If there is one thing certain during a time when network TV isn’t quite what it used to be, NBC will stand behind its procedural dramas that continue to perform well on the lineup. Some of the strongest performers on the network continue to be the One Chicago franchise, consisting of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med, all produced by Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment banner. With the networks finalizing their schedules for the 2025-26 season, NBC has finally decided where the franchise stands, and it should please fans of all three shows.
Per Variety, NBC has renewed Chicago Fire for Season 14, Chicago P.D. for Season 13 and Chicago Med for Season 11. To confirm the renewals, the network took to social media to post a video that features various members of the cast of Chicago Fire revealing the good news. All three Chicago shows returning was always in the cards, and it was just a matter of behind-the-scenes cost trimming that needed to be done to finalize the decision.
All Three ‘Chicago’ Shows Will Have Reduced Costs
As is the case with most long-running series, budgets tend to increase because a show becomes more expensive as it goes along. NBC and Universal Television, the studio that is involved with all the Wolf Entertainment shows, including Law & Order: SVU, have been working the last few seasons to bring down the costs of their titles. As One Chicago was heading into the 2022-23 season, the “minimum guarantees” of the majority of the cast across all the shows were reduced as a cost-cutting measure. This practice has been put in place for a lot of long-running dramas, basically indicating that series regulars won’t appear in every episode to keep budgets manageable. According to some of the guarantees for the upcoming season, some regulars might now appear in about 2–4 episodes, and cast members are being asked to relocate to Chicago, where the series is filmed. Should they not, their guarantees could be reduced even more.
There are a few more wrinkles with some of the shows, even though their returns are guaranteed. Some of the longer-running members of the cast saw their contracts come to an end this season, and they need to be renegotiated. Actors such as Taylor Kinney, a veteran of the Chicago Fire cast, are in talks with the network now to iron out new contracts, while some other cast members won’t be returning, again, as a cost-saving measure.
That being said, the One Chicago franchise is still very successful for NBC and continues to dominate their linear ratings as well as streaming numbers on Peacock. Across NBC and the streaming platform, the network claims that all three Chicago shows have reached about 46 million total viewers this season, and their streaming performance has all increased year-to-year. NBC also declares that the Chicago franchise is the most-watched drama brand on broadcast television and continues to give them a win on Wednesday nights.
