. The pilot was well written and perfectly told of about these characters of who they are, what their conflict is and their triumph of over coming with inspiration and humor. The cast is amazing from Anders Holm and Andy Favreau, Fortune Feimster and Mindy Kaling, but it's J.J. Totah who shines as the star of the show. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Champions Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c on NBC.

Life Sentence Pilot Preview

This Wednesday marks the series premiere of Lucy Hale's new series "Life Sentence." Here's a preview of the "Pilot" episode.

When Stella (Hale), a young woman who has spent the last eight years of living like she was dying, finds out that her cancer has been cured. She is suddenly forced to face the long-tern consequences of the "live in the moment" decisions she made, which includes marrying a total stranger. But she also finds out that her"perfect family" isn't so perfect after all and everyone in her life hid their problems from her.

Stella is shocked to learn that her parents, Peter (Dylan Wash) and Ida (Gillian Vigman), have fallen out of love, her sister, Elizabeth (Brooke Lyons), gave up her own dreams to start a family with her husband Diego (Carlos PenaVega) to take care of her, and her often overlooked brother Aiden (Jayosn Blair), who's pushing 30 and still lives above the garage, sells Adrenal to soccer moms and uses Stella's cancer to guilt them into sleeping with him.

Meanwhile, Stella's husband Wes (Elliot Knight), begins to worry that he can't continue to pretend to be her perfect husband for the rest of his life. With a real future suddenly in front of her, Stella's cinematic life snaps into reality, and instead of living like she was dying, she will have to learn to live like she's living, and help her family and friends to do the same. 

You can catch the series premiere of Life Sentence Wednesday, March 7 at 9/8c on The CW.