Normally, we'd be just a few weeks out from being knee-deep in new TV shows on every broadcast network, but this year has screwed the pooch on a lot of things, including the beginning of the fall television season. It took several months, but more and more shows are starting to film on new seasons (or, finishing up a series finale). While it's taken longer than originally anticipated for a lot of our returning favorites to return to set, fans can now look forward to Law & Order: SVU and NBC's One Chicago slate heading back into production, and it's going to happen very soon.
Many television viewers were left with incomplete seasons to several of the shows they love as the industry was stopped in its tracks for a very necessary quarantine back in March. But, everything from soap operas and game shows to genre shows like The Witcher have slowly begun to film again, and now, thanks to an Instagram post from star Mariska Hargitay, we know that Law & Order: SVU began production just today on Season 22 of the record-breaking police drama.
As you can see, several precautions are now being taken to help keep Mariska Hargitay, her stylist and every other cast or crew member on set healthy as they work on set. This, of course, was one of the main reasons it has taken so long for many of the series which usually populate our screens in the fall to get going again. While some shows have had to implement some rather extreme measures to help their actors social distance even while on camera, the use of masks and other personal protective equipment is now standard around the industry, along with regular health testing.
Luckily for fans, Law & Order: SVU is not the only show which is back to work for its fall season, which is now set to debut on November 12. If you've also been missing the immensely popular One Chicago franchise, you can take heart in knowing that Deadline has reported that Chicago Med should start again on September 22, while Chicago P.D. and the show that started it all, Chicago Fire, are both set to begin filming on October 6. All four of these long-running Dick Wolf dramas are heading into three-season renewals, as well, so viewers can count on them being around for quite a while yet.
Several of NBC's prized shows, which were originally planned for fall debuts, have had to be pushed back until 2021, including the Elliot Stabler-centric Law & Order: Organized Crime, New Amsterdam, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But, right now, we can still look forward to Law & Order: SVU later this year, while all the One Chicago shows are set for November 11, and the hit family drama This Is Us is due on November 10. While it does seem like all the shows sticking with fall debuts will actually hit their premiere dates, just know that things can always be shuffled if a situation arises on any of these sets.
While we wait for Law & Order: SVU and all the One Chicago shows to debut, see what else you can watch in the coming weeks by checking out our fall premiere guide!
