THE BIG PICTURE
– One Chicago franchise faces cast changes but remains popular.
– NBCUniversal’s Jeff Bader sees cast changes as keeping shows fresh.
– New faces and stories will dominate One Chicago in the upcoming season.
One Chicago is one of the longest-running TV franchises. The shows continue to pull impressive numbers close to a decade in, often completing the television season in the top ten programs and Chicago Fire cracking the top three. Changes are to be expected but of late, the franchise has seen several exits, across Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med. Questions about the shows’ direction have come up as long-time cast members leave, and it has become common for comments doubting the franchise’s future to dominate comments sections. TV Line spoke to NBCUniversal’s President of Programming and Strategy, Jeff Bader, about what the future looks like as the list of long-running cast members thins with every passing week.
Bader said that he wasn’t concerned about the shows since “cast comes in, cast goes out.” He looked at the upside of cast changes as old faces depart and new ones replace them. Chicago Fire has seen at least four new faces this season, something Bader says it “obviously keeps the shows fresh.” He confirmed the network’s dedication to keeping the shows on the air, saying,
“It’s interesting because every year there are cast changes, and every year someone asks the same question [about the state of #OneChicago.] But [those shows] just keep going on. We’re thrilled with how the Chicagos do on Wednesday. We have no plans on changing anything on that night.”
Cast Changes In One Chicago So Far
When the 202/2025 television season kicks off this fall, One Chicago will be quite different as familiar faces become scarce while new faces and stories dominate the narrative. In Chicago Fire, Chief Boden will be less prominent as Eamonn Walker steps away from his series regular duties after 12 seasons. Reports indicate that a new chief will come in to lead Firehouse 51. Alberto Rosende and Kara Killmer will no longer appear as their characters were written out, while Michael Bradway and Jocelyn Huddon will occupy the space left.
In Chicago P.D., Tracy Spiridakos will also be absent in the upcoming season, as Hailey Upton left Chicago in the previous season. The show might be looking to bring in Bojana Novakovic as a member of Intelligence. Chicago Med will also miss Dominic Rains, who is stepping away from Dr Marcel Crockett’s duties when the tenth season premieres. On the bright side, the only remaining long-time Chicago Med cast members, S. Epatha Merkerson, Oliver Platt, and Marlyne Barrett, are guaranteed to return as they’ve extended their contracts with the network.
