NBC's One Chicago Franchise Hits Major New Milestone After Premiere Week

Published Oct 21, 2026, 6:05 PM EDT Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant. Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show. Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far. She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism. During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it. One Chicago rages on, and the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. NBC's One Chicago franchise brings together several procedural dramas that follow Chicago's emergency services and legal system, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med. The massive property previously included Chicago Justice, a legal drama that was canceled after one season in 2017. All four series exist within the same universe, allowing crossover events among its characters and storylines. The One Chicago franchise is proving that its popularity has only continued to grow throughout the years. All three shows have been delivering impressive ratings following their highly anticipated returns. The latest numbers mark an impressive milestone for the network, as Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. have emerged as NBC's three highest-performing shows of the 2026-2027 TV season so far. One Chicago, which was created by Dick Wolf, returned on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, bringing the three dramas back to primetime television. Despite their long runs, each series managed to improve its performance among young adult viewers compared to their previous season premieres. The biggest numbers came from Chicago Med, which brought in 8.8 million viewers across all platforms within seven days of its season 12 debut. The medical drama also ranked as the most-watched broadcast program on October 7 when delayed viewing got factored in, demonstrating the continued success of the franchise. According to Variety, the reported seven-day ratings of all three One Chicago dramas continue to draw in viewers between the ages of 18 and 49. Chicago Med recorded the largest improvement out of the three shows, with its most recent premiere receiving a rating that was 19% higher than its season 11 debut. Chicago Fire season 15's premiere also saw an increase, but it wasn't anywhere near as high. The firefighter drama saw its ratings increase by 9% in the same demographic when compared to the first episode of season 14. While it didn't perform as well as Chicago Med, its rise isn't something to look down on, as it's still an impressive feat. Chicago P.D., on the other hand, saw a 3% improvement. Although the percentage increases were different for each show, the results were still positive across the board. Instead of relying solely on their established audiences, all three series proved that they have the ability to improve their ratings among adults under 50 and continue to attract new viewers. NBC releases new episodes of all the Chicago One series on Wednesday nights, with Chicago Med airing at 8:00 PM ET, Chicago Fire at 9:00 PM ET, and Chicago P.D. at 10:00 PM ET. TV Show(s) Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Chicago Justice First TV Show Chicago Fire Cast Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, Jason Beghe, Jon Seda, Sophia Bush, Jesse Lee Soffer, Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, Philip Winchester, Joelle Carter, Monica Barbaro, Carl Weathers, Yuri Sardarov Created by Derek Haas, Michael Brandt