Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. are still not back this week, with the shows taking a little more time off. The last time the three shows were on, Chicago Med almost killed Dr. Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell), Chicago Fire did kill Monica Pascal, and Chicago P.D. put Voight on a collision course with Deputy Chief Reid. So, it makes sense that the shows took a little bit of a break to let fans worry about the consequences. It’s just that, while they did, a lot happened in the Dick Wolf Universe, including the cancellation of two shows. So when are Chicago Fire, PD and Med coming back, and should we be worried about next season?
When Are Chicago Fire, PD & Med Coming Back?
Chicago Fire, PD, and Med will return with new episodes on Wednesday, March 26, at 9/8c on NBC. All the One Chicago shows are also set to air a new episode the week after, on April 2. We also know that Chief Boden is set to return to Chicago Fire for Episode 18, titled “Post-Mortem,” which is set to air on April 16. That likely means all the shows will air a new episode that week, too, as One Chicago likes to stay on schedule together.
But all of that only tells us something about the immediate future of the franchise. It says very little about what we can expect going forward. The Dick Wolf Universe already lost two of its series, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, which were canceled by CBS a few weeks ago. Granted, those two were at CBS, a network that has already announced renewals and cancelations on most of its slate. NBC has yet to do so.
Last year, the three shows were renewed for one season around this time. In previous years, the shows even got multiple season renewals. But the TV landscape has changed in the past few years, which makes multiple-season renewals harder and harder to come by. Plus, Wolf Entertainment also has three other shows on the table left to be renewed by NBC, the entire Law & Order franchise, one of which they almost lost last year and moved from NBC to Peacock. So there’s no certainty that all of One Chicago is safe just because it’s part of one franchise, either. Law & Order: Organized Crime wasn’t.
Either way, Chicago Fire, PD, and Med will return next week. We’ll find out how Ripley is doing and if he and Hannah can figure out their relationship. We’ll see how Pascal copes after the death of his wife and how Firehouse 51 can rally around him. And in Chicago P.D. we’ll see how Voight can try to take down a dirty cop that’s somehow even worse than him. And we will hope that these stories we’re invested in will continue to be told for many more seasons to come.
