Shawn Ryan created The Chicago Code, a new FOX drama that follows a group of cops determined to take down the man who built an empire of corruption in Chicago. The last show he worked for, as an executive producer, was the short-lived-but-amazing Terriers. Both shows feature similarities. In Terriers, Hank and Britt were underdogs in their fight against the corporate big-bads. They were private investigators who didn't bother getting a license because it would've gotten taken away anyway.
In The Chicago Code, the core characters are underdogs but their circumstances are different. Theresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals) is the superintendent of the police force. Every cop answers to her; however, she aims to fight and expose the corruption which destroyed her father's business and marriage. She wants to clean the streets of dirty cops and she wants to end corruption in her city. Likewise, Det. Wysocki (Jason Clarke) is a no nonsense cop with a ton of character and principle and one of the few cops Colvin trusts to help her rid the city of corruption. When Colvin's denied her request to create a team to truly clean up the city by the corrupted Ronin Gibbons (Delroy Lindo), she turns to Wysocki to start an unofficial group. Soon, the young Caleb Evers (Matt Lauria) joins Colvin and Wysocki in their mission to fight the underbelly of the city which means they'll take on cases that really matter.
I was unsure of what to expect from The Chicago Code. After all, I've never seen an episode of The Shield. Besides Terriers, the only show I watched that Ryan worked on as a writer was ANGEL (and Ryan only spent one season with the show). I worried about the show's focus on the Chicago police force because procedural cop dramas never captured my imagination or enthusiasm. Upon viewing the first episode of The Chicago Code, the worries have disappeared. In fact, the worries disappeared after a tremendous teaser that used flashback and narration in an interesting, original way.
The characters in this series are so well-defined that I feel like I've known them for years (and they ARE familiar archetypes but they'll become much more as the series progresses). Jennifer Beals and Jason Clarke have terrific screen presence. The duo own each scene they're in and their characters feel like these larger-than-life cops who CAN fight and expose the corruption killing Chicago. If I was a cop, I'd want to be my best for Superintendent Colvin. The introduction of Jarak Wysocki shows us all we need to know about him--honest, resourceful, and not tolerant of incompetent partners. But, of course, he's cheating on his fiancé with his ex-wife so the man's not without vice. Meanwhile, his soon-to-be permanent partner Caleb is introduced as a respectful young cop unwilling to overstep his boundaries with Wysocki. Eventually, Wysocki (and the audience) learn how smart Caleb is. He figured out that Liam, the undercover cop with the Irish mob, is an undercover cop.
The flashback/narration combination provided an essential component of any pilot--emotional investment in these characters and their world. Quickly, the audience understands the essential characteristics and motivations of the central characters such as Colvin's desire to bring justice to criminals who took advantage of her father. The most devastating use of this device occurs near the end of the episode when we learn about how Antonio became Colvin's driver. As a boy involved with gangs, Colvin took him under her wing. The flashback ends abruptly when Antonio and Theresa are attacked by an anonymous gunman (someone involved with the gangs or Gibbons' massive ring no doubt). It's a testament to the actors and Shawn Ryan's ability as a writer that I felt sadness and shock by the death. I was taken by this world and these characters after the first minute or so actually.
As for the actual episode, Shawn Ryan laid the foundation for stories to come. The Chicago Code is more serialized than procedural. Colvin managed to start a war with the gangs AND Gibbons'. Plus, her own cops who received demotions aren't her biggest fans. She and Wysocki and Evers have a big battle ahead of them (and I assume they'll get help from Isaac and Wysocki's niece). I thought "Pilot" was a terrific debut for the show and I can't wait to watch the rest of the first season. If you missed Terriers in the Fall, make it up to Shawn Ryan by watching The Chicago Code. Also, the great Tim Minear is an executive producer and writer on the series so good storytelling is a guarantee.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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