‘Chicago Fire’ not extinguished yet; NBC orders five more scripts

What a difference one week makes. At this time last Thursday, we were pretty much calling that “Chicago Fire” would be slowly turning to ash in the TV graveyard by this time a few months down the road; however, the Dick Wolf series may have now been granted a reprieve to keep it around for a little while longer.

According to a new report that is coming to us via Deadline, NBC has made the move to help out the Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney show by ordering five more scripts, which could feasibly bring the full-season total to 18 depending on what happens next. This is a step above getting no recognition from the network, but it’s also a step below a full-season pickup in that the network still wants to see more of your performance before making a firm commitment. The scripts will give an idea as to where your show is heading, and they can couple with with the ratings to figure out just where they want to go from here.

Wednesday night’s new “Chicago Fire” ended up increasing its 18-49 audience by 20% from the week prior, and it finished with a 1.8 rating that tied it for the top number for the network on the night (though this could be adjusted up or down later). The one thing that it really has going for it above all else is that “CSI” is hardly the powerhouse that it once was, and “Nashville” is not drawing viewers on the same level as its reviews. In other words, this is a timeslot that is right for the picking if the right show can come along here.

Do you think that this was the right move for NBC to make?