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]

Chicago Story
GenreCrime drama
Created byEric Bercovici[1]
Written byDavid Assael
Eric Bercovici
Dennis Capps
Rob Gilmer
Lee H. Katzin
David Michael Jacobs
Arthur E. Kean
Michael O'Hara
Robert Schlitt
Directed byCorey Allen
Michael Caffey
Lee H. Katzin
Arthur E. Kean
Bruce Kessler
Harvey S. Laidman
Christian I. Nyby II
David Paulsen
Bob Thompson
Jerry Thorpe
StarringMaud Adams
Vincent Baggetta
Dennis Franz
John Mahoney
Craig T. Nelson
Daniel Hugh Kelly
ComposersJohn Beal
James Di Pasquale
Dick Halligan
Stu Phillips
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 + TV movie pilot
Production
Executive producerEric Bercovici
ProducerJohn Cutts
Running time90 minutes
Production companiesEric Bercovici Productions
MGM Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseMarch 6 (1982-03-06) –
June 11, 1982 (1982-06-11)

Synopsis

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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

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
0"Chicago Story"Jerry LondonEric BercoviciMarch 15, 1981 (1981-03-15)
1"The Hostage Taker"Harvey S. LaidmanDennis CappsMarch 6, 1982 (1982-03-06)
2"Outside the Law"Rod HolcombBob Foster & Robert W. GilmerMarch 13, 1982 (1982-03-13)
3"Bright Lights, Big City"Christian I. Nyby IIDennis CappsMarch 20, 1982 (1982-03-20)
4"Epidemic"Harvey S. LaidmanRobert W. GilmerMarch 27, 1982 (1982-03-27)
5"Vendetta"Corey AllenDavid JacobsApril 3, 1982 (1982-04-03)
6"Not Quite Paradise: Parts 1 & 2"Jerry ThorpeMichael O'HaraApril 16, 1982 (1982-04-16)
7
8"Performance"Michael CaffeyDavid Assael and Robert W. Gilmer & Dennis Capps and Bob Foster & W H. OverApril 23, 1982 (1982-04-23)
9"Bad Blood"Bruce KesslerRobert SchlittApril 30, 1982 (1982-04-30)
10"Dutton's Law"Lee H. KatzinDavid PaulsenMay 7, 1982 (1982-05-07)
11"Subterranean Blues"Corey AllenRobert SchlittMay 28, 1982 (1982-05-28)
12"Who Needs the Truth?"E. Arthur KeanE. Arthur KeanJune 4, 1982 (1982-06-04)
13"Half a Chance"Robert C. ThompsonDavid AssaelJune 11, 1982 (1982-06-11)

References

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