Shonda Rhimes is creating a spinoff series to air next season - a new firehouse drama on ABC that's going up against NBC's "Chicago Fire." Rhimes has promised to give Dick Wolf a run for his money. That simply means she believes they will be in competition, and she is up for the challenge.
Rhimes is counting on the track record she has already established with her other shows. Also, she believes viewers will not want to watch two dramas centered on the same things on different networks. They will probably choose hers at first to see what it is about and then drop "Chicago Fire" after they have gotten used to her drama that has not been named yet.
Similar shows on different networks
Rhimes' show will be a spinoff of "Grey's Anatomy." So far, Thursday nights are reserved for Rhimes' series. All four shows of the "Chicago" franchise air on NBC, but they are spread over the entire week. Rhimes' show about firemen will be set in Seattle, which is the same setting for "Grey's Anatomy."
The ABC and the NBC shows will be rivals because they both will be centered around firefighters in dangerous situations in the line of duty while dealing with conflicts in their personal lives. The ABC show will have the same themes as the already-established NBC show. Rhimes believes that just as people have watched her medical drama for 12 years, they will watch and get used to watching her firehouse drama as well.
A comment about Rhimes' firehouse drama is that she doesn't take the easy way out of dangerous situations while Wolf plays it safe. She says that "Chicago Fire" has become too predictable with the family of Firehouse 51. People conclude that Rhimes' writing is not as predictable, and that's what they like. They say fans can expect bold moves in the upcoming spinoff.
Bold moves are missing in "Chicago Fire" even though it is the most popular of the four Chicago dramas.
ABC's description of the show is just like NBC's description of "Chicago Fire." Both shows follow the lives of firefighters in the line of duty and their personal lives. According to ABC program chief Channing Dungey, no one can mix professional and private lives like Rhimes who has done it many times before with her other successful shows.
Are you excited about another firehouse series coming next season? If you are already hooked on "Chicago Fire" on NBC, are you willing to watch a similar drama on ABC? Do you think Shonda Rhimes might be right in thinking she can give the officials of "Chicago Fire" a run for their money?