NBC became the last of the main broadcast networks to release its fall 2025 premiere dates, and there were some surprising decisions. The biggest is on the decision to hold the One Chicago lineup.
Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD will still take on the Wednesday night time slot in the fall, but we won’t get those premieres in September. With the latest premiere date for full seasons since Chicago Med season 3, fans are sure to be disappointed, because we certainly are.
Okay, so there have been some later premieres, such as in November and even January, but they were for unpredictable reasons, and the seasons weren’t full seasons due to filming issues. At least, with those, we had understandable reasons. This time, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.
One Chicago is held for October 2025
NBC has decided to hold the Chicago lineup for October 2025. The good news is that all three shows will premiere together on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
We know that the season is set to be almost a full season. All three shows will have 21 episodes, which isn’t far off the usual 22 that we like to see. So, the delay in the premiere doesn’t make that much sense, but it will work out to be a little better on the other side of the winter hiatus.
If the show goes off the air around Thanksgiving, which is normal, it will allow for around six to seven episodes to air. That leaves around 14 episodes to air between January and May.
As much as we’re going to complain about this wait, there is some good that comes from it. One of the things we hate is the on-off season between January and May. We get a couple of episodes, and then there’s a week or two off.
By delaying returns, it allows for better consistency. We can look at how CBS and ABC both managed it last year. In fact, ABC found that holding Will Trent and The Rookie for midseason returns worked so well that it’s doing it again, and while the wait for TGIT between December and March is hard, at least we don’t have breaks between March and May!
NBC looks to be following the patterns of the other studios. Is it possible that the networks are listening to complaints?
Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD will all return on Wednesday, Oct. 1 for their new seasons.
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