‘Law & Order: SVU’ officially renewed for season 18, ‘Chicago Med’ for season 2

Today, NBC announced that Dick Wolf has extended his overall deal with the network … and this also includes some great news for a pair of shows that he executive-produces.

Let’s begin here with “Law & Order: SVU,” which is returning for a landmark 18th season. Is this a surprise? Not really, given that the ratings for season 17 have been so far up in the demo from the previous year. That’s something that is almost unheard-of in this modern-day era of heavy competition, and it’s a testament to both the diehard fans and the show’s work to constantly tackle new and relevant topics.

Can the Mariska Hargitay series tie the 20-season mark set by the original “Law & Order”? That’s something we’re very interesting in finding out now, given that it would take only two more renewals to get to that point. Given that the show often uses real-life headlines as inspiration, there will certainly not be any shortage of stories out there. If the ratings stay steady and the cast / producers stay interested, we think the show can make it there.

Also worth noting is that “Chicago Med” will also be back for a second season, which also cannot be a surprise given that it has served as a very solid entry in the “Chicago” franchise so far. The reality is that none of the “Chicago” shows is necessarily hitting it out of the park, but their ratings are consistently steady and therefore better than the majority of the other scripted programming NBC has on the air. There’s a reason why they are looking at “Chicago Law” as the next potential offshoot of the brand.

Photo: NBC