One Chicago’s Future Gives It An Advantage Over Dick Wolf’s Original NBC Franchise

One Chicago‘s future has already been determined, giving it a leg up against Dick Wolf’s crowning jewel franchise. Kicking it off with Chicago Fire in 2012, Wolf expanded its TV empire with the Windy City-set universe that follows both first responders and the police. Chicago Fire follows Chief Boden’s Firehouse 51, which is composed of Rescue Squad 1, Engine 51, Truck 81, and Ambo 61. NBC used it to launch its spin-off via a backdoor pilot for Chicago PD in 2014, which centers around Hank Voight’s Intelligence. Meanwhile, 2015’s Chicago Med focuses on the emergency department at Gaffney Chicago.

Like many scripted series, One Chicago was significantly delayed by the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023, with many of its cast and crew supporting the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA primarily for better working conditions overall. Once the franchise returned, however, NBC didn’t waste time getting the ball rolling. Despite its shortened season, however, One Chicago’s year is mired with several departures, including fan favorites such as Kara Killmer’s Sylvie Brett from Chicago Fire and Tracy Spiridakos’ Hailey Upton from Chicago PD. Regardless, the universe will continue for another year, as per NBC’s latest update.

One Chicago’s 3 Shows Are All Renewed At NBC, But Not All Of Law & Order’s Are

Stabler’s show may not return for the Law & Order franchise.

Previously, NBC handed out multi-year renewal for One Chicago, with the latest one back in 2020, when it was awarded a rare three-season order. Since then, however, the network seems to be more cautious with how they handle the franchise moving forward. At the end of the 2022-2023 TV years, NBC has only renewed the universe for one more season, which is again the case with its recent updates. Chicago Fire season 13, Chicago PD season 12, and Chicago Med season 10 are all confirmed for NBC’s 2024-2025 primetime Wednesday block that is appropriately called, Chicago Wednesday.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for Wolf’s original TV franchise — Law & Order. While NBC has secured Law & Order: SVU season 26 and Law & Order season 24, the fate of Law & Order: Organized Crime is still in limbo. The Christopher Meloni-led show premiered on April 1, 2021, and sees the return of Elliot Stabler to the universe. An original cast member, Meloni’s Law & Order: SVU season 13 departure was controversial, considering that his decision was rooted in a pay dispute. Now, his show’s future is in limbo, as NBC delays its decision about its future.

One Chicago Shows Are Bigger Than Law & Order

Ratings confirm that One Chicago shows are now more popular than its New York-based counterparts.

It isn’t difficult to understand why NBC is holding out on renewing Law & Order: Organized Crime. Per TV Series Finale, the ratings for Meloni-starrer aren’t exactly inspiring. Out of all of Wolf Entertainment’s shows on the network, it posts the lowest number of viewers, with just 3.530 million — almost half of Chicago Fire‘s 6.569 million, which ranks #1. Overall, all One Chicago shows are doing better than their Law & Order: counterparts, with Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD all posting 5-6 million viewers. Meanwhile, its New York-based counterparts’ best numbers don’t even reach 5 million.

One Chicago Is Dick Wolf’s Better NBC Franchise Now

Law & Order shows need to catch up.

For the longest time, Law & Order has been Wolf’s crowning jewel. Long before Law & Order returned for a revival and Law & Order: Organized Crime was greenlit, Law & Order: SVU kept the universe going. The Mariska Hargitay-led procedural has continued to churn out compelling storylines, most of them ripped from the headlines, which is quite impressive, considering how long it has been on the air. Overall, however, One Chicago has the upper hand when it comes to its narratives, and it’s reflected in the ratings for the 2023-2024 season.

Admittedly, just because One Chicago is now the better franchise compared to Law & Order, it doesn’t mean that its storytelling is as good as it was during its peak seasons. The ratings are overall down, despite the Windy City-based universe beating its New York siblings. That being said, what makes One Chicago better overall is the variety of stories. It has done a great job marrying its case-per-week format with overarching personal storylines for its characters. There’s romance, family drama, vengeance, and sillier antics that the Law & Order personnel don’t usually have.

Whether Law & Order: Organized Crime gets renewed is currently uncertain at this point. Regardless, however, at least the Law & Order franchise will continue via the mothership series and Law & Order: SVU. Because of that, Wolf’s primary franchise still has the opportunity to reclaim its spot as its best pocket of the universe from One Chicago.