Dick Wolf. However, the show was canceled after only one season. During its tenure in 2017, Chicago Justice was the lowest-rated entry in the franchise. This was in spite of decent ratings that were higher than other NBC shows at the time, including Taken and Shades of Blue, which were renewed after their first seasons. After creating One Chicago shows focusing on firefighters, police officers, and doctors, it made sense for Wolf and the producers to expand the franchise with a show about Chicago lawyers.

While Chicago Justice had all the qualities of a One Chicago series, including strong characters and complex cases, there was too much resemblance to another Wolf franchise, Law & Order, since that show and its spin-offs, particularly SVU, include district attorneys. There was also the challenge of scheduling Chicago Justice and finding the right time slot for it, which ultimately led to the show being canceled and leaving a lot to be desired if it were to continue years later.

Chicago Justice & How It Connects To One Chicago Explained

Justice Is The Fourth One Chicago Series In The Franchise

Like every One Chicago show, Chicago Justice takes place in the cold Windy City. It stars Philip Winchester as Assistant State's Attorney Peter Stone, the son of renowned New York assistant district attorney Benjamin Stone from the early seasons of Law & Order. Peter Stone is an ambitious and intelligent attorney whose purpose is not only to live up to his father's reputation, but to bring killers and criminals to justice. Stone is also known for putting Sergeant Hank Voight in prison several years ago.

The backdoor pilot of Chicago Justice aired during the third season of Chicago P.D. where Stone and his team search for evidence to clear Detective Kim Burgess in a case involving a teenage shooter. A Complete Unknown Oscar nominee, Monica Barbaro, also stars in Chicago Justice as Assistant State's Attorney Anna Valdez, Stone's right-hand partner who is learning from him as they work each case. Jon Seda's Antonio Dawson ed Justice after exiting Chicago P.D. as a Chief Investigator alongside new partner Laura Nagel (Joelle Carter), also a former Chicago police officer.

The boss is Cook County State's Attorney Mark Jefferies (portrayed by the late Carl Weathers). The cases in Chicago Justice include murder, arson, and kidnapping. There are also notable appearances from other One Chicago characters, including Officer Kevin Atwater, who is accused of using excessive force against a suspected drug dealer. Sylvie Brett also reunites with ex-boyfriend Dawson while he and Nagel investigate the murder of an Anti-Environmental Alderman. The personal lives of the primary characters are also explored, including Nagel and her struggle to regain custody of her daughter due to her addiction to painkillers.

Why NBC Canceled Chicago Justice After Just 1 Season

Chicago Justice Was Too Similar To Law & Order And Difficult To Schedule

While Chicago Justice is a procedural that tackles intense cases and is character-driven like the other One Chicago shows, it was canceled after only one season because it was deemed too similar to Law & Order in of investigators solving crimes and attorneys prosecuting the offenders. Chicago Justice did manage to debut with high ratings. But by the end of the season, those numbers went down, leading NBC to cancel the series because the network felt that the show wasn't strong enough to stand on its own and suffered due to its comparisons to Law & Order.

Chicago Justice also likely suffered because of its airing on a Sunday as opposed to a weekday. By contrast, Chicago Fire, Med, and P.D. each perform well on Wednesdays, while Law & Order: SVU continues its dominance in prime time. The problem with Justice was contending alongside these other shows and finding the right time slot for it to succeed. It also competed with new series, including the sci-fi show Timeless. While Justice had higher numbers compared to other freshman NBC shows, the network still believed it was too conventional and unnecessary compared to the other One Chicago shows.

What Happened To The Characters Of Chicago Justice After It Was Canceled

The Chicago Justice Characters Can Develop Further By Returning To One Chicago

After Chicago Justice's cancelation, Dawson returned to the Intelligence unit in Chicago P.D., reuniting with Voight and his fellow Chicago police officers. Stone would go on to star in SVU, which is where he made his first appearance prior to One Chicago as he mourned the loss of his father alongside Olivia Benson and ADA Jack McCoy. For Stone, he would take some getting used to in New York after the departure of ADA Rafael Barba, but he managed to work well with Benson and SVU for a while as ADA.

While unlikely, the Chicago Justice characters can still return to One Chicago to continue their respective stories in a limited capacity.

It's unclear what happened to Valdez, Nagel, and Jefferies, but they'll likely continue their respective jobs in Chicago to bring offenders to justice. These characters could've been a part of the other One Chicago shows to see them work on cases alongside Intelligence. Stone's story particularly leaves a lot to be desired because he and Benson developed an effective working relationship on SVU. Benson also provided emotional for Stone after the sudden murder of his sister. While unlikely, the Chicago Justice characters can still return to One Chicago to continue their respective stories in a limited capacity.

Enjoy ScreenRant's primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check "Network TV" in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.

SIGN UP NOW