NBC Boss Sounds Off on One Chicago Personnel Shakeups: ‘Cast Comes In, Cast Goes Out’
The One Chicago universe has seen many characters come and go, but the recent exits from Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med have some fans worried.
Fears about the ever-changing One Chicago landscape don’t stretch to president of program planning strategy for NBCUniversal Entertainment, Jeff Bader. “Cast comes in, cast goes out,” he told TVLine in an interview published on Monday, July 1, when asked about the franchise’s revolving door.
“It’s interesting,” Bader explained. “Because every year there are cast changes, and every year someone asks the same question” about what’s going on within the One Chicago universe. “But [those shows] just keep going on.”
Fans were introduced to the One Chicago world in 2012 with Chicago Fire. Chicago P.D. premiered two years later, and Chicago Med followed in 2015.
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Last year, the franchise saw a lot of departures by main characters including Kara Killmer leaving Chicago Fire after 10 seasons. Killmer, who played paramedic Sylvie Brett, said goodbye during a March episode, while Alberto Rosende, who portrayed Blake Gallo for four seasons, walked away at the start of season 12 earlier in the year.
Eammon Walker, who has played Wallace Boden since the show’s inception, stepped down as a series regular during the May finale of Chicago Fire.
The firefighter series, however, isn’t the only show that saw massive change this past season. Chicago P.D. said goodbye to Tracy Spiridakos’ character, Hailey Upton, during the season 11 finale in May.
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Chicago Med seemingly hinted at Dr. Crockett Marcel’s (Dominic Rains) departure during the season 9 finale that same month. However, it wasn’t confirmed that the actor is leaving the show until June.
Bader, for his part, noted that despite the recent casting shakeups on all three shows, the dramas have remained big pulls for the network. “We’re thrilled with how the Chicagos do on Wednesday,” he said. “We have no plans on changing anything on that night.”
According to TVLine, Chicago Fire ranked third in viewers among the top 10 most-watched dramas last season, with the No. 1 show being CBS’ NCIS and No. 2 going to FBI, which is also part of the Dick Wolf family. Chicago Med came in at No. 5, while Chicago P.D. earned the No. 7 spot.
Not everyone likes change, but Bader admitted that “obviously it keeps the shows fresh” whenever new faces come in.
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Some of those fresh additions include Luke Mitchell, who joined Chicago Med during season 9, and Sophia Ali, who started her residency as Dr. Zola Ahmad partway through last season.
Rome Flynn had a short-lived stint on Chicago Fire during season 12, and Michael Bradway later joined the show as the newest firefighter, Jack Damon. Jocelyn Hudson, who portrays paramedic Lyla Novak, was promoted to a series regular on Chicago Fire come season 13.
Bojana Novakovic, meanwhile, had a recurring role on Chicago P.D. throughout season 11.
Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med are set to return on NBC with new seasons this fall.
