When it comes to firefighter TV shows, there are plenty for fans to choose from — including Chicago Fire, Fire Country and 9-1-1.
Dick Wolf’s Chicago Fire premiered in 2012 and gave life to the One Chicago universe with spinoffs Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.
“The challenge always is that we reflect and we edify the self-sacrifice and the hard work that everyone who put themselves in the frontline are doing,” Kara Killmer, who plays paramedic Sylvia Brett on Chicago Fire, exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2021. “It takes such a special person and such a heart of service to choose to keep going out there every day and putting your life on your line or taking those risks.”
Fox got in on the firefighter trend with 9-1-1 in 2018 and later 9-1-1: Lone Star. ABC, meanwhile, introduced Station 19 in 2018 and added 9-1-1 to its roster ahead of season 7 after Fox canceled it in 2023. CBS fired up its own TV success story with Fire Country, which premiered in 2022.
Scroll down to see the best firefighter-focused TV shows to add to your must-watch list:
‘Chicago Fire’
The series was the first of the One Chicago shows to premiere on NBC in 2012. Chicago P.D. followed in 2014 and Chicago Med began in 2015. Chicago Fire follows the firefighters and paramedics working at Firehouse 51. When the series began up-and-coming firefighters Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) were front and center.
As the show has progressed — season 12 kicked off in 2024 — fellow first responders Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker), Randall “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte), Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso), Christopher Hermann (David Eigenberg) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) became major players.
‘9-1-1’
Ryan Murphy’s series premiered in 2018 and its first six seasons aired on Fox. In May 2023, ABC announced that it was picking up 9-1-1 for season 7. Throughout the show, viewers learn about the personal and professional lives of Los Angeles first responders, including Station 118 captain Robert “Bobby” Nash (Peter Krause), Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), Howard “Howie” or “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi) and Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz (Ryan Guzman).
The L.A. firefighters’ lives are intertwined with the police — mainly Athena Grant-Nash (Angela Bassett), who is married to Bobby — and the 9-1-1 dispatchers, including Buck’s sister, Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt).
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’
After the success of 9-1-1, Murphy created the spinoff series, 9-1-1: Lone Star, which takes place in Austin, Texas. The show began in 2020 and season 4 premiered in January 2023. Season 5 is set to premiere sometime in 2024. The Fox series focuses on captain Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) once he transfers from New York City to Texas to revive Firehouse 126, which lost almost all of its firefighters following a tragic accident on the job.
The series also stars Ronen Rubinstein as Owen’s son, Tyler Kennedy “TK” Strand, Jim Parrack as Judson “Judd” Ryder, Brian Michael Smith as Paul Strickland, Natacha Karam as Marjan Marwani and Julian Works as Mateo Chavez.
‘Fire Country’
The Max Thieriot-led series made its debut on CBS in October 2022. In January 2023, it was picked up for season 2, which began in February 2024. Unlike many other firefighter-based shows, Fire Country details what it’s like to work as part of the Cal Fire team, which almost exclusively fights wildfires in California.
In the show, Bode Donovan (Thieriot) and other prisoners are sent to a Northern California firefighting camp for convicts where they can lessen their sentences by assisting the local firefighters with their jobs. Bode, however, has a stronger tie to the land as he is the son of local Cal Fire Battalion Chief Vince Leone (Billy Burke) and Cal Fire Division Chief Sharone Leone (Diane Farr). His return proves to be difficult as secrets about his past continue to plague the present.
‘Rescue Me’
The FX series spanned seven seasons from 2004 to 2011. Firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) must face his own fears on the job following the aftermath of the bombings on 9/11 in New York City. The darker side of the profession, including Gavin’s PTSD over losing colleagues in the World Trade Center, is balanced by the chaos and humor he finds with fellow firefighters on a daily basis. Leary was a cocreator on the series, which earned eight Emmy Award nominations and a win in 2009 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Michael J. Fox’s role as Dwight.
‘Third Watch’
The NBC series lasted six seasons and aired from 1999 to 2005. The show followed the exploits of the men and women serving in New York City’s fictional 55th Precinct. The cast — which consisted of Coby Bell, Jason Wiles, Skipp Sudduth, Molly Price, Kim Raver, Anthony Ruivivar, Michael Beach and Eddie Cibrian — highlighted both police, paramedics and firefighters’ roles during the 3:00 to 11:00 p.m. shift.
