CBS Goes After NBC's Most Reliable Cash Cow

Published Sep 27, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. Many of network TV's most successful shows are part of franchises, and NBC has relied on a regular Wednesday night audience for years thanks to Dick Wolf's One Chicago world. One Chicago has been unique even among other long-running franchises. Unlike how the Law & Order and NCIS universes are full of crime dramas, One Chicago includes shows that span different genres. Now, CBS may be ready to challenge NBC's One Chicago cash cow with the growing Fire Country franchise. One Chicago has maintained a strong hold on Wednesday nights since 2018, when NBC united Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med in a three-hour primetime block. The lineup has been successful for all three shows, with NBC's complete fall 2026 schedule delivering season 15 of Fire, season 14 of P.D., and season 12 of Med. Fire Country became a quick hit for CBS when it premiered in 2022, with SEAL Team's Max Thieriot stepping up to star as Bode Donovan-Leone. The network built on that success by launching the Sheriff Country spinoff in 2025, after first introducing Morena Baccarin's character on Fire Country. Now, the universe is expanding even further, and CBS's fall 2026 schedule means that One Chicago could have real competition for the very first time. CBS Goes After One Chicago's Procedural Franchise Reign Credit: MovieStillsDB CBS's success with Fire Country and Sheriff Country has been impressive, but not quite enough to challenge NBC's dominance with One Chicago's combination of a first responder drama, a crime procedural, and a medical drama on Wednesday nights. That could change in the not-too-distant future, thanks to a third Fire Country show that takes place in Edgewater. A medical drama, tentatively titled Edge Med, has been in development since the spring. While CBS hasn't given a series order for the new project just yet, the plan is for star Noah Reid to appear as a guest in Sheriff Country season 2, and then return as a series regular if the medical drama moves forward. That approach worked when Fire Country introduced Morena Baccarin as Mickey, and could be the key to Reid getting his own show as Dr. Hudson "Hud" Henshaw. If CBS does move forward with Edge Med, then it will match NBC's One Chicago in having a drama focusing on firefighters, a procedural centered on cops, and a medical drama set in a hospital's emergency room. Considering the network's success in spinning Sheriff Country off from Fire Country, CBS could have already nailed the approach to expanding the franchise. One Chicago does have an edge in how all three shows air back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday nights. While CBS did pair Fire Country and Sheriff Country on Friday nights, the network's third Friday night show has been very successful in its time slot. Boston Blue was one of CBS' top new shows of the 2025-2026 TV schedule. If CBS really wanted to rival One Chicago, the schedule might have to change. How CBS's Country Franchise Can Beat One Chicago Credit: Darren Goldstein / ©CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection Part of what has made One Chicago so successful on NBC could also lead to its downfall against the Fire Country world. Between Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med, the One Chicago universe has already run for more than 770 episodes across 38 seasons. With Fire Country, Sheriff Country, and Edge Med much earlier in their runs, the CBS franchise likely has better odds of growing its audience rather than relying on an existing (and possibly dwindling) fanbase. The shows in Edgewater are still young enough for newcomers to jump into the action. Plus, the Edgewater setting may allow the Fire Country franchise to take what worked for NBC's three shows and make it even better. The One Chicago shows are connected enough to come together for an annual crossover event, which usually delivers a crisis on a massive scale to match the size of the Windy City. At the same time, that scale makes it difficult for the One Chicago shows to feel too closely tied together. The smaller setting of Edgewater could create a more cohesive primetime universe on CBS with tighter storytelling. Viewers need to suspend their disbelief sometimes when it comes to One Chicago series regulars appearing on the other shows. That wouldn't necessarily have to be the case for the Edgewater series. A smaller setting could lead to greater success moving forward. In fact, the Fire Country world could become CBS's most cohesive franchise if the medical drama moves forward. The NCIS and FBI worlds are hits for the network, of course, but the variety of genres that worked so well for NBC with One Chicago could elevate the Edgewater shows above the other CBS franchises. The only potential problem with the Edgewater world expanding to three shows is the fact that CBS reduced the usual episode count for Fire Country's fifth season. It will only run for 13 episodes, which means that it will wrap in midseason of the 2026-2027 TV schedule rather than the usual spring finale. If Edge Med's soft launch on Sheriff Country doesn't happen until after Fire Country has already wrapped on season 5, the franchise might not feel like it has the same scale as One Chicago. For now, Sheriff Country and Fire Country will both return to CBS with new seasons on October 9, which is just two days after One Chicago comes back to NBC on October 7. Fire Country TV Show(s) Fire Country, Sheriff Country First TV Show Fire Country Cast Max Thieriot, Kevin Alejandro, Jordan Calloway, Stephanie Arcila, Jules Latimer, Diane Farr, Billy Burke, Morena Baccarin, W. Earl Brown, Michele Weaver, Christopher Gorham, Matt Lauria Created by Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan Latest TV Show Fire Country Upcoming TV Shows Sheriff Country