Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider have been co-showrunning the series since its debut, but apparently, things will change for its next outing. The twosome will be stepping down ahead of Season 10, and as of press time, Wolf Entertainment has not announced their replacements.
It appears that the split is a totally amicable one, and each side responded with joint press statements printed by THR. “We’re grateful to Diane and Andy for nine fabulous seasons of ‘Chicago Med.’ They helped us give NBC a No. 1 bona fide hit for almost a decade,” Dick Wolf said in his statement in part. Frolov and Schneider, meanwhile, used part of their joint statement to explain their upcoming departures. “We love ‘Chicago Med’ and have devoted all our creative energies to it, but after nine seasons we feel it’s time for us to move on and explore other possibilities,” they said, and subsequently thanked the show’s cast and crew, as well as Dick Wolf and Wolf Entertainment.
The move is quite a shocking one, since “Chicago Med” is an incredibly successful series — and its massive success has helped bolster the One Chicago world to new heights.
Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider led Chicago Med to gangbuster ratings
Shuffling showrunners this deep into the run of “Chicago Med” is a daring decision, since it’s been so successful for so long as-is. Even though each of the other One Chicago shows has already changed their on-deck personnel at least once before and Wolf Entertainment has never been shy about shaking up its lineup of showrunners, “Chicago Med” has remained as fixed and constant as the North Star, as every fan of the drama knows.
“Chicago Med” is a crucial part of the One Chicago world, acting as a gateway to its sister dramas and heading up each Wednesday night. The Hollywood Reporter notes that the show regularly draws 10.5 million viewers on average per premiere day, which is a miracle in terms of audience size in the post-streaming broadcast world. It’s possible that switching showrunners might freshen up some stale formulas — or take the show in a direction audiences don’t enjoy.
Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider were apparently already looking to shake up stale character dynamics. In January, they told Looper that they were thinking of refreshing the show’s canvas with new characters. “We’re also not looking to replace an actor, but to find an actor, a character, with a different dynamic, a fresh dynamic, that will keep the show alive,” Schneider said at the time. Time will tell if the new showrunners will move “Chicago Med” in a similar direction.
