Fans of Dick Wolf franchises are nearing closer to new episodes thanks to the writers’ strike coming to an end.
Showrunners and writers are returning this week to several of his television shows, including Law & Order: SVU and Chicago’s franchise of , , and on NBC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
FBI: Most Wanted and International, which air on CBS, will also have their writing teams returning.
However, one of Wolf’s creations, the Law & Order spinoff, Organized Crime, will not be among the first to come back on NBC as the series reportedly searches for a new showrunner to fill the role.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike began on May 2, and lasted more than 140 days as the union representing entertainment writers working across film, television, news and online media picketed all across the country in demand of better pay as well as stipulations over other key points, including staffing commitments and duration of employment.
On the morning of Sept. 27, the labor union voted to end the writers’ strike, becoming effective at 12:01 a.m. PT.
The new deal was struck with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — which represents Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony — after the two groups met face-to-face last week.
During the work stoppage, which also coincided with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, most of Hollywood was shut down, with late-night shows immediately going off the air after the WGA strike began and many other movie and TV productions coming to a halt with no new material to shoot.
Stars across the Hollywood community had been joining in on the WGA strike, including Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, who showed her support for the writers in June while picketing outside Paramount Global’s New York City office.
“I’m so honored to stand here in solidarity with the writers, wearing my WGA captain hat,” she said, per .
Hargitay, who plays Captain Olivia Benson on the series, continued: “I’ve been your captain for 25 years on SVU and I could not have done it without the writers. Every word out of my mouth for 25 years. So I stand here and say, let’s get this done.”
Ice-T, known for his portrayal of Fin Tutuola on the series, also shared his support via social media in July.
“Shout out to all the SVU fans.. Normally we would be back in production, filming the new season.. Unfortunately we’re still on hold due to the Writter’s [sic] strike,” he shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Hopefully we’ll be back sooner VS later.. I’ll keep you posted.”
Shout out to all the SVU fans.. Normally we would be back in production, filming the new season.. Unfortunately we’re still on hold due to the Writter’s strike.. Hopefully we’ll be back sooner VS later.. I’ll keep you posted.. 👊🏽 pic.twitter.com/seB9AnQbYn
— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) July 12, 2023
Prior to the strike, NBC had renewed six of Wolf’s series.
Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. were among the programs set for another season, according to an April announcement.
“I’m pleased to continue my four-decade relationship with Universal Television and NBC,” said Wolf in a statement at the time.
He also thanked the “loyal fans who have kept our NBC shows on the air for what will be a cumulative 84 seasons.”
Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. can all be streamed on Peacock.
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