WEDNESDAY
CRAIG: 8:00 The Enemy Within; 9:00 Law & Order: SVU; 10:00 Chicago PD
SHILO: 8:00 The InBetween; 9:00 Law & Order: SVU; 10:00 Chicago PD
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 Chicago Med; 9:00 Chicago Fire; 10:00 Chicago PD
CRAIG: I really did not expect NBC Wednesday to be wall to wall Chicago. Could it be too much of a good thing for one night, or could the ratings stay consistent for all three hours, as I’m sure NBC and Dick Wolf hope? One thing’s for sure, and that is if this succeeds, we can probably see other networks doing similar things with their families of connected series.
SHILO: Is there any precedent for a network airing three hours of interconnected series in one night? There are plenty of cases of two in-universe shows together, or three shows from the same creator that aren’t all connected, but I can’t remember a full night dominated by one TV universe. I, too, was surprised that NBC finally pulled the trigger on an all-Chicago night after they’d had opportunities to do it in the past. I think from a marketing/synergy standpoint, it’s a very smart decision, especially giving Chicago Fire something resembling a lead-in after a season of ratings blackholes Thursdays at 9:30.
I do wonder about burnout, though. Granted, I don’t know how much shared viewership each show has with the other outside of crossovers, but it feels like three hours a night could push some viewership non-linear. It might be able to make that up with live viewership thanks to brand synergy and a stronger 8:00 hour; it’s just something to keep an eye on.
