One Chicago’s Dick Wolf is expanding his television empire and moving to a half-hour format with his new upcoming cop series On Call.
The series was originally ordered for Amazon’s IMDb TV in May 2021, however Amazon changed the name of IMDb TV to Amazon Freevee and now On Call will stream on Amazon’s main platform, Prime Video.
On Call marks Wolf Entertainment’s tenth scripted series currently in production and Wolf Entertainment’s first streamer original.
“Everything old is new again. In 1958 there were 40 half-hour dramas and five one-hour dramas on television. Five years later, the numbers were basically reversed,” Dick Wolf told Deadline back in 2021 regarding On Call as a half-hour drama series. “This is the perfect time to revive the half-hour format. It’s television popcorn. You can watch six episodes during a three-hour binge.”
Wolf Entertainment has shared the following about the show:
Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente are set to star in On Call, Wolf Entertainment’s newest series coming to Prime Video this year. Set in a half-hour format, the show follows veteran female training officer Traci Harmon (Troian Bellisario) and her rookie male ride-along Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente) as they navigate the loss of a fellow officer and politics of modern day policing in the department and on the streets of Long Beach.
Wolf has has won numerous awards, including Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series (Law & Order) and Outstanding Made-for-Television Movie (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee); a Grammy; and an Edgar award and currently has created nine scripted series which make up the Wolf Entertainment universe on network television, with the three One Chicago shows, three Law & Order shows, and three FBI shows.
One Chicago shows can flow seamlessly into each other for heart pounding crossover events, and even the FBI and Law and Order series are also within the same Dick Wolf universe. Law & Order has had crossover guest stars on Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit had four crossover events with the Chicago Franchise, including Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., and Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) from Chicago P.D. had a guest appearance on FBI. At this time it is unknown if On Call will be in the same DIck Wolf universe or if we can expect to see any of our One Chicago heroes in any kind of crossover events or appearing as crossover guest stars.
There are, however, several familiar faces behind the scenes One Chicago fans might recognize. Tim Walsh and Eriq LaSalle from Chicago P.D. are serving as executive producers and LaSalle is set to direct four of the eight episodes that have been ordered by Amazon. As previously stated, On Call is currently filming on location in Long Beach, California, where the series is set. It is unknown at this time how many episodes have been completely written or how the current Writers Guild of America strike will affect the filming schedule. A premier date has not been shared at this time.
In addition to the previously mentioned One Chicago alumni, On Call is also co-created and executive produced by Elliot Wolf along with Walsh. The series is also executive produced by Dick Wolf, Peter Jankowski, and Arthur Forney along with Walsh and LaSalle.
With this being Wolf’s first foray into the 30-minute per episode market, it will be interesting to see how similar or different this procedural cop show might be to our beloved Chicago P.D.
Check back with Reel Chicago on this developing story.
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