"Chicago Code" Good for Chicago

According to an recent article in the Chicago Tribune, filming of the new Fox series Chicago Code is good for the city. While it's cool and glamorous to have Hollywood filming movies in the city, the impact isn't always long lasting. Consider the fact that the filming of Transformers 3 took place in the city for approximately two months. While these movie productions pump a lot of money into the local economy, when they're finished shooting, they're gone and so is the revenue.

The cast of Chicago Code on a press junket in Pasadena, CA

TV series filming in Chicago, although smaller in scope, generally employ people for a much longer term. In the Tribune piece, they quote Rich Moskal from the Chicago Film Office about TV series filming in the city. "They're filming almost nine months out of the year. It puts people to work longer. And a series can run multiple seasons." If Chicago Code is a hit, it could be a real jolt to the Chicago economy. The show, which premiers February 7, pumped approximately "$25 million into the local economy."

Chicago Code was one of six other Chicago-based pilots to film in the city, but only two were picked up. The other, Showtime's Shameless, filmed exterior scenes here.

Here's hoping that Chicago Code is a big hit; the jobs, the money spent here, would be welcome, indeed.