Do you like deep-dish pizza and attractive people wielding fire hoses? Then you’ll like Chicago Fire, a story about Windy City fire crews. It’s part of the Chicago franchise of shows that also includes Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. The shows were created by Dick Wolf, a mega-producer who is also behind the Law & Order franchise. Chicago Fire follows the workers at Firehouse 51, and it draws millions of viewers every week. But what’s a fan to do if they want to watch Chicago Fire without cable?
There’s no need to sound the alarm! We're here to tell you exactly how to watch Chicago Fire without cable. Your top options are live TV streaming services, but you’ve also got other ways to view Chicago Fire. Keep scrolling and we’ll tell you everything you need to know.
How to Watch Chicago Fire Online or Over the Air Without Cable
If you already know you like Chicago Fire, then you likely know it airs on NBC. You can’t properly stream Chicago Fire without cable until you know that much.
Now let’s briefly define what a live TV streaming service is. You may also hear it called a skinny bundle. With live TV streaming services, you’re not going through a cable company’s infrastructure to watch channels like NBC. What you’re doing instead is utilizing your home internet connection.
These services are not just one channel, either. You’ll still get multi-channel packages, but they won’t look quite the same as they do when going through Big Cable. You’ll be getting a better price, and you won’t have to worry about reading the fine print of a contract — because live TV streaming services don’t have contracts.
Hulu + Live TV is a solid option for watching Chicago Fire without cable. We’re not talking about the on-demand service (that’s just “Hulu” without any plus signs), though that is included. Hulu + Live TV is Hulu’s on-demand content plus many live streaming channels. In most markets, you’ll find NBC among those channels. Want to do more research? Check out our Hulu + Live TV review.
Not that long ago, fuboTV was more likely to be a place where you could watch the Major League Soccer team called the Chicago Fire rather than the TV show of the same name. The service was aimed at soccer fans in its early days. Currently, it has a lot more channels to pick from. If NBC is among the available channels in your market, then you’ve got all you need to stream Chicago Fire online.
Sling is known for not offering local channels, but it has tweaked its model a bit. If you live in the right market, you can now get your local NBC affiliate via Sling TV. In covered metro areas such as Chicago, Boston, and Dallas/Fort Worth, you can use Sling TV to watch “Chicago Fire” without cable.
YouTubeTV
Did you know that YouTube is owned by Google? Now you do! You should also know that there’s a live TV streaming service known as YouTubeTV. Unlike regular YouTube, it’s not free. But many Chicago Fire fans use it to watch the show.
Peacock
NBCUniversal’s new streaming service is also an option for watching Chicago Fire. Peacock may not have every episode available, but you will be able to watch at least some of the show on both the free and paid versions of Peacock.
Free Over-the-Air TV
Free over-the-air TV still exists! For many people, it’s a wonderful way to watch shows like Chicago Fire without cable. If you’re not convinced, maybe it would help to know that you can watch Chicago Fire in high-definition, as long as you have an HD TV. Setting up an antenna the right way only takes a few minutes, and it’s a lot less arduous than constantly dealing with cable companies’ poor customer service.
Can I Watch Chicago Fire on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast?
Do people in Chicago watch Chicago Fire? The show has generally good ratings, and Chicago is one of the biggest media markets in the country, so there’s no doubt that many viewers in and around The Windy City tune in sometimes and see what’s going on with the firehouse. But you obviously don’t have to be from Chicago to enjoy Chicago Fire. You can watch it at your house in California, on a commuter train in New Jersey, or anywhere else in the country that you may find yourself. You have your choice of available devices for watching it. All you have to do is look at the chart below and decide what works for you.
| Roku | Fire TV | Apple TV | Chromecast | iOS | Android | Web/ browser |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| fuboTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sling TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Watch What You Want, Chicago Fire Fans!
Chicago Fire is a tense show with a lot of action. You’d expect nothing less from a show with the word “fire” in its name, right? It was the first member of the Chicago franchise to air on NBC, and now there’s a whole universe of those shows. At this point, all that’s missing is Chicago Animal Shelter. Heck, I’d probably watch that one, too!
Some viewers are comfortably binging dramatic shows like Chicago Fire and Chicago Med. Other people need to take breaks and change things up occasionally. Maybe you want to switch to watching real Chicago athletes instead of fake Chicago firefighters. You can find the Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and more on live TV streaming services. Our guide to watching sports without cable will fill you in.