NBC adds 4th show from Baylor pair, ‘Chicago Justice’, to its primetime lineup

Early in their careers, Baylor alumni Derek Haas (BA ’91, MA ’95) and Michael Brandt (BBA ’91, MA ’94) found Hollywood success as the co-writers of such films as Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Then in 2012, they made the move to television when their show Chicago Fire was picked up by NBC. Now in its fifth season, the show has become the cornerstone of an entire Chicago franchise on NBC, launching three spin-offs for which Brandt and Haas serve as executive producers: Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and now this week, Chicago Justice.

The latest entry in the series is a legal drama along the lines of Law & Order and stars Philip Winchester (Camelot, Crusoe) and Carl Weathers (Rocky, Happy Gilmore). The characters have been introduced in five episodes of Chicago Fire and P.D. before launching their own series this week; the first episode premiered Wednesday as part of a three-episode crossover event between the four Chicago shows, and will now settle into its Sunday (8 p.m. CT) time slot beginning this weekend. (Watch the trailer below.)

Having watched every episode of the first three Chicago series — each of which ranked among NBC’s top-five shows in last year’s ratings — and read reviews (like this one from Variety) of the new series, it seems safe to say that if you enjoyed Chicago Fire, P.D. or Med (and/or Law & Order), you should probably give Chicago Justice a try, too.

Sic ’em, Derek Haas and Michael Brandt!

[Side note: Haas was also the guest speaker at last month’s “Going for the Gold Gala,” an annual benefit for Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing that this year raised more than $1 million for the new nursing building and scholarships. This year’s gala recognized and honored those who serve our communities — both the nurses who care for our sick and wounded, and the selfless public servants in our police and firefighting communities — which made Haas a perfect fit!]