Chicago P.D. & Chicago Fire See Huge Streaming Spikes After Controversial Renewal Decision

Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire are both seeing impressive jumps in streaming this week. The shows continue to draw in audiences after their recent renewals came with a controversial catch.

FlixPatrol shows both Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire climbing on Peacock’s Top 10 for the week in the United States. Chicago P.D. has been hovering in the Top 10 all week, going from the 10th spot on June 13, to #7 yesterday and climbing even higher to #5 today. Chicago Fire has also been seeing an upward trajectory, being at the #10 spot on June 12 before climbing to #9 yesterday and peaking at #6 today. The One Chicago franchise has been a massive success for NBC, often dominating its TV ratings and drawing in high streaming numbers on Peacock.

Last month, it was revealed that NBC gave all the One Chicago shows new season orders, but it came with a big catch: budget cuts. Rumors suggest that one way that shows like Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire are set to reduce their costs is by excluding some of the series regulars from appearing in every episode going forward. It was also reported that the cast were expected to forego their annual raises, and all three series are likely to have shorter episode counts in their upcoming seasons.

To make matters worse, NBC is reportedly still negotiating with some of the franchise’s veteran cast members on their contracts — meaning fans of the One Chicago shows may be seeing some characters leaving if agreements can’t be reached. With that said, it is believed that all cast members are in talks to return at this time.

Chicago Fire is the first installment in the franchise, which premiered back in 2012 and has run for over 270 episodes to date. It explores the professional and personal lives of firefighters and rescue professionals of the Chicago Fire Department. The franchise’s second entry, Chicago P.D. followed in 2013 and focuses on patrol officers of the Chicago Police Department. It recently aired its Season 12 finale, which drew complaints from fans after a long-awaited moment didn’t get the time to shine that some felt it deserved.

The One Chicago Franchise Shares a Universe with Law & Order

The Chicago franchise was created in part by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, and over the course of the franchise’s run, it’s been shown that the shows share a universe with Wolf’s other popular franchise: Law & Order. The shared universe sees multiple shows often crossing over with each other, creating interconnected storylines and shared character interactions.

The first crossover between the two franchises was back in 2014, when Law & Order: SVU and Chicago P.D. shared a storyline that saw Ice-T, Kelli Giddish and David Eigenberg’s characters heading to Chicago to hunt down a criminal. Earlier this year, the three One Chicago shows (Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D.) shared an epic storyline that saw a gas explosion hitting a high-rise building, forcing all three groups to work together to save those who were trapped — including two of their own members.