Dick Wolf is branching out from NBC. The uber producer and NBC MVP, who has five drama series on the peacock network, has received a 13-episode order at CBS for a new procedural drama slated for launch during the 2018-2019 season. It will be Wolf’s first drama series to launch on a network other than NBC in 15 years, since the 2003 Dragnet reboot on ABC.
The new series, tentatively titled F.B.I., will chronicle the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be a co-production between Universal Television, where Wolf has been based for a long time, and CBS TV Studios. Former The Good Wife executive producer Craig Turk, will write the pilot episode and will serve as showrunner. He is one of the top drama writers on CBS TV Studios’ roster and was recommended for the job by that studio.
F.B.I. will film a pilot during the regular pilot season in the spring before proceeding with the remaining 12 episodes from its order.
Wolf is one of the top drama producers of the past several decades with a rare double — two successful franchises, Law & Order and Chicago. One of the L&O series, Law & Order: SVU, is still on the air, heading into its 19th season on NBC where it is joined by the three Chicago series, Chicago Fire (season 6); Chicago P.D. (season 5) and Chicago Med (season 3) as well as the upcoming limited series Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders.
With Chicago rapidly expanding to four shows, it got harder for NBC to accommodate the entire Dick Wolf slate of procedurals. NBC at the end of last season opted not to renew the newest Chicago series, Chicago Justice, despite an OK ratings performance. With his NBC series load at capacity, it makes sense for Wolf to look to expand his procedural brand elsewhere, and CBS is the logical first destination since the network is known for its crime procedurals.
