While the One Chicago shows are on their Winter Olympics-induced hiatus, NBC just shared some Chicago PD news we weren't expecting, but it's sure to get fans excited. We're going to see the police procedural back on our screens a bit sooner than previously anticipated.
Following the airings of the One Chicago shows on Feb. 4, we knew that Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD would be taking the remainder of February off to make way for NBC's coverage of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The network softened the blow by promising an epic return for the franchise with the highly anticipated three-episode crossover event on March 4.
However, only two of the three weeks that Chicago PD and its fellow series would be taken over by the Winter Olympics. That left us to wonder what NBC would be airing on Wednesday, Feb. 25 since the Olympics will be over by then and there was, theoretically, nothing keeping the network from airing new episodes that night. Well, we now know what's airing that night on NBC.
Chicago PD will actually be back on the air on Wednesday, Feb. 25 on NBC, but don't expect to see a new episode airing that evening. In a surprising move that's definitely welcome, NBC will be rerunning the Chicago PD season 13 premiere episode, which is titled "Consequences," immediately following an encore presentation of The Voice season 29 premiere. It's something, and we'll take it!
The synopsis for Chicago PD season 13 episode 1, as shared by NBC's listings, reads: "Voight teams up with an unlikely ally to take a killer off the streets while fighting to bring his Intelligence unit back together." If you somehow didn't get a chance to see the season opener and aren't subscribed to Peacock, here's your opportunity to check out how the season began last fall.
It's wonderful news that at least one of the One Chicago shows will be back on the air ahead of the crossover event, though it's sure an interesting decision to make. Replaying the first episode of Chicago PD season 13 feels like a random programming choice, but perhaps the network is actually making a smart move by giving the show more visibility behind one of its biggest unscripted shows.
Chicago PD has been the lowest-rated show in the One Chicago franchise for quite sometime, and that mostly has to do with airing at 10 p.m., a timeslot that's often lower rated compared to the early birds who turn into the earlier hours. But showing the first episode of the latest season behind an encore of The Voice's own season opener could arguably get new eyeballs on board.
No matter what the reasoning might be, Chicago PD fans are getting the show back one week early — even though, yes, it's a repeat. But it's quite the appetizer for the One Chicago crossover, which kicks off on Wednesday, March 4 at 8/8c on NBC.