After nearly four decades at the studio under his belt, Dick Wolf has extended his overall deal at Universal Television through 2027.
Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television currently have nine series on the air, including the Law Order franchise, the One Chicago franchise and the FBI franchise. The news of Wolfs continued deal comes one day after NBCs renewals of Chicago Fire for Season 12, Chicago PD for Season 11, Chicago Med for Season 9, Law Order for Season 23, Law Order: SVU for Season 25 and Law Order: Organized Crime for Season 4. And in 2022, CBS issued double-renewals for FBI, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International through the 2023-24 season.
The FBI, One Chicago and Law Order franchises regularly bring in ratings wins for NBC and CBS, often charting as the most-watched telecasts of the night when they air on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively. In delayed Live + 7 viewing, all three One Chicago shows rank in the top 10 across genres in total viewers and in the 18-49 demographic rating, and Law Order: SVU and Organized Crime are both in the top 10 dramas in demo rating. Additionally, on April 4, FBI had its first-ever three-series crossover and reached up to 6.4 million average viewers.
Wolf and Universal TV are also behind Freevees upcoming half-hour police drama On Call (working title), while also developing Wolfs podcast Dark Woods into a series. And Universal Television Alternative Studio partners with Wolf Entertainment on unscripted projects including CNBC and Oxygens Blood Money and NBCs upcoming L.A. Fire Rescue.
Universal Television has been my home for almost 40 years. It has been, and continues to be, one of the most successful partnerships in television, and I am thrilled that we are keeping the trains running another four years, said Dick Wolf.
Whether in the comfort of their home or on the treadmill at the gym, its a safe bet that almost every adult in the United States has viewed at least one episode of a Dick Wolf show at some point in their life. Dick is a cultural institution who has produced over 2,000 hours of television, and we are elated that he will continue to make Universal Television his home, said Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman of Universal Studio Group. With ten scripted shows presenting across multiple platforms and a new pipeline of unscripted series, Dicks vision, creativity and love for television continue to be boundless, and we are proud to be his partners.
The deal was negotiated by attorney Cliff Gilbert-Lurie (Ziffren Brittenham), WMEs Rick Rosen and Marc Korman, and Masami Yamamoto, president of business affairs and operations at Universal Studio Group.