Summary
All three shows within the One Chicago franchise have officially re-opened their writers’ rooms following the end of the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) strike. The WGA’s 148-day strike ended on September 27 after the writers negotiated a fair new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). While much of Hollywood is still on pause due to the ongoing Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strike, some aspects of production are resuming, particularly when it comes to writing.
As reported by Deadline, the writers’ rooms for the One Chicago shows have re-opened following the end of the WGA strike. This means Chicago Fire season 12, Chicago P.D. season 11, and Chicago Med season 9 have all resumed writing and are one step closer to returning to the air. In addition to the One Chicago shows, NBC’s Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU and CBS’ three FBI dramas are also resuming writers’ rooms this week.
When Will The One Chicago Shows Return?
Previously, the One Chicago shows always premiered new episodes during the fall TV season. However, it has been quite clear for a while that the shows won’t make their usual release dates this year. Even though the writing is back on, the SAG-AFTRA strike will prevent filming from getting underway. Still, despite the uncertainty around the SAG-AFTRA strike, industry insiders had a relatively optimistic outlook on the shows’ returns.
Insiders estimated Chicago Fire and its spinoffs’ returns in the days leading up to the WGA securing a deal with the AMPTP. While they acknowledged that many factors could impact the timeline, they correctly predicted that writers’ rooms would be open by early October. From there, they predicted One Chicago shows could be released as early as March 2024. This might sound fairly speedy, but production on procedural dramas like the One Chicago shows tends to be pretty swift. Plus, with speculation that the SAG-AFTRA strike will resolve soon, it’s possible that the shows could make a spring 2024 return.
However, it’s important to remember that it’s still unknown for sure when the SAG-AFTRA strike will end. Negotiations recently resumed, and the end of the WGA’s strike is expected to pressure the AMPTP to also strike a fair deal with the actors. Still, without a confirmed end in sight, negotiations may take longer than expected. Plus, the shows must film enough episodes to keep up with weekly releases once everything is running again. Hence, while a March 2024 release date seems possible for One Chicago shows, it remains to be seen if they can make it.
Source: Deadline
