Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Exclusive: FOX cancels 'The Chicago Code'

Shawn Ryan-produced cop drama one of several FOX series to get the axe Tuesday night

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, May 10, 2011 11:00 PM

Exclusive: FOX cancels 'The Chicago Code'

Jason Clarke, Jennifer Beals and Matt Lauria in "The Chicago Code," which FOX declined to renew.

Credit: FOX

It's been a very busy night for FOX, which, according to various published reports, has already ordered several new shows for its fall schedule, including the JJ Abrams-produced "Alcatraz," the "Bones" spin-off "The Finder" and the Zooey Deschanel sitcom "The New Girl," while also deciding that "Human Target" and "Breaking In" won't be back on next year's schedule. Given all the action, and given that "The Chicago Code" was on the renewal bubble right along with "Human Target" and several other series, I thought I'd check in with that show's creator, Shawn Ryan, to see what he was hearing.

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Ryan told me he had just heard from FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly, who told him the show was also canceled. (As in it won't be on next year's schedule; the final episodes will air.)

The ratings for "Chicago Code" had never been especially strong, and with so many high-profile pilots in development, on top of pre-existing commitments for next fall for "Terra Nova" and "The X Factor," there wasn't going to be a lot of real estate on next year's schedule. At best, one of "Human Target," "Chicago Code" and "Lie to Me" were going to get picked up. Now, at least 2 out of those 3 have been removed from the equation.

I wrote in my review of last night's episode that the show had a lot of good raw material that it didn't quite know what to do with yet, but that I was hopeful Ryan - who already had FX's "Terriers" canceled out from under him this season - and company would figure out how to make it work by the time a second season started. Instead, no second season, and the show will likely end as a big ball of unrealized potential.

Related Searches: The Chicago Code, Alan Sepinwall, Jennifer Beals, Jason Clarke, Delroy Lindo, Matt Lauria, Shawn Ryan, Tim Minear

Next 184 Comments

This sucks
May 10, 2011 at 10:09PM EST Reply to Comment
I meant the cancelation sucks, great article Alan!
May 10, 2011 at 10:10PM EST Reply to Comment
The Noble Robot "...while also deciding that "Human Target" and 'Breaking In.' Given all the action, and given..."

I gather from the context in the article that these shows were canceled, but you forgot to say so. :-)

#corrections
May 10, 2011 at 10:12PM EST Reply to Comment
TheGba Stupid. They are cancelling this show with potential while developing a spinoff to Bones?
May 10, 2011 at 10:13PM EST Reply to Comment
- Eldritch I made a point to view that "Bones" episode which introduced "Finder."
  
  Crap, that was bad.
  May 10, 2011 at 10:48PM EST
- agreed! i cant believe Bones is still one the air, much less generating spoinoffs. sucks!
  May 11, 2011 at 12:10PM EST
pfeif Network tv is a joke
May 10, 2011 at 10:13PM EST Reply to Comment
Zach Szykowny NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
May 10, 2011 at 10:13PM EST Reply to Comment
Gee, I can't wait for the crapfest that will be X Factor. Thanks for nothing, Fox. I hate you.
May 10, 2011 at 10:15PM EST Reply to Comment
velocityknown Poor Shawn Ryan. Any chance it finds second life on a cable network like TNT?
May 10, 2011 at 10:16PM EST Reply to Comment
- webdiva Even if it made it to TNT, it needs an overhaul of the following variety:
  
  1) better writing - the scripts never gelled, and they'd need better mastery of Chicago slang so it didn't sound occasionally goofy (like drop the crap about using 'coppers' - sheesh! It sounds so fake whenever they use it, and I say this as a Chicagoan).
  2) Jennifer Beals would HAVE to drop that idiotic accent and start acting like a pro; hers was only a sporadically acceptable performance, and she was miscast - I would've gone for a bigger, more reliable name to carry the show and given her a cooler, savvier temperament. Joan Allen comes to mind, if you're going to go with a hometown actress. Beals couldn't carry the show alone, and Jason Clarke hadn't settled into his character enough yet to help her out. The comparison here would be to The Good Wife: an excellent actor like Julianna Margulies CAN carry a show, and Margulies has lots of competent help. You can't say that about The Chicago Code.
  3) too short a season -- the show simply needed a 22 or 23-week season, a longer period in which to get us filled in on the background of and invested in the main characters and their stories, relationships, etc. Third Watch got 22 episodes its first season and grew into a hit; so did NYPD Blue and Law & Order and its various spin-offs. Even The X Files got a 23-episode first season. In contrast, Homicide: Life on the Street got 9 episodes its first season, 4 its second, and only in its third did it get 20 episodes, so there's a reason it was a sleeper. Southland got only 7 episodes its first season and 6 its second. There's a lesson here, and Fox (among others) isn't paying attention, to its detriment and ours. They're just unforgivably stupid.
  
