It's been a tough stretch for procedural television. Generally considered to be one of the most durable and consistent formats when it comes to scripted dramas, the procedural subsect has suffered some major hits over the last few years.
Fans have witnessed the cancelation of NCIS: Hawai'i, Blue Bloods, SWAT and two different FBI shows, Most Wanted and International. Three of these cancelations have been unveiled in the last couple weeks alone. These cancelations have coincided with the announcement of several other franchise spinoffs, which led us to wonder why One Chicago has not attempted another show.
One Chicago has placed focus on existing titles
We think we have the answer. Or answers, rather. Based on the current state of network TV, there are several reasons why a fourth (er, technically fifth) One Chicago show might not be the best move. The first pertains to the aforementioned cancelations. More than ever, franchises are seemingly throwing out what they feel doesn't work in favor of new spinoffs and/or prequels.
NCIS: Hawai'i's cancelation coincided with the launch of NCIS: Sydney and NCIS: Origins. Blue Bloods got a spinoff within months of its cancelation. It seems, at least for the time being, that the expansion of a franchise means that pre-existing titles are deemed expendable and then canceled. It's not much of a stretch to assume the same thing would happen to One Chicago if it tried to add more to its show roster.
The franchise has made a point of focusing on its three existing titles: Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago PD, and this decision seems to be paying dividends. The recent crossover involving all three shows was a success, and Med has even seen an uptick in popularity under its new showrunner. We'd rather see these three shows thrive than see resources allocated to a new One Chicago title.
One Chicago has more geographic restrictions
Which brings us to another reason why a new spinoff could backfire: Chicago Justice. We aren't saying the show was bad, but the fact that it was canceled after a single season, while the others have stuck around for a decade each, says something. Justice was too close to Law & Order to be successful, and it seems Wolf Entertainment has been cautious about making the same mistake twice.
There's only so many walks of life that can be packaged and marketed as a show within Chicago. In this regard, the franchise has more restrictions than, say, NCIS or FBI. We can't have an international version of a Windy City drama. These restrictions may prove to be a blessing, though, forcing writers to do the absolute best they can with the shows they have.
Now if we could just lock up those 2025-26 renewals...