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).