The Dick Wolf TV universe is going stronger than ever in the 2021-2022 TV season, with no fewer than eight hit shows spread across two networks. Now, a big change is happening behind the scenes at Chicago P.D., which stands as the current Wolf series with the third-longest run behind only Law & Order: SVU and Chicago Fire. The show is getting a new showrunner, and that also means change for the Dick Wolf TV universe as a whole.
The showrunner of Chicago P.D. has been Rick Eid for more than four years now, with his tenure in the top job starting with Season 5, and now Deadline reports that Gwen Sigan has been promoted to showrunner status. It’s an in-house promotion, as Sigan has been working as a writer and – as of the current Season 9 – executive producer on One Chicago’s crime drama. Wolf Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Peter Jankowski weighed in on the decision to promote her to showrunner, saying:
Gwen began as a writer’s assistant at Wolf Entertainment in 2014, now, only seven years later, she is executive producer/showrunner of one of our most important series. While this couldn’t have happened without Rick Eid’s guidance, it is also a testament to Gwen’s vision, hard work and talent. Chicago PD remains in very strong hands.
Erin Underhill, president of Universal Television which produces Chicago P.D., further praised Gwen Sigan’s ability to capture “the characters’ voices and flawlessly weaved them into thrilling cases with unexpected character turns.” That said, Rick Eid isn’t leaving Chicago P.D. altogether, or departing the Dick Wolf universe. Eid remains on board P.D. as an executive producer.
Rick Eid has also been doing double-duty in the Dick Wolf universe for several years now, as the showrunner of FBI over on CBS. Eid running both FBI and P.D. meant that Tracy Spiridakos was able to cross over from Chicago P.D. to FBI as Upton to connect FBI and FBI: Most Wanted with One Chicago and the Law & Order shows. He is continuing on as showrunner for FBI and will serve as showrunner for the Season 21 revival of the original Law & Order.
His success with launching FBI over on CBS makes him a logical choice to helm the return of Law & Order, as Rick Eid was able to get FBI off to a strong start. While Law & Order will be coming back with 20 years of history, this will still be a fresh start. Plus, Eid was showrunner over at SVU before coming to P.D. And with Gwen Sigan as an existing writer and executive producer, it sounds like she is the ideal person to take over the role of P.D. showrunner.
It should definitely be interesting to see if the show has any noticeable changes when Chicago P.D. makes the switch from Rick Eid to Gwen Sigan. There certainly were changes when previous P.D. showrunner Matt Olmstead was replaced by Eid for Season 5, but Olmstead’s departure coincided with that of longtime leading lady Sophia Bush, so big changes were inevitable.
It’s not entirely clear when Gwen Sigan will officially take over the showrunning duties on Chicago P.D., but the show hasn’t even hit the halfway point of Season 9 when it comes to released episodes. For now, fans can look forward to new episodes of the ninth season (which has been a major hit in the ratings) on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, as the third hour in the network’s super successful block of One Chicago shows.
