Major cast members across NBC’s One Chicago franchise are set to return for the 2026-27 television season, according to Deadline. The report confirms that S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order, Chicago Med) and Oliver Platt (The Bear, Frost/Nixon) have finalized new deals to continue starring in Chicago Med.
On the Chicago Fire side, Taylor Kinney (The Vampire Diaries, Chicago Fire) and Miranda Rae Mayo (Blood & Oil, Pretty Little Liars) have also signed new agreements to remain with the series. Meanwhile, Jason Beghe (Californication, Chicago P.D.) is expected to continue on Chicago P.D. under his existing contract, keeping the franchise’s core leadership intact as NBC prepares for another season of the long-running dramas.
According to Deadline, the returning cast members will continue leading the interconnected franchise after NBC renewed all three series earlier this year. Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago P.D. remain central parts of NBC’s primetime lineup and continue to anchor the network’s Wednesday night programming block.
Merkerson and Platt are among the last remaining original cast members on Chicago Med, having appeared on the series since its 2015 debut. Kinney has also remained one of the franchise’s longest-running faces, starring on Chicago Fire since the show premiered in 2012.
The returning deals come during a period of continued changes across the franchise, which has experienced several cast exits and behind-the-scenes adjustments in recent seasons. Despite those shifts, NBC appears focused on maintaining stability around its major leads as the franchise enters another production cycle.
mxdwn has previously covered some of those recent production changes within the One Chicago universe. One earlier report focused on Andrea Newman (Felicity, Eastwick) preparing to leave Chicago Fire as Victor Teran (Chicago P.D., Law & Order) stepped in as the series’ new showrunner.
The latest renewal and contract agreements underscore the importance of the One Chicago franchise to NBC. Keeping the central cast intact gives the network continuity as all three shows move into another season.
As of now, NBC has not announced premiere dates for the upcoming seasons. However, production on the next installments of all three series is expected to begin later this year, ahead of their return during the 2026-27 television season.