Is Chicago P.D. Season 11 going to be a short season or not? If you want to know the answer, then continue reading to find out.
Even though it looked like the NBC network was regaining its sense of direction by ordering new seasons of many cherished shows for the 2023–2034 broadcast season after recovering from being negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But sadly, it looks like this hopeful period of revival was short-lived, as in reality, the network is undoubtedly still in the pits! Right now, the network is facing yet another hurdle that has completely overshadowed the cheerful fall schedule because the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have joined hands together.
Due to this, major production houses across many networks have stopped all work due to a lack of writers and actors until a proper agreement is made in their favor in terms of fair compensation, which they truly deserve to have for their efforts in creating some of the most memorable series in recent times! If these strikes don’t reach a resolution anytime soon, many changes will soon be happening behind the scenes, with the first step being revising the remaining fall schedule until next year with new release dates and time slots.
The second choice is to lower the season’s standard episode count!
If you recall, when Chicago P.D. Season 11 was greenlit, it was given a 22-episode order with an average runtime of 40 to 44 minutes. But if the two ongoing strikes aren’t resolved by August 2023, then this count will have to go down to 18 to 20 episodes. As NBC Chicago has also reported that these strikes could also result in the season being shortened due to the lack of episode scripts and the writer’s room not resuming their work until a proper resolution, which will eventually lead to production delays, quote, “They could be forced to cut seasons short or delay filming altogether,” the outlet added.
In simple terms, the season will be shorter than previous ones because even if the strike is called off in a few weeks, the writers will not have to rush to finish writing the scripts if they want to still remain on the schedule, as there won’t be pressure to complete so many episodes in such a short amount of time in order to maintain its high standard by not attempting to stretch plots. In this situation, it’s preferable to get a shortened season with high-quality plotlines than to try to release all 22 to 24 episodes. We’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds!
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Premiere Date: When will it return on NBC?
Despite NBC kind of hinting at its upcoming 2023–24 fall broadcast schedule earlier this year, we are certain that the network might be considering putting a hold on the release of all the scripted shows for the remainder of this year, which includes “Chicago P.D. Season 11.”
We say this with a bit of assurance because all the competitor networks, like ABC, have also revised their fall schedules and are now all set to release sometime around the early to mid-2024 broadcast season. This has happened due to the ongoing 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which have stopped the working of Hollywood until a proper resolution regarding the compensation of the writers and actors is made for the work to effectively resume and the production to conclude on time without causing any further hurdles or delays in the release.
So, if we look at this current status, one thing is clear the NBC network might also be considering taking a step forward by making some crucial changes to its upcoming fall primetime schedule because we assume that there is no chance for the production to commence even by August 2023, which will lead to delays in post-production, eventually forcing the creators to skip the 2023 fall schedule and modify the release window by confirming it to premiere sometime around mid-season 2024 because to be very honest this situation doesn’t seem to get resolved anytime soon!
We are hoping that NBC might also aim for the same option by quickly reviewing the fall lineup by releasing a new schedule for the One Chicago franchise, which includes the three series named Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and Chicago Fire, and set them with the best release window for 2024, with the new season airing at the same time slot every Wednesday at 10:00 p.m./9 c, in order to avoid any further disruption caused by the strike and disclose new details in the near future! In conclusion, it’s only a matter of time before the modified broadcasting schedule becomes known to the viewers.
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Plot: What to expect?
Due to an early renewal with the efforts to not reveal many spoilers, not much has been disclosed about the potential future plotlines of the new season, but we are certain the 11th season will definitely explore the basic premise, which is as follows:
Chicago P.D.’s Intelligence Unit investigates the city’s most formidable offenses – drug trafficking, organized crime, high-profile murders, and other large-scale felonies. The squad – is committed to protecting the city and seeking truth, but in the midst of a changing criminal justice system, the team struggles to maintain peace in the community. Voight must learn to adapt to a shifting sociopolitical climate and embrace new tactics to crack down on crime in the city he loves.
“I’m pleased to continue my four-decade relationship with Universal Television and NBC,” Dick Wolf said in a statement of his own. Further adding, “All six shows being picked up again is the ultimate accolade to our incredible casts, producers, and writers. I’d also like to thank our loyal fans who have kept our NBC shows on the air for what will be a cumulative 84 seasons.”
*Spoiler Alert*
According to NBC Insider, the next season might see Burgess and Ruzek still maintaining their newly-rekindled romance after spending the past three seasons as platonic co-parents are still on the table. Moreover, it will be intriguing to observe how Upton handles (or does not) Halstead’s absence now that he has departed Chicago for Bolivia after Jesse Lee Soffer’s departure from the program.“This ultimately will change her in some way, which I’m interested to see how,’ Spiridakos told Variety.
The new season will also pick up the plot from the 10th season finale episode, “A Better Place,” which was directed by Chad Saxton and written by Gwen Sigan.
In the episode, the viewers get to see Richard Beck’s timeline for a deadly attack move up, and Samantha panics. Ruzek and the team scramble to get ahead of an unprecedented disaster. This jaw-dropping cliffhanger is enough to build up the hype for the next season as it leaves various possibilities for the creators to add more twists and turns to this treasured police drama series. Take a look at the official promo for the final episode to get some insight into the conclusion arc of the last season:
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Cast: Who will reprise their roles?
The main cast members of the series who are expected to reprise their roles are as follows: Jason Beghe as Sergeant Hank Voight, Jesse Lee Soffer as Senior Detective Jay Halstead, Tracy Spiridakos as Detective Hailey Upton, Marina Squerciati as Officer Kim Burgess, Patrick John Flueger as Officer Adam Ruzek, LaRoyce Hawkins as Officer Kevin Atwater, Benjamin Levy Aguilar as Officer Dante Torres, and Amy Morton as Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt.
“We understand the emotional connection our audience has with these characters and we can’t wait to bring more of their stories to the forefront next season,” Lisa Katz, the president of scripted programming at NBCUniversal and Streaming, said in a statement. Further adding, “A huge thank you to Dick and his amazing team who are the masters of producing incredibly compelling television week after week.”
In addition to Wolf, executive producers are Gwen Sigan, Chad Saxton, Rick Eid, Derek Haas, Gavin Harris, Jason Beghe, Arthur Forney, Peter Jankowski, and Michael Brandt. “Chicago P.D.” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Official Trailer: Has it been released?
Despite being renewed back in April 2023, we are saddened to report this to our readers, but the filming status is neither here nor there, but we speculate that the production will commence once the Writers Guild of America strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike reaches a resolution, as it’s only then that the writers and actors will get the proper time to resume their work and create episodes that will follow up the series storyline and character arcs, which the audience loves to watch.
In short, due to the halt in production, no new teaser or trailer has been released for Chicago P.D. Season 11. Until then, we encourage viewers to speculate about the storylines that may be explored to extend the One Chicago franchise for more seasons. When available, the entire three series of the One Chicago franchise will be available to stream on NBC, Peacock, FuboTV, and Hulu Plus.
You can also stream the series by renting or purchasing on Amazon Instant Video or Vudu, with a vast number of membership plans according to the preference of the users. It is also available to watch exclusively for free on the NBC official website and app, where the episodes are published after they air on the channel in their respective time slots. The previous seasons are also available to stream for free on IMDb TV, based on the user’s location.
#OneChicago summertime vibes are SO good ☀️ pic.twitter.com/OqWZrlNsgF
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) July 3, 2023
While you wait for more Chicago P.D. Season 11 updates on Web News Observer, catch up on the previous seasons on NBC.