Today, the One Chicago franchise is one of the most successful entertainment franchises in the world of television; however, when NBC first picked Chicago Fire up to series, the plan was never to develop a multi-show franchise that would span 42 seasons and counting!
When NBC decided to further its relationship with Dick Wolf and Wolf Entertainment, it undoubtedly had high expectations for Chicago Fire, which marked the network’s first major foray into the firefighter drama. The network hoped to get another hit from its longtime partner, but interestingly, it did not launch Chicago Fire with the direct intentions of using the show to launch a new franchise.
"I'll just say that the concept wasn't sold as a three shows within one city, as you might imagine," showrunner Matt Olmstead told Observer in a 2015 interview reflecting on the evolution of the franchise. "The first thing is that the first show has to work and as you well know, there's so many hurdles you have to clear to be a successful television show that it doesn't happen that often. Once Fire got its feet on the ground, it opened things up for us to launch PD.”
It's honestly not too surprising to know that Chicago Fire wasn't pitched as the start of a franchise. Few shows launch with the intention of spawning a franchise, and some of the most successful franchises on television were never launched with the intention of them leading to shows within the same world.
Still, we have to imagine that NBC knew that there could be some potential. After all, the Law & Order franchise was going strong at the time and had already led to several spinoffs at that point.
Building the One Chicago franchise was not an overnight task, though NBC did act incredibly fast once it was clear that Chicago Fire had became a hit. There was always a police presence, with Antonio Dawson serving as a major connection to the CPD in the first season of Chicago Fire.
It made complete sense when NBC decided to expand the franchise with a police spinoff, and it was natural that Antonio helped to bring the two series together. What was not expected was that the show would feature Jason Beghe in the lead role after Beghe played a villain on Chicago Fire, one who targeted Jesse Spencer's Lieutenant Matt Casey.
Chicago PD launched to strong success, and NBC was content with the two series in the shared universe for a short while before Chicago Med entered the mix just three years after Chicago Fire. A medical series set within the same universe was a perfect third branch for the franchise and gave NBC a successful medical drama to enjoy.
Of course, like with all success stories, there are always a few missteps along the way. NBC tried to expand the franchise with a fourth series back in 2017 with the launch of Chicago Justice, a legal drama set within the same shared world. Unfortunately, the show struggled to find its footing and was canceled after just one season.
While Chicago Justice did not last, it did help NBC cement the One Chicago franchise's success, as it was the fall directly after that the network put all three remaining One Chicago shows on the same night. One Chicago Wednesdays were born, and the ratings for all three shows improved and have been going strong ever since!
Chicago Med showrunner hints we've seen the last of one of the show's most disliked characters
The final episodes of Chicago Med season 11 took an unexpectedly darker turn for Dr. John Frost as the season revisited his traumatic experiences growing up as a child actor and his rocky relationship with his parents, who failed to protect him. It all began when Frost’s parents, James and Celeste, showed up in town hoping to reconnect with their understandably estranged son.
Frost would eventually agree to meet with his parents, and he came to learn that his father’s health was in decline due to his MS diagnosis. As the season progressed, Frost would come to learn that his father was not suffering from MS, but rather he had a tumor on his spine which was causing MS-like symptoms. He’d also come to learn that his dad knew about the tumor but didn’t explore treatment out of fear.
By the time Frost found out the truth, his father was no longer eligible for a medical trial which could provide treatment designed to shrink the tumor. Despite their fractured relationship, Frost didn’t want to give up on his dad and agreed to sign on for a Nick of Time reboot series in order to make the money needed to pay for his father’s expensive treatment.
It was clear from the start that Frost did not want to return to acting, but it was a means to an end to make the money needed for his father’s treatment. He was all set to proceed with the project until the reboot’s producer surprised him at lunch with the news that Ainsley, the woman who played his mom on the show and took advantage of Frost as a teen, had been added to the cast.
Upon learning the news, Frost chose to walk away from the reboot which was when he’d come to find out that his father knew about his relationship with Ainsley and never stepped in to protect him. Instead, he turned a blind eye. This led to another fallout between Frost and his father, one that was short-lived as Frost would learn in the penultimate episode of the season that his dad’s treatments were not working and he’d been moved to hospice care.
The season finale saw Frost make peace with his father as he stayed with him through his final hours and remained at his side until his father passed as the finale came to a close.
Jessalyn Gilsig not expected to return for Chicago Med season 12
Needless to say, the back half of the season was particularly trying for Frost in many ways, but it was one that allowed the show to close the book on the past as the show focuses on how Frost will move forward. With the closing of this book, Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald seemed to indicate that we’ve seen the last of a character that quickly became one of the show’s most disliked characters: Ainsley.
While you can truly never say never in the world of television, MacDonald appears to have all but confirmed we’ve seen the last of Ainsley on Chicago Med. In speaking with Parade following the finale, MacDonald noted that while they’ll always make reference to Frost’s past and to Nick of Time and Ainsley, specifically, they’ve closed the book on that—seeming to hint that while Ainsley might come up in conversation, she won’t be popping back up on the show directly.
“There’s a weight lifted off his shoulders. I think the past has always been something he’s run away from, that he thought he didn’t need to deal with it but it was actually weighing him down more because he wasn’t. We’ve spent the last two seasons with him slowly confronting the past and growing from the processing of it, and now I believe next season he’s going to move on,” MacDonald revealed. “There will be other challenges next season for Dr. John Frost, but as far as the past and Nick of Time and Ainsley, those are things we’ll always make reference to, but I feel like we’re closing the book on that, on the past, and now he’s going to move forward.”
As much as we love Jessalyn Gilsig, who was phenomenal in the role of Ainsley, it does make sense for her appearance in season 11, episode 19, “Exit Strategies," to serve as her final episode on the show.
Frost will surely continue to unpack the events of his past in the new season as he works on his relationship with his mom following his father’s death, but we don’t need to see Ainsley back again as it’s time the show began to allow Frost to reclaim his future and move forward. Thankfully, that seems to be the plan, and we’re certainly eager to see what season 12 will bring for Frost as he begins this new chapter in his story!
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