Chicago Story

Synopsis

The show examined the professional and personal lives of lawyers, police officers, and doctors in Chicago. Its approach was reminiscent of Hill Street Blues, prioritizing the pressures of law enforcement and medical work over action sequences. The series failed to attract a large audience and ran for just thirteen episodes. The cast featured Maud Adams and Kristoffer Tabori as physicians at Cook County Hospital.

Craig T. Nelson, Vincent Baggetta, and Molly Cheek portrayed attorneys: Nelson’s character was a prosecutor, Baggetta’s a defense lawyer, and Cheek’s a woman both men pursued. Dennis Franz, Richard Lawson, and Daniel Hugh Kelly played police officers, with Franz as a beat cop and Lawson and Kelly as detectives. The opening credits and other segments showcased Chicago landmarks such as the John Hancock Center, Merchandise Mart, Michigan Avenue, Wrigley Building, Willis Tower (then Sears Tower), Aon Center (then Standard Oil Building), the Chicago Theatre and its marquee, Lake Shore Drive, the former Chicago Sun-Times headquarters, the Chicago Water Tower, Marina City, the Chicago 'L', and other sights.

Cook County Hospital served as a key location. The series was notable for its ninety-minute episodes, a format not used in network prime time since The Virginian ended in 1971.

Later in its run, episodes were cut to an hour, including re-edited versions of previously aired installments. By centering on Chicago, it anticipated the later Chicago franchise (Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med) on NBC by about thirty years. TNT Network rebroadcast episodes in 1994, and BBC1 aired the series in the United Kingdom in 1982.

Did You Know?

• Its ninety-minute episode format had not been used on network prime-time TV since The Virginian left the air in 1971.
• Notable guest stars during its run included John Mahoney, Joe Pantoliano, Ally Sheedy, and Lane Smith.