The Dick Wolf franchises of One Chicago and Law & Order have all been renewed for next season, but eagle-eyed viewers may notice that some of their favorite characters are sometimes MIA. As part of the deals to renew the six shows – Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Organized Crime – some cost-cutting measures took place behind the scenes.
Deadline revealed the following about the plan crafted by NBC and Wolf:
One Chicago and Law & Order franchise producers Universal Television and Dick Wolf’s studio-based Wolf Entertainment are taking a different approach after reaching an agreement with NBC on budgets that will keep the series on the air for another season.
I hear episodic guarantees — the number of episodic fees per season each series regular is entitled according to their contract — are being renegotiated and are going down across the board.
This way actors are not taking per-episode pay cuts; their overall compensation still will go down as they will appear in fewer episodes, something the writers have to be mindful of as they craft next season’s scripts.
Word is that the number of episodes most series regulars on the three Chicago series, Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU have been asked to do next season has been reduced by a couple, going from standard 22 to 18-20. I hear virtually all actors are affected by the trims.
Meanwhile, Law & Order: Organized Crime was only renewed for 13 episodes next season but the cast’s per-episode salaries were unaffected.
As TV show budgets are tightening, deals to reduce production costs are becoming the norm. The cast of CBS’ Blue Bloods had to agree to a 25% salary cut for the show to be renewed for a 14th season. Bob ♥ Abishola actors had to agree to a similar double-digit pay cut for the fifth season renewal to happen. SWAT’s fate is currently unknown due to its license fee.
What do you think? Are you happy that NBC found a way to bring the Wolf shows back another season? Do you think not seeing all of the cast in every episode will affect your enjoyment?
And yet — astronomical executive salaries and bonus payouts never seem to be affected.
Stop producing reality shows and game shows. Produce more episodes and pay the actors using the money from the reality and game shows.
These networks are just plain GREEDY..NBC owns all the Universal shows and has and does get back so much money from them in Syndication,so Money shouldn’t be an issue unless they are keeping it for themselves.
CBS is another network that wastes so much money on crap Reality shows and keeps renewing low rated shows.
I LOVE THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT LINE UP.
These shows are the best
I look fwd to this wed night Chicago family
so hopeful they will continue for many years
Ever since the pandemic the episodes have decreased. Use to be 26 per season. It is getting old seeing repeats, shows every 3-4 weeks for a new episode. No wonder people stop watching your programs and ratings drop!!!
Yes I think it will interrupt my viewing pleasure on all of those shows. The Chicago One Series has already just been doing 1 episode every few weeks.
One Chicago REALLY needs to stay, please.!! I look forward to them every week. I only have a few TV shows that I love to watch, and One Chicago are three of them. Maybe if you didn’t renew (or had shorter seasons) of Chicago Med, you can keep all the characters and more seasons on Chicago Fire and PD. But I’m not saying I don’t absolutely love Chicago Med. Please consider renewing more seasons of One Chicago. I don’t really care about the other TV shows. And I don’t know who runs the simpsons, Futurama, Bob’s burgers and the simpsons,… Read more »
I hope the shows don’t change much as far as content. All so well written and my favorite shows.
The Chicago, FBI, Law & Order, and Bluebloods series are pretty much all I watch anymore. I dread the day when they’re replaced by more reality shows that aren’t reality but are cheaper to produce and more sitcoms that are more inanc than funny.
Pandemic is over but things will never be the same and as always the shows don’t care about the fans. It’s always about money but if we didn’t watch there would be no shows. We matter and they should respect us. Please go back to a regular tv schedule. Thanks.
I hope none of these shows go off they are my favorites
The reductions have an airy feeling, like something is missing. I find them less interesting and find I don’t mind if I miss an episode. I guess like everything else I’ve cut back on, this had to be next. Life does go on for all of us.
I don’t have a problem with these reductions. I feel for the actors, but at least they are still working and doing what they love. Without these reductions, most of us would not be able to afford to watch TV anymore…and what good would that do for the actors. In this day and age, everyone has to sacrifice! Even those of us who watch mostly regular television are sacrificing since the cost is exorbitant! I love these shows and I wish everyone the best of luck. BTW, I think Law & Order Organized Crime is one of the best shows… Read more »
Oh don’t worry, I’m sure they will fill in the gaps with more idiotic “reality” shows.
It was one thing to have butchered TV seasons in 2020/21 when the pandemic shut everything down up on your side of Earth’s crust. But by now they should be back to normal seasons, for Hell’s sake. At this rate they’ll be like Canadian TV shows that consider 6 episodes to be a “full season” by next year.
All except Organized Crime will still have 22 episodes, it’s just that the actors have been asked to sit out 2-4 episodes on each Chicago and Law & Order and SUV, they’re not trimming the episode orders, just the actors.
I agree, the Chicago One Series is only showing their episodes at a hit and miss schedule now.