Today, the One Chicago franchise is one of the most successful entertainment franchises in the world of television; however, when NBC first picked Chicago Fire up to series, the plan was never to develop a multi-show franchise that would span 42 seasons and counting!
When NBC decided to further its relationship with Dick Wolf and Wolf Entertainment, it undoubtedly had high expectations for Chicago Fire, which marked the network’s first major foray into the firefighter drama. The network hoped to get another hit from its longtime partner, but interestingly, it did not launch Chicago Fire with the direct intentions of using the show to launch a new franchise.
"I'll just say that the concept wasn't sold as a three shows within one city, as you might imagine," showrunner Matt Olmstead told Observer in a 2015 interview reflecting on the evolution of the franchise. "The first thing is that the first show has to work and as you well know, there's so many hurdles you have to clear to be a successful television show that it doesn't happen that often. Once Fire got its feet on the ground, it opened things up for us to launch PD.”
It's honestly not too surprising to know that Chicago Fire wasn't pitched as the start of a franchise. Few shows launch with the intention of spawning a franchise, and some of the most successful franchises on television were never launched with the intention of them leading to shows within the same world.
Still, we have to imagine that NBC knew that there could be some potential. After all, the Law & Order franchise was going strong at the time and had already led to several spinoffs at that point.
Building the One Chicago franchise was not an overnight task, though NBC did act incredibly fast once it was clear that Chicago Fire had became a hit. There was always a police presence, with Antonio Dawson serving as a major connection to the CPD in the first season of Chicago Fire.
It made complete sense when NBC decided to expand the franchise with a police spinoff, and it was natural that Antonio helped to bring the two series together. What was not expected was that the show would feature Jason Beghe in the lead role after Beghe played a villain on Chicago Fire, one who targeted Jesse Spencer's Lieutenant Matt Casey.
Chicago PD launched to strong success, and NBC was content with the two series in the shared universe for a short while before Chicago Med entered the mix just three years after Chicago Fire. A medical series set within the same universe was a perfect third branch for the franchise and gave NBC a successful medical drama to enjoy.
Of course, like with all success stories, there are always a few missteps along the way. NBC tried to expand the franchise with a fourth series back in 2017 with the launch of Chicago Justice, a legal drama set within the same shared world. Unfortunately, the show struggled to find its footing and was canceled after just one season.
While Chicago Justice did not last, it did help NBC cement the One Chicago franchise's success, as it was the fall directly after that the network put all three remaining One Chicago shows on the same night. One Chicago Wednesdays were born, and the ratings for all three shows improved and have been going strong ever since!
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