  But there's blame to go around. I, for one, never liked Terriers, so I had low expectations of Shawn Ryan -- and he lived down to them. This is as much his fault as anyone's, and it means that it'll be years before anyone else tries to film another network show in or about Chicago. THAT's the part that pisses me off the most: there were great stories to tell here, and Ryan blew it. Figures: the guy's from Rockford; what else could I expect? Phooey!! I'll watch the last two episodes knowing that there was a huge opportunity here, and Ryan, Beals, and the writers sank it. Idiots all.
  May 16, 2011 at 4:21PM EST
Matt C. This sucks. This show was quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Plus, it easily had the best credits song on TV.
May 10, 2011 at 10:16PM EST Reply to Comment
- I would rewind the credits just to hear the song again!
  May 11, 2011 at 4:56AM EST
- I'm with Kathy. I pretty much always watched the credits at least twice. Loved the Chicago flyovers. But the rest of the show made me groan for 41 minutes.
  May 11, 2011 at 9:18AM EST
Human Target and Breaking In have been cancelled? :'(
May 10, 2011 at 10:18PM EST Reply to Comment
The difference between The Chicago Code vs The Shield was that one show had a good group of characters (not actors) while another featured a bland group of characters. But nonetheless, it sucks to see any show with potential get the axe.
May 10, 2011 at 10:20PM EST Reply to Comment
Chrissy Oh, I've been enjoying this. If Americans don't even like cop shows anymore, my whole world is basically askew.
May 10, 2011 at 10:23PM EST Reply to Comment
shmrck14 Totally sucky news...not as heart broken as I was with Terriers, but still disappointed.
May 10, 2011 at 10:24PM EST Reply to Comment
Jiggs i'm a big fan of the Shield. This show sucked in comparison. let's not go overboard with the eulogies.
May 10, 2011 at 10:25PM EST Reply to Comment
- Graham I agree completely. The Shield hooked you in the very first episode, with Vic shooting Terry. CC never had anything like that, and the delivery of many of the lines really bothered me. Bad directing or bad acting? Not sure, but I think Ryan needs to stick to cable. This show seemed so watered down(for the masses).
  May 10, 2011 at 11:41PM EST
Jason Potapoff Annoying but at least it was given a full season unlike so many other network shows that weren't super hits from day 1.

May 10, 2011 at 10:31PM EST Reply to Comment
Matt Z. ...And Tim Minear adds another show to his massive cancellation collection. Poor guy.
May 10, 2011 at 10:31PM EST Reply to Comment
- Chrissy I am 90% sure I had an IM conversation sometime in the early 2000s about a TV version of Preacher that sounded awesome.
  
  I realize it was likely some weird old guy, but it's a special memory. I'm keeping it.
  
  In closing, Tim Minear is awesome.
  May 10, 2011 at 10:53PM EST
- Benjamin Kabak u remember an IM convo from 10 years ago?
  May 11, 2011 at 9:03AM EST
velouria00 I wish I could say I was saddened by this news, but Chicago Code just never really came together.

May 10, 2011 at 10:32PM EST Reply to Comment
- Eldritch True, it hadn't come together yet. But to lose a slot to "Finder," which was just standard crap and so badly done to boot....
  May 10, 2011 at 10:55PM EST
- RP Gotta agree. I started watching this with high hopes but it slowly went to "DVR territory" and then "deleted for space" when the backlog piled up. I don't quite know what it was, but it just felt like a lot of great elements that never really came together to be a great whole.
  May 10, 2011 at 10:56PM EST
downbound Damn, I kinda figured, but hoped that the benevolent television Gods would save The Chicago Code. I'm glad they didn't save the news for next Monday. I guess FOX did that because they didn't want this kind of news overshadowing their new fall schedule. Hopefully, NBC reports soon on Chuck also.
May 10, 2011 at 10:36PM EST Reply to Comment
- Rufus Jones The "benevolent TV gods" don't work at Fox. I can count the number of intelligent, non-procedural dramas they've been patient with on my "naughty bits." If they couldn't give "Lone Star" (which was really good) three episodes, this stew (which had both good points and issues) wasn't going to get re-upped.
  May 11, 2011 at 5:31AM EST
- dead souls Come on Rufus. Lone Star had catastrophically bad ratings. Any broadcast network would've pulled it. The numbers were so bad that Fox literally had no choice.
  May 11, 2011 at 12:16PM EST
cocksucker
May 10, 2011 at 10:39PM EST Reply to Comment
- Jocelyn (Jake) Goddard That sums it up nicely. I loved that show!
  December 21, 2011 at 10:32PM EST
This show would be better off on HBO or TBS anyway
May 10, 2011 at 10:39PM EST Reply to Comment
Kelly Really??? I'm really pissed off!
May 10, 2011 at 10:42PM EST Reply to Comment
kolobok damn it, i watch all 3 "Human Target," "Chicago Code" and "Lie to Me" kill all the reality shows
May 10, 2011 at 10:44PM EST Reply to Comment
Pity."Code" and "Target" both would make excellent - but expensive - cable shows. As "Good Guys" would've as well. Network TV is just not the place for serialized drama, or light-hearted action any more.
May 10, 2011 at 10:54PM EST Reply to Comment
eddie willers The "Bones" tryout of "The Finder" was the most god awful hour I ever spent in front of my television.
May 10, 2011 at 10:56PM EST Reply to Comment
- albatross Yeah, it sucked royally. Every character virtually screamed "LOOK AT ME, I'M QUIRKY!"
  May 12, 2011 at 9:03AM EST
thebgt @@#$%^$###$%#
and I would like to add.. @$^%$%&@#%@#!

