The *Real* Reason the One Chicago Franchise Is Off the Air as Dick Wolf Cancels Two Other Shows
Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. are taking a break this week as the three prepare their schedules for the season finale run. Last time the One Chicago franchise was on, Chicago Med saw Dean Archer’s (Steven Weber) ex-wife and the mother of his kid, Sean, pass away—which seemed to push him closer to Hannah Asher (Jesse Schram). Meanwhile, on Chicago Fire, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) bonded with a teenager that reminded her a lot about herself, and on Chicago P.D.,. Kevin Atwater’s (LaRoyce Hawkins) relationship with Val Soto took a step forward. So when are Chicago Fire, PD, and Med coming back, and how are they looking renewal-wise?
Why Are Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. & Chicago Med Not on Tonight?
The shows are just taking a regular one-week break and are set to return with new episodes on April 16 at 9/8c on NBC. This is likely only because the network would like the finales to air in mid-May and is trying to make sure the shows stay on schedule to end then and not too early. Next week’s episodes will be the eighteenth episode of the season for all three One Chicago shows.
We already know that Chief Boden is set to return to Chicago Fire for Episode 18, titled “Post-Mortem,” the biggest news of all three returning shows. Eamonn Walker’s Boden exited the show at the end of the past season, and the character has yet to make an appearance in Season 13. He was replaced at Firehouse 51 by Chief Dom Pascal, played by Dermot Mulroney, who has had his ups and downs at the helm of the firehouse.
The shows have yet to be renewed for the upcoming season, though there’s widespread speculation that the renewals should be coming soon. NBC has to make some hard choices when it comes to what they will renew in the upcoming season, “as the network’s scripted and unscripted rosters are facing a major trim to make room for about 180 hours of primetime NBA programming next season,” according to Deadline.
Despite this, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. are all expected to return next season, according to the outlet, with the renewal announcement expected in the next few weeks. It should come as no surprise, as the shows lead NBC’s linear scripted ratings and Peacock’s viewership roster, with the shows regularly ranking in the Top 5 on Peacock.
However, the shows are only expected to get a one-season renewal, when in previous seasons they’d gotten multiple season renewals. The TV landscape has changed a lot since those days, however, and with Wolf Entertaiment losing two out of three FBI shows over at CBS, it’s better to at least get a one-year renewal for the entire One Chicago franchise than nothing.
The three One Chicago shows are set to return next week. Chicago Med will once again revisit the Asher and Ripley relationship and whether that has a chance, while Chicago Fire will welcome Boden, and Chicago P.D. will once again pit Voight against Deputy Chief Reid. With the shows getting ready to end the season, it’s time for all of them to pick up the pace and prove that they all deserve that next season. What will they bring? And in what ways will they leave us hanging?
