I don’t get attached to TV shows very often, but when I do, I usually remain loyal to the bitter end.  That is, unless the series takes a pretty awful downturn—the House, M.D. series as an example.

A friend of mine introduced this show to me recently, and I started watching it from the 9th episode, “It Ain’t Easy.”  At first I admit to being a little skeptical about how interesting a show about firefighters would be, even if I do love Jesse Spencer (and now thanks to this show, I’ve become a fan of Taylor Kinney as well).  Needless to say, I was pretty hooked by the end of the episode.

While I will always remember Spencer for his role as Chase in House, M.D. (and at times I can see glimpses of that character in his new role as Lieutenant  Matthew Casey), I think he’s done a great job transitioning out of that role and showing us something different.  It’s always nice to see actors who are fairly versatile and can seem like a different person in every role they take—an actor like Joseph Gordon-Levitt being a perfect example of this.

After I caught up with the most recent episode, “God Has Spoken,” I went back and watched all the episodes from the beginning, starting with the pilot.  The series starts surprisingly strong, and by the second episode the show already had me feeling that “family” vibe.  For the most part I really like the casting, with the exception of maybe one or two characters.  Hopefully this show gets renewed for at least a few more seasons.  I want to say I’m confident it won’t be, but television networks have pulled a fast one on me before and canceled shows that I thought were pretty decent while letting the crummy ones continue to drag painstakingly on.

By the way, if you liked the movie Ladder 49 (2004) with Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta, then you may also enjoy Chicago Fire.  There were a few bits of certain episodes where I was reminded of that movie.

I don’t really have ratings for television dramas, but if I did, this would definitely be up there on the positive high end of the scale.  It’s a show that I think both men and women would equally enjoy, and if you haven’t heard of it or given it a try, I definitely recommend it!