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Chicagoland (TV series)

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Chicagoland
Created byMark Benjamin
Marc Levin
Narrated byMark Konkol
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Original release
NetworkCNN
ReleaseMarch 6 (2014-03-06) –
April 24, 2014 (2014-04-24)

Chicagoland is a documentary series that debuted its pilot episode at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014.[1] It was aired on CNN in eight successive weekly broadcasts beginning March 6, 2014, and ending April 24, 2014.[2] It is executive produced by Robert Redford and Laura Michalchyshyn and created by Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin. The documentary received some criticism when it was revealed that there was a coordinated effort to ensure that Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel was portrayed as a "star" in the series.[3]

Background

Chicagoland is part of a CNN strategy, directed by network President Jeff Zucker, to make CNN's programming less dependent on the unpredictable ebbs and flows of the 24-hour news cycle.[4][5] Zucker decided to introduce documentary series in its program line-up in order to attract viewers during periods when the news is insufficient to compel viewer attention.[5]

The show was executively produced by Redford and created by filmmakers Benjamin and Levin, who had previously created the very similarly themed show Brick City, a documentary about Newark, New Jersey.[1] The show is narrated by Mark Konkol.[4] The filming took eight months in 2013.[6] CNN described the show as: "The riveting, real-life drama of a city looking to unite at this critical moment in the city’s history."[7]

Production

The show was filmed by three camera crews that amassed over 1000 hours of footage.[8] Three of the principal subjects of the crews were Mayor Rahm Emanuel, South Side high school principal Elizabeth Dozier and Chicago Police Department superintendent Garry McCarthy.[8] The Chicago Tribune gained access to over 700 e-mails between Emanuel, Benjamin, Levin, and CNN. In response to the Chicago Tribune report, CNN asserted that the Mayor's office had neither editorial control nor editorial approval over either the show's content or its associated promotional material, and one of the Chicago Tribune reporters said the emails show the normal scheduling and schmoozing involved in working with subjects.[9] The Huffington Post blogger Spencer Green mocked the whole ordeal saying that a sequel was forthcoming entitled Rahm Emanuel: A Towering God Among Men.[10] Months before the show ever aired, Levin and Benjamin, who were clients of The William Morris Endeavor (WME) agency requested that WME not represent them in this production to avoid a conflict of interest because WME's co-CEO is Ari Emanuel, brother of Rahm.[11]

Episodes

No. # Title Directed by Written by Original release date Production
code
11"The New Boss"UnknownUnknownMarch 6, 2014 (2014-03-06)TBA
22"The Champs"UnknownUnknownMarch 13, 2014 (2014-03-13)TBA
33"Fireworks"UnknownUnknownMarch 20, 2014 (2014-03-20)TBA
44"Second Chances"UnknownUnknownMarch 27, 2014 (2014-03-27)TBA
55"Safe Passage"UnknownUnknownApril 3, 2014 (2014-04-03)TBA
66"Broken Wings"UnknownUnknownApril 10, 2014 (2014-04-10)TBA
77"Back of the Yards"UnknownUnknownApril 17, 2014 (2014-04-17)TBA
88"City of the Future"UnknownUnknownApril 24, 2014 (2014-04-24)TBA

Reception

Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times says the show is a "commendable" effort with "compelling characters" and described its subject matter and cinematic depiction favorably. She also echoes the common criticism that the series "looks more like an ad campaign than a documentary".[5] Allison Keene of The Hollywood Reporter said noted both positive and negative elements of the show but generally approved of its presentation.[4] Keene also noted, however, that subsequent episodes did not quite live up to the premiere.[4] Los Angeles Times critic Robert Lloyd viewed the show as a bit of self-promotion for the city.[12] Brian Lowry of Variety questioned the worth of the show as a constructive use of time for viewers.[13] According to Crain's ChicagoBusiness, the show is "often disturbing" yet "hope-inspiring".[8] The Wrap's Tim Molloy said that Chicagoland was good, but did not compare to Brick City.[14] Among the few reviews that were published after or near the end of the series was a negative one by Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune. Kogan considered the whole series a bit "contrived".[15] During the 8-week span the viewership dropped off precipitously losing 48% of its viewers. The viewership compared unfavorably with shows on rival networks MSNBC and Fox News Channel and with the time slot performance one year prior.[16]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Siegel, Tatiana (January 19, 2014). "Sundance: Robert Redford, Jeff Zucker Unveil Rahm Emanuel Series 'Chicagoland'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "CHICAGOLAND Roars on CNN March 6 - From Executive Producers Robert Redford, Laura Michalchyshyn, Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin". CNN. February 27, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  3. ^ Ruthhart, Bill (April 25, 2014). "Emails show Emanuel aides, producers coordinated CNN 'Chicagoland' scenes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Keene, Allison (March 6, 2014). "Chicagoland: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Stanley, Alessandra (March 5, 2014). "Stark Drama That's Found in Real Life: CNN's New Series 'Chicagoland' and 'Death Row Stories'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  6. ^ Kogan, Rick (February 22, 2014). "CNN's Rahm-heavy 'Chicagoland' will be hard to ignore". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  7. ^ Hibberd, James (May 8, 2013). "Robert Redford doing 'Chicagoland' TV series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c "Review: CNN's 'Chicagoland' disturbing, hope-inspiring, addictive". Crain's ChicagoBusiness. March 5, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ Hayden, Erik (April 25, 2014). "CNN Denies Chicago Mayor's Office Had 'Editorial Control' Over 'Chicagoland'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  10. ^ Green, Spencer (April 28, 2014). "CNN Announces New Reality Show Rahm Emanuel: A Towering God Among Men". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  11. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (January 19, 2014). "Sundance: Why WME Recused Itself from 'Chicagoland' Series Featuring Rahm Emanuel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  12. ^ Lloyd, Robert (March 6, 2014). "Review: 'Chicagoland' gives Windy City a starring role". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  13. ^ Lowry, Brian (February 27, 2014). "TV Review: CNN Seeks to Chart New Course With 'Chicagoland,' 'Death Row Stories'". Variety. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  14. ^ Molloy, Tim (March 6, 2014). "'Chicagoland' Review: CNN's Docuseries Lacks Emotional Pull of Newark Predecessor". The Wrap. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  15. ^ Kogan, Rick (April 23, 2014). "'Chicagoland' finale review: more violence, more Rahm: Violence-focused series revealed a little, frustrated a lot". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  16. ^ Patten, Dominic (April 25, 2014). "CNN's 'Chicagoland' Finale Hits Viewer Low". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.

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