Chicago Story Explained

Genre:Crime drama
Creator:Eric Bercovici[1]
Director:Corey Allen
Michael Caffey
Lee H. Katzin
Arthur E. Kean
Bruce Kessler
Harvey S. Laidman
Christian I. Nyby II
David Paulsen
Bob Thompson
Jerry Thorpe
Starring:Maud Adams
Vincent Baggetta
Dennis Franz
John Mahoney
Craig T. Nelson
Daniel Hugh Kelly
Composer:John Beal
James Di Pasquale
Dick Halligan
Stu Phillips
Country:United States
Language:English
Network:NBC
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:13 + TV movie pilot
Company:Eric Bercovici Productions
MGM Television
Executive Producer:Eric Bercovici
Producer:John Cutts
Runtime:90 minutes

Chicago Story is an American crime drama television series that aired for 13 episodes on NBC from March 6 to June 11, 1982, following a 2-hour television film pilot that was broadcast earlier on March 15, 1981.[2]

Synopsis

The series followed the work and lives of several Chicago lawyers, police officers, and doctors. The series was similar to Hill Street Blues in that it was less about action scenes and more about the stresses of working in law enforcement and medicine. The show did not catch on with viewers and lasted only thirteen episodes.

The cast included Maud Adams and Kristoffer Tabori as Dr. Judith Bergstrom and Dr. Max Carson, doctors at Cook County Hospital;[3] Craig T. Nelson, Vincent Baggetta and Molly Cheek as attorneys Kenneth A. Dutton, Lou Pellegrino and Megan Powers. Dutton was a prosecutor and Pellegrino was a defense attorney; Powers was a lawyer both men were interested in; and Dennis Franz, Richard Lawson and Daniel Hugh Kelly appeared as police officers Joe Gilland, O.Z. Tate and Frank Wajorski, respectively. Gilland was a beat cop, while Tate and Wajorski were detectives.

Intermixed within, especially during the opening title sequence, was plenty of Chicago scenery, including the John Hancock Center; Merchandise Mart; Michigan Avenue; Wrigley Building; Willis Tower (then known as Sears Tower); Aon Center; (then known as the Standard Oil Building), the Chicago Theater and its famous marquee; Lake Shore Drive; the then-headquarters of the Chicago Sun-Times; the Chicago Water Tower; Marina City; the Chicago 'L' and various other sights. One of the settings was the then-Cook County Hospital.

Chicago Story was notable for ninety-minute-long episodes, which hadn't been attempted on network prime-time TV since The Virginian left the air in 1971.[4] The show was pared down to an hour late in its run, including broadcasting edited versions of episodes that had already aired. By focusing on the Windy City, it presaged the Chicago franchise (including Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med) some thirty years later, also on NBC.

Episodes were rebroadcast on TNT Network in 1994.

The series aired in the United Kingdom on BBC1 in 1982.

Cast

Notes and References

  1. News: Dagan . Carmel . Eric Bercovici, Emmy-Winning Writer-Producer of Miniseries Including 'Shogun,' Dies at 80 . . February 12, 2014 . July 29, 2021.
  2. News: TV Weekend; Lawmen and 'Masterpiece' Anthology . . March 13, 1981 . July 28, 2021.
  3. Book: Connelly, Sherilyn . Presenting Persis Khambatta: From Miss India to Star Trek--The Motion Picture and Beyond . McFarland pg. 110 . 2021 . 978-1-4766-8195-5.
  4. News: Moser . Whet . "Chicago Story": Annals of Failed Cop Shows About Our Town . . December 15, 2011 . July 28, 2021.