Chicago PD season 5 stares down an interesting (but hopeful?) future

We’re continuing our TV Lifespan article series today by casting a look at a show in Chicago PD, but this will be a different piece than most. During this series we often talk about if we’re at the end of the road for a long-running show, and with Chicago PD, we don’t think we’re there yet.

Nonetheless, it goes without saying that Chicago PD is a show with massive challenges, with one of the biggest ones being the exit of Sophia Bush from the cast. She’s hopefully going to make another appearance or two in order to wrap up her story, but beyond that not much is known and she hasn’t openly discussed the decision to leave.

So will the show move on without her? We certainly are confident that they will, and they will continue to do more of what they do best: Give you great, fascinating, and timely cases that touch effectively on what it’s like being a police officer at a time in which it’s not the most appreciated job. There is a lot of nuance that goes into crafting these stories, and there are many characters who are beloved across the board — it’s not just Lindsay.

Still, establishing a clear narrative and some long-term threads is going to be very important in the early going for season 5, as is understanding that there are going to be some Chicago PD fans who are a little antsy as to whether or not the show can really be the same. The writers should think of this as a challenge, and push them to create some great stories and maybe a new character who is very interesting in his or her own right.

How many seasons can Chicago PD last?

Remember that this is still one of NBC’s higher-rated dramas, but we would say that the enthusiasm surrounding the franchise on the network end is a little bit different than it was a year ago. There aren’t any major syndication sales, Chicago Justice is gone, and Chicago Med won’t air until midseason. Therefore, there may be more pressure on PD to keep its ratings steady in a post-Bush era than we thought originally that they would be.

Our feeling still is that there are almost two more seasons for this show guaranteed, and we wouldn’t be shocked to see it get to a season 7. After that, things could get a little cagey since often around this point cast negotiations start to get intense. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves here, as the main point we’re trying to make is that while things are a little uncertain for the show’s long-term future, there’s no reason to worry about Bush’s exit changing the show too much know provided people watch and the showrunner transition to Rick Eid goes smoothly.

Want some further news?

Then be sure to head over here, and we anticipate discussing a whole lot more from filming + so much more over the course of the coming weeks. (Photo: NBC.)