Chicago Fire, Med, and PD Lost 20% Views Thanks to Weird Hiatuses
NBC's questionable new scheduling policy has only resulted in a massive loss of views and ratings so far. Why is the channel still sticking to it?
Taking breaks is definitely not a new concept for TV shows: even the ones that are aired throughout the year tend to pause for a few during the least active seasons like summer and holidays.
Every channel is interested in having the best returns, and when airing isn't profitable, there are no broadcasts.
At the same time, though, unnecessary breaks during the audience-active periods can drastically hurt the ratings and result in a loss of viewers.
Few broadcast TV series dare to take such a risk as everyone knows how grave the outcome can be.
For reasons unknown to mere mortals, a while ago, NBC decided to change its broadcasting schedule for some of its most successful shows — first and foremost, for the One Chicago franchise… And we can't say it's been going great.
Unlike its peer ANC which pauses its best shows from November till December, NBC kept the winter holidays break reasonably short — less than a month, to be exact.
Chicago Fire, Med, and PD started airing again on January 4 and kept broadcasting until April, after which it took a very questionable month-long break.
The only reason for such a decision that comes to mind is trying to extend the current seasons so that they end at a potentially more optimal moment with more viewers involved.
Maybe it's incorrect, but no matter the real reasons, so far it only resulted in a huge viewership drop for all three One Chicago shows.
After Chicago Fire, Med, and PD returned in March, their ratings plummeted: each of the series lost at least 20% of its demo viewer base, and the numbers are looking grim so far.
For the previous seasons, this post-winter demo slide was noticeable, too, but far from losing such a huge chunk as this year.
Considering the drastic changes all three One Chicago shows are going through like removing fan-favorite characters and adding new ones, the most optimal strategy would've seemingly been to keep airing.
The audience needs time to get accustomed to the changes and get to know and love the newcomers, and randomly breaking the narrative for a month in the middle of a season is the worst way to aid it.
We're not sure why NBC does this to itself, but the results are definitely worrying: after all, any show only keeps getting renewed as long as it has decent ratings, and the One Chicago sub-franchises are actively losing their views thanks to these weird random hiatuses.