For Chicago Code, the cause of death was a lack of viewers. As Amy Chozick wrote in the Wall Street Journal (May 4, 2011), “some network executives ... proclaim darker cop dramas dead on arrival.” After all, the country is in a deep recession. The public wants escape, not more of life's drama. During the Great Depression, Hollywood gave us Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Today television, gives us “techno-levity” cops such as NCIS and CSI (Chozick, May 4, 2011).
Complex Characters In An Adult Plot
The incidental findings are often the most interesting aspects of an autopsy. In Chicago Code's case, what was attempted is more notable than the failure to attract an audience.
Every Chicago Code character was complex and to some extent compromised. Although Alderman Gibbons (Delroy Lindo) provided a super villain, he also showed compassion for his constituents by passing out bottled water on a sweltering Chicago day. Jarek Wysocki (Jason Clarke) filled the role of a super hero, but he was so narrow minded that he could not admit Alderman Gibbons might just have some kindness in his heart. Superintendent Teresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals) shared Wysocki's single-minded fault. The minor characters were likewise conflicted. Vonda Wysocki (Devin Kelley) twice distorted her testimony, once for her lover and once to manipulate her supervisor.
On the surface, Chicago Code was a glitzy cop show. Under the surface, it asked important questions: Who is good and who is evil? Do good works cancel bad deeds? Does being a victim justify victimizing the assailant?
A Round of Applause for Aldermen
Chicago, with an area of 237 square miles, has 50 elected aldermen. Each alderman is responsible for an area of less than 5 square miles. An alderman attends one city council meeting each month. An alderman knows his constituents and his constituents know their alderman.
Whenever you need a variance for a building code, go see your alderman. Whenever a pot hole develops on your street, go see your alderman. My dad wanted permission to build a fence between his property and an adjoining city park. Of course, he went to see his alderman. Within a week, the park district constructed a six-foot wooden fence to cordon off his property.
As an aside: Rahm Emanual is attempting to consolidate his power by cutting the number of aldermen in half (Kass, 2011).
Clashing Code Story Lines
In the final analysis, Chicago Code had two conflicting story lines: super hero versus super villain, and there is both good and evil in everyone. In the final episode, Alderman Gibbons is clearly shown to be the super villain. But Chicago Code had been canceled before that episode aired. How could the show continue with the super villain out of the way?
Creator, Shawn Ryan, tweeted that viewers should find a “satisfying” resolution to the story (Metz and Johnson, 2011). In my view Ryan's use of “satisfying” was ironic. He seemed to be saying: Well if you can't get the point of my story, I'll convert it into a simple good-guy bad-guy tale. Of course, he was not talking to the viewers of Chicago Code. The viewers knew that Chicago Code was a rare and notable television event.
Sources:
- Amy Chozick The Arena: Tough Times for tough Cops -- Gritty police shows are on the run as audiences move to the sunny side; surfing anyone? Wall Street Journal Mar 4, 2011
- Anonymous Fun Facts Explore Chio The City of Chicago's Official Tourism Site
- Anonymous, City Council, Your Ward &; Alderman, The City of Chicago Official Site
- John Kass In Boss Math, less is more when it comes to aldermen Chicago Tribune Mar 27, 2011
- Nina Metz, Steve Johnson 'Chicago Code' is gone leaving hole in the city; City film industry points to positives Chicago Tribune May 12, 2011
- Photo: Delroy Lindo at Spelling Bee by Mike Wooldridge. The photograph is reproduced under the following Attribution Share Alike License. Neither Mr. Lindo nor Mr. Wooldbridge necessarily endorse the views expressed in this article.
Richard Walloch - Don't believe me because of my education or professional experience. Believe me because of the evidence and arguments I advance.
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