NBC has announced that every show in its One Chicago Wednesday lineup of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD has been renewed. Med will be going into a fifth season; Fire is headed into its eighth season; and PD is set for its seventh season.
“We remain in awe of the job Dick Wolf, our producers, casts and crews do in creating some of the most compelling television today,” Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, Co-Presidents of Scripted Programming, NBC Entertainment, said Tuesday. “The Chicago franchise is a lynchpin of our schedule and we’re thrilled that audiences have embraced our Wednesdays with such incredible passion for these shows and characters.”
The news comes as no surprise given the night’s success for NBC. Thus far this season, One Chicago has won 15 out of 15 Wednesday nights when in originals. In Live + 7 numbers, Chicago Med is averaging a 2.0 in the 18-49 demo with 11.4 million viewers, with Chicago Fire at 2.1/11.7 million and Chicago PD earning a 2.1/11.1 million.
The lack of an SVU renewal along with the other three Chicago shows is somewhat interesting, but that show’s renewals always come down to negotiations with star and executive producer Mariska Hargitay. While its ratings this year might be down from last year when it was airing Wednesdays at 9:00, it’s a syndication and streaming giant for NBC that’s one season away from breaking Gunsmoke‘s record for most seasons by a live-action broadcast drama. With NBC having denied the original Law & Order the chance to break the record and wanting to keep their relationship with franchise architect Dick Wolf solid after he took FBI to CBS, SVU is a guaranteed renewal.
Chicago Med airs Wednedays at 8:00 on NBC. Chicago Fire follows at 9:00, while Chicago PD closes out the night at 10:00.