May 10, 2011 at 10:59PM EST Reply to Comment
BK FOX WHY?!?!! YOU SUCK, EVERYTHING ABOUT FOX SUCKS...YOU HAD ONE DECENT SHOW AND NOW YOU HAVE NONE...BOOO FOX!!! GEEZ MAN WHY A SPIN OFF OF BONES? THAT SHOW HAD LIKE 30 SEASONS...DAMN YOU FOX! JENNIFER BEAL, I AM SOO SORRY .... MOVE BACK TO SHOWTIME YOU'LL FIND WORK HUN!
May 10, 2011 at 11:01PM EST Reply to Comment
- AGREED
  May 10, 2011 at 11:15PM EST
karn i dont watch the show but ill say this:
1. it was heavily promoted
2. its got a house lead-in
3. the ratings suck

thatll get you canceled, no matter how good or bad the show is. this is what happens in tv. the show got a shot to stick and it didnt happen. on to the next on.
May 10, 2011 at 11:06PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ben You don't watch but yet you comment on here about it anyway? Sure you didn't watch.
  May 11, 2011 at 9:05AM EST
Really unfortunate. Really felt fox was the only net with strong new programming, but the best stuff never quite got its audience, and now is falling by the wayside. Seems like the year will be a black hole as the start of good shows.
May 10, 2011 at 11:09PM EST Reply to Comment
I'm very picky about what I watch. I LIKED THE CHICAGO CODE because it was so different and it gets CANCELED? REALLY? Hopefully it will be snatched up by someone else!
May 10, 2011 at 11:14PM EST Reply to Comment
- Now that I think about it... that was the ONLY show I ever liked on Fox. Maybe you advertised like crazy.... but til people find out via word of mouth... that you actually had a decent one... they WONT watch your station!
  May 10, 2011 at 11:20PM EST
Mariano What the hell... !!!! I just started watching the Chicago Code.. I think it is awesome!!!!
May 10, 2011 at 11:28PM EST Reply to Comment

Next 184 Comments

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All through his childhood, Alan Sepinwall's relatives told his parents, "All that boy does is watch television! How's he going to make a living doing that?" His career as a TV critic has been 15 years and counting of his attempt to answer their concerns. "What's Alan Watching" is a blog whose title is self-explanatory: Alan watches TV shows, then writes about what he watched. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

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Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Exclusive: FOX cancels 'The Chicago Code'

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Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

This sucks

I meant the cancelation sucks, great article Alan!

The Noble Robot "...while also deciding that "Human Target" and 'Breaking In.' Given all the action, and given..."I gather from the context in the article that these shows were canceled, but you forgot to say so. :-)#corrections

TheGba Stupid. They are cancelling this show with potential while developing a spinoff to Bones?

Eldritch I made a point to view that "Bones" episode which introduced "Finder." Crap, that was bad.

agreed! i cant believe Bones is still one the air, much less generating spoinoffs. sucks!

pfeif Network tv is a joke

Zach Szykowny NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gee, I can't wait for the crapfest that will be X Factor. Thanks for nothing, Fox. I hate you.

velocityknown Poor Shawn Ryan. Any chance it finds second life on a cable network like TNT?

Matt C. This sucks. This show was quickly becoming one of my favorites.Plus, it easily had the best credits song on TV.

I would rewind the credits just to hear the song again!

I'm with Kathy. I pretty much always watched the credits at least twice. Loved the Chicago flyovers. But the rest of the show made me groan for 41 minutes.

Human Target and Breaking In have been cancelled? :'(

The difference between The Chicago Code vs The Shield was that one show had a good group of characters (not actors) while another featured a bland group of characters. But nonetheless, it sucks to see any show with potential get the axe.

