One Chicago death day? Worrisome update from strikes

Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn revealed some worrisome news about the 2023-24 television season.

The Hollywood strikes have dragged on, hugely altering the television landscape.

Many networks have turned to reality and game shows to fill gaps in the schedule until work can continue on scripted programs.

Most NBC viewers have already heard about the new seasons of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. getting postponed. No new episodes will arrive in Fall 2023.

Work on the programs cannot continue until the Writers strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike ends. And negotiations appear stalled again.

Production can’t be resumed on the shows without the writers. And many of them are actively on the picket lines for those strikes.

Cast members from the three shows have also been seen on the picket lines, including former Chicago P.D. star Jesse Lee Soffer.

Worrisome statements from Fox boss

“You’re going get to a point in the fall, in the late fall, where it’s going to be very hard to launch [scripted shows] within the traditional TV viewing season,” Fox boss Michael Thorn told Deadline.

“You could use October 1 as the date by which the writer and actor strikes need to be settled,” Thorn stated.

“Every show is different but sometimes when you’re staring at a May launch date, you always wonder, ‘Is that the best time?'” he elaborated.

His reference to May comes from the belief that time is running out to resume production and get shows on the air before Spring 2024. And then the summer months arrive, where networks tend to skimp on programming.

October 1 might be the death day for the 2023-24 television season.

What does all this mean for Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D.?

According to TVLine, it will take scripted shows roughly eight weeks to get back into production after the strikes are resolved.

It won’t be an instantaneous process for production to resume. Once the Hollywood strikes are over, the work begins on writing new episodes. Set construction, cast contracts, and planning also become important.

With the holidays coming up, most productions would also take breaks in the schedule.

If the strikes ended soon, One Chicago could return to production and have new episodes ready by late winter. But as the days drop off the calendar, time is running out.

Tough decisions may happen at NBC if October 1 passes as the network may have to decide if fans would watch new episodes in the summer months.

More news from One Chicago

Chicago P.D. fans got Upstead trending again on social media. Fans still love the couple.

And Taylor Kinney from Chicago Fire popped up again on social media.

Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. are streaming on Peacock.