Who will return to One Chicago? Franchise retains mainstays as first responders return for another season
NBC’s One Chicago franchise has become a household name over the years, and it's keeping its core stars around for yet another season. Lead actors from 'Chicago Med,' 'Chicago Fire,' and 'Chicago P.D.' have either renewed their contracts or are returning under existing deals as the network doubles down on one of its strongest franchises. Deadline reports that S. Epatha Merkerson and Oliver Platt from 'Chicago Med,' Taylor Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo from 'Chicago Fire,' and Jason Beghe from 'Chicago P.D.' will continue leading their respective shows. Beghe will return under his current ongoing contract, while Merkerson, Platt, Kinney, and Mayo have signed new deals with the network.
The network renewed all three shows in March, and negotiations with the stars began shortly after. All the leads have fronted their respective shows since their premiere episodes and have garnered a massive fan following. Taylor Kinney, who has been with 'Chicago Fire' since its premiere in 2012, was the last to close his deal, similar to the previous renewal cycle. Beghe is just one season behind Kinney, set to reprise his role in Season 14 of 'Chicago P.D.' this fall. Merkerson and Platt have spent 11 seasons navigating through life-and-death situations at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Television veteran Merkerson is also an integral part of the Dick Wolf universe. The Emmy-winning actress is heading into her 29th season across 'Chicago Med' and 'Law & Order,' with more than 610 episodes to her name. She spent 17 seasons on 'Law & Order,' becoming the show's longest-running cast member.
Produced by Universal Studio Group and Wolf Entertainment, One Chicago has continued delivering strong ratings for NBC while also performing well on Peacock, where it frequently appears in the platform’s Top 10 rankings. This year’s crossover event, which aired on March 4, recorded the season’s highest viewership for all three shows and generated a 75 percent increase in social video views compared to the previous year. One Chicago is executive produced by Dick Wolf, Anastasia Puglisi, Rebecca McGill, and Peter Jankowski. Additional executive producers work across the individual shows, but Wolf, Puglisi, McGill, and Jankowski oversee the franchise. 'Chicago Med,' 'Chicago Fire,' and 'Chicago P.D.' run back-to-back on Wednesdays from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. The shows follow the intense careers of Chicago’s first responders while also giving viewers a glimpse into their complicated personal lives. All three shows are available to stream on Peacock.
