Question: I enjoy all three Chicago shows (although Fire went off the rails last season). But it seems the ratings are just so-so. How committed is NBC to this franchise? If one show falters, would NBC ever cancel it and keep the others? I’m curious if the network views them as one entity or individual shows. — LD
Matt Roush: These are all still solid performers, and if the numbers are a bit down right now, it’s probably because people are sampling new fall shows, although it’s also possible that a bit of franchise exhaustion may be setting in. Happens to all of them, eventually (see Law & Order, CSI, etc.). But NBC isn’t feeling it. With a fourth show coming at midseason (Chicago Justice), NBC is currently at a Chicago peak, and I can’t imagine any of them taking an early exit—unless Chicago Med collapses when Scandal returns in the new year. But even so, NBC would more likely move than sacrifice it. At some point, it’s inevitable that one or more of these series will fade and be canceled, and if any are a non-starter— remember Law & Order: Los Angeles? —they might be gone before you know it. For now, they’re seen as an interconnected web of shows, more than the Law & Order shows ever were (despite the occasional cross-over), but that doesn’t mean they’re invulnerable to eventual erosion. Just not anytime soon.