In it for the romance. Ever since Chicago Fire debuted in 2012, the romances have run high in the Windy City — and that expanded to Chicago P.D. when it launched in 2014 and Chicago Med, when it began in 2015.
Whether you spent years pining over Casey and Dawson and were heartbroken when they divorced, or you counted down to Natalie and Will’s wedding only to be heartbroken by her bloody dress, even the fan-favorite relationships are definitely rocky! (Proof: The two couples just mentioned actually hooked up after those events!)
Some couples definitely work better than others — something the creative teams are well aware of. “That’s how they are in real life. They’re hilarious together in a way that they’re not with other people. They just have this magic,” Chicago Fire cocreator Derek Haas told Us Weekly in 2019 when referring to Taylor Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo, who portray on-off couple Severide and Stella. (The TV twosome got married in season 10.)
However, not every couple started out romantic. Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Brett (Kara Killmer) were simply coworkers — in fact, she was his wife’s best friend and dated her brother. However, after Casey and Dawson’s separated and Antonio left town, things changed and sparks began to fly.
“They do have a natural chemistry on top of the fact that they’re kind of in the same mold, character-wise,” Haas exclusively told Us in April 2019, noting that they both have great work ethic and a good head on their shoulders. “Overall, [they’re] really good, solid people. Captain Marvel meets Captain America.”
He continued: “Real life throws curveballs at you. Real life never goes exactly how you think it’s going to. People were like, ‘They were so in love, this doesn’t make sense!’ I’ve known many people who were so in love and their relationship ended, and it didn’t make sense to anyone. Then you pick up the pieces and you either move on or you try to fix it.”
Fans finally saw Casey and Brett as romantic partners during season 9 of Chicago Fire, before Casey moved to Oregon.
Scroll through the gallery below for more of the most memorable couples from the One Chicago universe: