After making fans wait for what felt like an eternity, NBC has finally announced the premiere dates for its fall shows, including all three of its One Chicago dramas!
As confirmed by NBC, the One Chicago shows will kick off their new seasons on Wednesday, Oct. 1. The night will begin with the season 11 premiere of Chicago Med, followed by the season 14 premiere of Chicago Fire, and concluding with the season 13 premiere of Chicago PD.
Longtime One Chicago fans are likely to immediately notice that these premiere dates are later than usual for NBC’s hit dramas. Typically, new seasons of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD kick off at the end of September; however, NBC is holding them for the first Wednesday of October instead this year.
Since Chicago Fire kicked off back in 2012, new seasons have arrived in September nearly every year, with only a few exceptions along the way. There were a few years early on in the shows’ runs where NBC kicked off its fall schedule in October. The most recent exceptions have been out of NBC’s hands and were the results of historic moments in the entertainment industry.
In 2020, the One Chicago shows did not return for their new seasons until November 11 as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, production was not able to begin in the summer when filming typically begins, resulting in the show’s delayed return to the lineup. Then, in 2023, NBC was unable to bring Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD back until January 2024 due to the historic writers’ and actors’ strikes. Even then, the One Chicago shows were among the first shows to return following the strikes.
So why is NBC holding the One Chicago shows for October of this year rather than bringing them back in September? Well, that’s a mystery we might never get a direct answer to, but it seems likely that NBC is simply looking to follow the trend set by its competitors.
Most of ABC and CBS’s hit dramas won’t be returning until early October as well, with the 2025-26 fall season kicking off a bit later across the board. This shift might also be a result of shows getting shorter episode counts.
The new seasons of Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD will consist of one fewer episode than last season, coming in at 21 episodes. With one less episode, it might be that NBC chose to hold the premieres back a week to account for the seasons being one episode shorter. This could then allow for NBC to follow a similar release schedule for the episodes through the remainder of the season, leading up to their eventual finales in May.
With the One Chicago premiere dates officially locked in, the countdown is on for the shows' returns and October 1 cannot come soon enough!
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