The *Actual* Explanation Behind the Sudden Removal of Chicago Fire, P.D., and Med from the Airwaves

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, ., and just returned to the NBC schedule after a midseason break. And all three delivered on the cliffhangers, with revealing the fate of Sharon Goodwin, delving into Joe Cruz’s issues and giving us some backstory on Kiana Cook. But despite new episodes of the three shows being slated to air this week, One Chicago will now be preempted on January 15, with new episodes not airing until the following week. But why are the shows not on tonight — what does this mean for the upcoming crossover?

Why Are , & Not on Tonight?

The reason behind the lack of new episodes on January 15 isn't related to the wildfires in Los Angeles, which many viewers might have initially thought. This was also the reason NBC opted not to run a promo for the episode scheduled for this week. Instead, the actual reason for the hiatus is that One Chicago is pausing for a week to accommodate President Joe Biden's farewell address.

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In anticipation of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, President Biden has scheduled a farewell address to be broadcast during primetime at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 15, coinciding with the start of the One Chicago lineup. The speech is expected to run until 8:15 p.m., but instead of pushing back