Dick Wolf on What He’s Learned About Expanding Television Franchises

With the Tuesday, January 7 debut of FBI: MOST WANTED on CBS, Dick Wolf officially kicks off his third franchise of shows.

Over the years, Wolf has launched new franchise installments in new ways: MOST WANTED‘s mothership, FBI, debuted in 2018, and the characters of MW were a part of a backdoor pilot that aired during the show’s first season. Over at NBC, the ONE CHICAGO franchise began with CHICAGO FIRE in 2012, and quickly grew to P.D. (whose characters debuted in FIRE’s first season), MED (backdoor pilot during FIRE’s third season), and JUSTICE (backdoor pilot during P.D’s third season); LAW & ORDER’s run started in 1990, with SVU, CRIMINAL INTENT, TRIAL BY JURY, LOS & ANGELES, TRUE CRIME, and CONVICTION getting their own launches, though occasionally intersecting with the mothership and other Wolf shows.

Though television has changed a lot over the past few decades, no producer has been more efficient and successful than Wolf at expanding various franchises. An essential element of that success? “When you get [a show idea] that expands [a] brand, normal network development time has to get thrown out the window, because you strike while the iron is hot,” he explained to reporters in the video below.

Check out a bit more from Wolf on his run with franchises…

RELATED:

• FBI: MOST WANTED Series Premiere: ‘Dopesick’ Photos
• FBI: ‘Fallout’ Photos
• LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: ‘Must Be Held Accountable’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED Bosses Preview Manstead Drama Amidst a ‘Difficult’ Case
• CHICAGO FIRE Boss Teases Firehouse 51’s ‘Combustible’ Overlap with a New Group
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Mercy’ Photos

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