We were eager to catch the premiere episode of Fox's new drama the Chicago Code last night, but was a little nervous based on some of the previews we saw promoting the show. Would the show showcase the city as we perceive it or would it simply be obvious cliches that make you want to cringe?
Well we're sad to say that the initial episode made us laugh out loud multiple times (and that's not a good sign for a drama). The first episode was filled with so many cheesy one liners we wouldn't be surprised Giordano's or Lou's some how sponsored this to promote their famous "Chicago-style" pizza.Whether it was the fast talking main character who was a Sox fan threatening his partner because he was hiding his allegiance to the Cubs, or the slick/dirty and well dressed alderman, or the corrupt cop referencing "the way" things are done in Chicago, or the shady construction company fixing a bid, it was honestly tough to watch. Maybe we're jaded and think our city is much more interesting than these cliches, but I guess that "Chicago" doesn't play well with a broader national audience.
There were some things we enjoyed. It was fun to try to look at the scene and figure out where it was shot. The South Loop was a prime filming area for the show (which we posted about here), but in the first episode the only time our neighborhood seemed to be featured was when they were driving down Columbus in Grant Park or when they were setting up a crime scene for a double homicide by the Buckingham fountain.
Regardless, we haven't given up on the Chicago Code yet. We will tune in next week to see if the show progresses and see if the cheese was a way to initially appeal to a broader audience (who might be tuning in due to the heavy promotion during the Super Bowl).
A friend of a friend of mine is a chicago cop and said this show was very accurate. Hopefully this show will not just entertain but expose real problems of chicago politics. I've never met an honest politician in this city.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think the show was too bad, but I don't think it has staying power. I found the show kind of confusing. The storyline wasn't very streamlined. It seemed to jump from scene to scene with no congruency.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy trying to figure out where scenes were shot as well. That was more enjoyable than the show itself.
The episode was good and I look forward to watching it in the weeks to come. My one complaint is Jennifer Beals' accent, it sounded so fake I cringed when I heard her speak.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen it yet, but since Jennifer Beals is a Chicago native, the accent comment makes me wonder. Is she trying too hard to do an "accent" as opposed to just talking how she usually does?
ReplyDeleteHave to agree on Jennifer's accent. Nice SLOOP scene with the Police Memorial.
ReplyDeleteThanks sloopy for pointing this out. Cheesy and chiche, were the perfect terms to describe it. I wanted so much for this to be a good show, but it was terrible. Awful acting and a terrible story. You can't call Chicago the greatest city and then focus on how you can take apart the relationshipsthat make the city operate.
ReplyDeleteThey worked so hard to paint the police and politicians as corrupt and evil, but then talked about how amazing this city is and how Chicago makes great things happen, like recovering from the fire.
And no Anon, the friend of your friend is an idiot who wants this to be true more than it is. Yes, there is often another motive behind other people actions, but nobody goes around justifying it as the Chicago way. I really wanted a Chicago based show to stick around, but I don't think this is going to be the one.
Beals is from chicago, but sounds like she's from new England. I keep expecting her to say "chowda". What's with that?
Alright, southland is almost on now, so at least I can get a decent cop drama in to wash away this stench.
It was atrocious!!!!! Wysocki had an east coast accent!!!!! It was formulaic and trite. I hope and wish it dies a quick death. I was a Chicago cop and am now a Chicago FF. I cringed through the entire show.
ReplyDeleteI too was excited because Chicago deserves a good cop show, considering...
ReplyDeleteBut no buildup or development, straight to a corrupt alderman? What is episode two: the mayor kills someone?
Mix in bad acting, bad accents, and definitely unrealistic (more than most) situations and the entire thing was garbage.
Too bad they couldn't trust people to be patient and smart.