The new must see show is The Chicago Code

I didn’t expect to like The Chicago Code, but because it was from Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit) and it was filmed in Chicago, I had to give it a watch. And I am glad that I did. Even though Monday night is one of my busiest of the week for watching shows, I will be making room for The Chicago Code. Why? While it is one of many cop shows on television, after one episode, it is better than any other that I have seen on right now.

The Chicago Code follows the first female Chicago Superintendent of Police, Teresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals), her former partner Homicide Detective Jarek Wysocki (Jason Clarke) and his partner Caleb Evers (Matt Laria) as they try to bring down the corrupt Alderman Ronin Gibbons (Delroy Lindo). The premiere introduces the main players and establishes the tone of the show. I surprisingly liked all the characters — flaws and all.

I was thrilled that the show is not filmed on a studio lot and instead was filmed on location in Chicago. That provided an authentic feel to the show that is widely missing on television these days. As a disclaimer, I live in the Chicago area, so that probably heightened my enjoyment of the local scenes. Even for those of you who’ve never been to Chicago, I think you will embrace the look and feel of the show. Actually seeing the Sears Tower (yes, it will always be the Sears Tower to me) in the background or bodies in Grant Park or a car chase beneath the El makes The Chicago Code unique. But the show has more then just filming on location;  it has the characters and story as well.

Teresa Colvin is a strong leader who is trying to change the way things are done in Chicago. She is uncompromising in her commitment to bringing an end to corruption and the old ways of the police department. Of course, this creates enemies, so she goes to someone she can trust to help — her former partner, Jarek — who hates profanity (though that characteristic seems a bit of an outlier for his personality). Their main target is the powerful Alderman Gibbons. I won’t go into much detail about Gibbons, but he is an intriguing foe. I am looking forward to seeing his enterprise unravel.

I found the relationships between the characters to be fascinating, including the secondary characters such as Jarek’s cop niece and his ex-wife. I wanted to know more about each and every character; there wasn’t a single weak link. Within the first episode, the show was multifaceted with not only the Gibbons story, but also what I expect to be an ongoing gang war story that was somewhat pulled from the Chicago headlines.

The Chicago Code was not at all what I expected when I tuned in; instead, it hit the right notes with complicated characters, witty dialogue and amazing visuals. I am looking forward to seeing the remaining episodes and how the characters and story evolve.

Clacked by Carla Day
on Feb 07, 2011 @ 09:00 EST5EDT