April is nearly upon us, and the 2025-26 TV season is almost in the books. Soon, our favorite shows will begin signing off the air for the summer or, in the case of some unlucky shows, for good.
This time of year is always a stressful time for TV fans as the futures of our favorite shows hang in limbo as networks make determinations on which shows will be renewed and which will be canceled. While CBS has made decisions on nearly its entire lineup, renewing its biggest shows months ago at this point, NBC hasn’t been as generous with its renewals. Somehow, we’re now entering April with Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD all waiting to learn their fates still.
The One Chicago shows are among nine NBC series that are sitting on the bubble, waiting to learn whether they’ll be coming back for another season. In fact, of NBC’s 11 scripted series on the schedule, only two have been renewed, with sophomore comedies St. Denis Medical and Happy’s Place having both already been picked up for third seasons.
In addition to Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD, the fates of Brilliant Minds, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, The Hunting Party, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Stumble all remain to be seen. Of this list, there are sure to be some of these series that won’t be coming back next season. Thankfully, the One Chicago shows are not ones we’re worried about.
The One Chicago shows aren’t in danger and are expected to be renewed for the 2026-27 season
Although NBC has not yet renewed Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD, the three One Chicago shows don’t appear to be in any danger and should be renewed when NBC finally gets around to making renewals.
NBC’s One Chicago shows remain the network’s most-watched programs, and all signs indicate the three series will be coming back. It’s certainly been stressful waiting for the renewals, but this is becoming a growing trend for NBC, which has started waiting until late April or early May to hand out renewals.
When renewals begin to finally come through from NBC, fans should expect official confirmation for Chicago Fire season 15, Chicago Med season 12, and Chicago PD season 14. They should also expect some possible cost-cutting measures to be announced with the renewals.
With long-running series such as the One Chicago shows, networks look to deploy cost-cutting measures to help with the shows’ budgets. This often includes cast shakeups, reduced episode counts for shows, and even episode reductions for series regulars. Given that the One Chicago shows went through additional cost-cutting measures last season when they were renewed, it’ll be interesting to see what further cuts could look like.
Hopefully, we won’t have to bid farewell to quite as many cast members as we did this season, but there is a chance the renewals news could be made bittersweet by news of casting shakeups. We’ll just have to wait to see how the chips fall once the renewals finally come through.