Will ‘Chicago Fire’ air tonight? When to expect the first responders from One Chicago to return
Wednesday has arrived, and many Chi-hards may be awaiting the latest dose of drama from their favorite One Chicago shows. The franchise kick-started with 'Chicago Fire' taking over the 9/8c Wednesday slot back in 2012 on NBC. For almost a decade, the One Chicago family has dominated ratings charts for this day of the week. Unfortunately, this time around, the shows will not be gracing the small screens. It is because all three, 'Chicago Fire,' 'Chicago Med,' and 'Chicago P.D.' have already aired their season finale on May 13. For a few months, the first responders from NBC and Peacock will not be on duty. But would they return? The decision was made back in March.
NBC renewed all the shows for the 2026-2027 television season in March. The shows produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment, will continue to shoot in Chicago, Illinois. The renewal was not surprising as the three shows have been consistent performers in both linear and streaming charts, as per Deadline. They have also regularly appeared in Peacock's Top 10 all season. The March 4 crossover pushed all the shows to season highs in total viewers.
The exact return date is not announced yet, but it was confirmed that the shows will return in the fall. Factoring in the schedules of previous seasons, the return could be expected sometime in September or October. The shows have also retained their main characters, as Epatha Merkerson (Med), Oliver Platt (Med), Taylor Kinney (Fire), Miranda Rae Mayo (Fire), and Jason Beghe (P.D.) have all renewed their contracts. It does not seem that getting the contracts renewed was a task. Dick Wolf has always prided himself on the fact that the One Chicago cast gels very well, with most loving their job from the bottom of their hearts. "It's a pretty big [One Chicago] family," Wolf said in 2019. "Everybody gets along. I mean, there are no squeaky wheels in the cast... I've never had anything like it...It's a remarkably ensemble-like world."
All three shows have some solid storylines to return to in their upcoming seasons. 'Chicago Fire' will deal with the aftermath of the disaster that seemingly left all of Firehouse 51 injured in season 15. 'Chicago Med' Season 12 will see Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) fight for her job after events in the finale left her professionally vulnerable. 'Chicago P.D.' Season 14 will feature Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) dealing with the consequences of killing Kirby. To see these juicy narratives unfold, fans will have to wait for some months. To get their fill of fun, NBC viewers can enjoy Game 2 of the Spurs VS Thunder Western Conference Finals matchup at the same time slot. All seasons of the show continue to stream at Peacock.
