Chicago Med season 5: A closer look at the schedule

What does Chicago Med season 5’s schedule reveal about the upcoming season? Look at how Chicago Med fits into NBC’s schedule and its competition.

With a new season of Chicago Med, comes a new schedule for fans to look at and wonder: What does that mean? How could it affect the show?

A TV show’s schedule is perhaps the one thing fans overlook each season. Where a show is placed and what it’s up against matter to a series’ success, and thus its chances for renewal. It’s not only about what’s on the screen.

Is it in a good time slot or a bad one? Will it end up getting preempted at some point? Is it going up against bigger or more highly-rated competition? Does it just not make sense?

So with all these questions in mind, it’s time to take a look at the Chicago Med season 5 schedule and see what we can find out.

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Time slot: Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT

History: This is Chicago Med‘s second season in this time slot, having been shifted from Tuesdays at 10 p.m. last fall as part of NBC‘s creating the “Chicago Wednesdays” block.

The move worked out for the medical drama and then some—not only were its ratings up majorly for season 4, but during several weeks it was the top-rated Chicago series, beating out both Chicago Fire and Chicago PD.

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Direct competition in the same time slot: The Goldbergs and Schooled (ABC), Survivor (CBS), The Masked Singer (FOX), Riverdale (The CW)

Competitive landscape: There’s only been one change in the broadcast TV shows that are going up against Chicago Med this season, but it’s a big one. Instead of Empire, our doctors and nurses are competing with the second season of reality series The Masked Singer, which was one of TV’s most talked-about shows when it premiered in January.

That could be dangerous for One Chicago. Masked Singer season 2 premieres on the same night as Med season 5 (Sept. 25), so they’re going to be head-to-head right out of the gate and people will want to be watching the FOX series to see the new lineup of costumed stars. If that show has half the audience it did last season, it’ll take a bite out of the live ratings.

That being said, there’s no way that the second season of The Masked Singer is going to be as long as the fifth season of Chicago Med because reality shows don’t typically run 20-24 episodes. So at a certain point, possibly at midseason, Med won’t have that hurdle to worry about.

And don’t look past Survivor. While CBS‘s reality mainstay ended up getting rolled by our medical drama last season, it does still pull a decent-sized audience, and it’s possible that the two reality shows could split that portion of TV fans.

Prognosis: Chicago Med should easily be the top scripted series in the 8 p.m. Wednesday time slot. Whether or not it’ll be the top broadcast series overall will be determined on how many eyes flock to reality TV, but at the least, Med will be competitive—a huge improvement for a show that was sent to midseason not so long ago!

For the latest Chicago Med season 5 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Med category at One Chicago Center.