Chrissy Oh, I've been enjoying this. If Americans don't even like cop shows anymore, my whole world is basically askew.

shmrck14 Totally sucky news...not as heart broken as I was with Terriers, but still disappointed.

Jiggs i'm a big fan of the Shield. This show sucked in comparison. let's not go overboard with the eulogies.

Jason Potapoff Annoying but at least it was given a full season unlike so many other network shows that weren't super hits from day 1.

Matt Z. ...And Tim Minear adds another show to his massive cancellation collection. Poor guy.

Chrissy I am 90% sure I had an IM conversation sometime in the early 2000s about a TV version of Preacher that sounded awesome.I realize it was likely some weird old guy, but it's a special memory. I'm keeping it.In closing, Tim Minear is awesome.

Benjamin Kabak u remember an IM convo from 10 years ago?

velouria00 I wish I could say I was saddened by this news, but Chicago Code just never really came together.

Eldritch True, it hadn't come together yet. But to lose a slot to "Finder," which was just standard crap and so badly done to boot....

RP Gotta agree. I started watching this with high hopes but it slowly went to "DVR territory" and then "deleted for space" when the backlog piled up. I don't quite know what it was, but it just felt like a lot of great elements that never really came together to be a great whole.

dead souls Come on Rufus. Lone Star had catastrophically bad ratings. Any broadcast network would've pulled it. The numbers were so bad that Fox literally had no choice.

cocksucker

Jocelyn (Jake) Goddard That sums it up nicely. I loved that show!

This show would be better off on HBO or TBS anyway

Kelly Really??? I'm really pissed off!

kolobok damn it, i watch all 3 "Human Target," "Chicago Code" and "Lie to Me" kill all the reality shows

Pity."Code" and "Target" both would make excellent - but expensive - cable shows. As "Good Guys" would've as well. Network TV is just not the place for serialized drama, or light-hearted action any more.

eddie willers The "Bones" tryout of "The Finder" was the most god awful hour I ever spent in front of my television.

albatross Yeah, it sucked royally. Every character virtually screamed "LOOK AT ME, I'M QUIRKY!"

thebgt @@#$%^$###$%# and I would like to add.. @$^%$%&@#%@#!

BK FOX WHY?!?!! YOU SUCK, EVERYTHING ABOUT FOX SUCKS...YOU HAD ONE DECENT SHOW AND NOW YOU HAVE NONE...BOOO FOX!!! GEEZ MAN WHY A SPIN OFF OF BONES? THAT SHOW HAD LIKE 30 SEASONS...DAMN YOU FOX! JENNIFER BEAL, I AM SOO SORRY .... MOVE BACK TO SHOWTIME YOU'LL FIND WORK HUN!

AGREED

karn i dont watch the show but ill say this:1. it was heavily promoted2. its got a house lead-in3. the ratings suckthatll get you canceled, no matter how good or bad the show is. this is what happens in tv. the show got a shot to stick and it didnt happen. on to the next on.

Ben You don't watch but yet you comment on here about it anyway? Sure you didn't watch.

Really unfortunate. Really felt fox was the only net with strong new programming, but the best stuff never quite got its audience, and now is falling by the wayside. Seems like the year will be a black hole as the start of good shows.

I'm very picky about what I watch. I LIKED THE CHICAGO CODE because it was so different and it gets CANCELED? REALLY? Hopefully it will be snatched up by someone else!

Now that I think about it... that was the ONLY show I ever liked on Fox. Maybe you advertised like crazy.... but til people find out via word of mouth... that you actually had a decent one... they WONT watch your station!

Mariano What the hell... !!!! I just started watching the Chicago Code.. I think it is awesome!!!!

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The Noble Robot "...while also deciding that "Human Target" and 'Breaking In.' Given all the action, and given..."

I gather from the context in the article that these shows were canceled, but you forgot to say so. :-)

#corrections

Eldritch I made a point to view that "Bones" episode which introduced "Finder."

Crap, that was bad.

Matt C. This sucks. This show was quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Plus, it easily had the best credits song on TV.

Chrissy I am 90% sure I had an IM conversation sometime in the early 2000s about a TV version of Preacher that sounded awesome.

I realize it was likely some weird old guy, but it's a special memory. I'm keeping it.

In closing, Tim Minear is awesome.

thebgt @@#$%^$###$%#
and I would like to add.. @$^%$%&@#%@#!

karn i dont watch the show but ill say this:
1. it was heavily promoted
2. its got a house lead-in
3. the ratings suck

thatll get you canceled, no matter how good or bad the show is. this is what happens in tv. the show got a shot to stick and it didnt happen. on to the next on.