Fondly known as the Windy City, Chicago is a cool and vibrant city that has been the setting for many prominent and acclaimed television shows. Home to more than 2.7 million people, the highly-buzzed about metropolis is a hotspot for finance, culture, industry, commerce, and more, so it comes as no surprise that the entertainment industry has capitalized on the lucrative appeal of the city. While places like New York City and Los Angeles are popular backdrops for countless TV series, more and more shows are choosing Chicago as the locale for their new and exciting programs.
Update July 27, 2023: This list has been updated with even more great series set in Chicago, including one recently nominated for an Emmy.
From renowned medical drama series like ER and Chicago Med to entertaining ’90s family sitcoms like Family Matters and Married…with Children, Chicago has been the home to a slew of fan-favorite and critically-lauded programs with enduring legacies. Respected television producer Dick Wolf has created a successful franchise based around the Illinois urban area, with Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med garnering a passionate fan following. These are some of the best TV shows set in Chicago.
12 Shameless
An adaptation of the British series of the same name, the heavily lauded Showtime dramedy Shameless is set on the South Side of Chicago and depicts the dysfunctional yet fiercely protective Gallagher clan, a poor yet scrappy family consisting of six vastly different children and their drunk patriarch Frank.
The producers of the emotionally driven program set out to distinguish itself from other American working-class shows, opting to put Frank’s struggles with his drug and alcohol addictions front and center and depicting the profound effect it has on his loved ones. When discussing the overall concept of Shameless, creator Paul Abbott expressed to The New York Times, “It’s not My Name is Earl or Roseanne. It’s got a much graver level of poverty attached to it. It’s not blue collar, it’s no collar.”
11 The Good Wife
Julianna Margulies headlined the popular legal and political drama series The Good Wife, delivering a commanding performance as Alicia Florrick, the wife of the disgraced Cook County State’s Attorney that decides to return to work as a junior litigator to provide for her children after her husband’s high-profile public scandal. Writers Michelle and Robert King drew inspiration for the show after observing prominent American sex scandals, such as those involving John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer and former President Bill Clinton, with Robert believing the image of the stoic wife standing silently beside her husband becoming a cliché in the media. The Good Wife went on to become lauded for its outstanding performances and subject matter, and spawned the successful spin-off The Good Fight.
10 Family Matters
Centering on the lives of Chicago middle-class African-American family the Winslows, the smash hit ‘90s sitcom Family Matters served as a spin-off from the show Perfect Strangers and follows the family’s everyday interactions and experiences, especially with their annoying next-door-neighbor Steve Urkel. Despite initially set to appear as a one-time role, Jaleel White’s Urkel became a breakout character on the program and remained with the main cast for the duration of the series. Family Matters became the second-longest-running live action U.S. sitcom with a largely African-American cast, and also was the last live-action scripted primetime show that debuted in the 1980s to leave the air.
9 Boss
The 2011 Political drama Boss only aired for two seasons but was able to capture the heart of its audience with its unique plot. Starring Kelsey Grammer in the main role of Tom Kane, the mayor of Chicago, the drama tells us the story of what happens when he is diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a neurological disease, but hides it from everyone. This series is filled with political moves, power struggles, and a man’s last ditched effort to hold on to power and hide his condition from the world. Even though the show was not picked up after two seasons, it is one of the best shows based in Chicago.
8 ER
The widely influential and critically-acclaimed medical drama ER centers on the lives of the doctors, nurses, and staff at the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, chronicling the efforts of the physicians and the life and death prevalent in the emergency room. The show aired for 15 seasons and spawned a whopping 331 episodes, ultimately becoming the second longest-running primetime medical drama behind Grey’s Anatomy and winning 23 Primetime Emmy Awards during its successful run. ER famously helped launch the career of George Clooney, with the Hollywood superstar departing the series in 1999 to pursue a film career full time after five seasons; he would return for a cameo appearance in the sixth season in addition to a guest spot in its final season in 2009.
7 Married…with Children
Following the amusing exploits of misanthropist shoe salesman Al Bundy and his lazy, red-headed wife Peggy and two misfit teenage kids, the ‘90s sitcom classic Married…with Children helped put the then-new startup network Fox on the map and established it as a worthy adversary to the “Big Three” networks (NBC, CBS, ABC).
Despite never delivering huge ratings, the raunchy and boundary-defying series garnered a passionate fanbase and enduring legacy while making its lead stars like Ed O’Neil, Katey Sagal, and Christina Applegate household names. Married…with Children ran for 11 seasons and is one of the longest-running television sitcoms in history, ranking on Entertainment Weekly’s “New TV Classics” list; an animated revival of the sitcom is currently in development.
6 The Dresden Files
Based on a famous fantasy book series by Jim Butcher of the same name, The Dresden Files made its way into the list as a supernatural slash private detective tv series based in Chicago. The series follows the various adventures of the supernatural detective and wizard named Harry Dresden, after whom the book and television series are named. Even though it has pretty great IMDB ratings, the series was unfortunately not picked up for a second season. But if you are a fan of the book series or into urban fantasy and occult detective series, then you can watch this show. The show first premiered in 2007 and has since been released on DVD.
5 The League
The entertaining and semi-improvised sitcom The League touts an impressive cast of comedic performers like Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, and Mark Durpluss and chronicles the lives of a close-knit group of life-long friends as they passionately participate in a fantasy football league; the six members will stop at nothing to come out on top in the highly-competitive virtual game, with hilarious hijinks naturally ensuing. During the show’s seven-season run, many popular actors made guest appearances, including Seth Rogen, Brie Larson, and Jeff Goldblum, while countless NFL greats such as Terry Bradshaw and Deion Sanders also served as guest stars on the football-centric sitcom.
4 The Bear
With its second season recently released on Hulu, The Bear has become one of the best shows based in Chicago. It’s a comedy-drama series that follows the life of fine dining chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, who has to take charge of his late brother’s failing restaurant in Chicago after his death. The hilarious escapades are fun to watch, and all the restaurant employees, with their different personalities, have amazing chemistry with each other and the main character. We are all eagerly waiting for the next season of the show to air. If you like fast-paced comedy shows, then you need to watch The Bear.
3 Good Times
The adored 1970s series Good Times was television’s first African-American two-parent sitcom, showcasing the achievements and struggles of Florida and James Evans and their three children in a public housing project in inner-city Chicago. Jimmie Walker was a scene-stealer with his hilarious role of James “J.J.” Evans Jr., bringing big laughs to audiences everywhere while charismatically delivering his famous catchphrase “Dynomite!” During the sitcom’s run, three of the top-ten highest-rated programs on American TV focused on the Black experience: Good Times, Sanford and Sons, and The Jeffersons; in 2006, the endearing comedy was the recipient of the Impact Award at the TV Land Awards.
2 The Bob Newhart Show
Starring the exceptional titular comedian, the amusing 1970s sitcom The Bob Newhart Show features the charming performer appearing as Chicago psychologist Dr. Robert Hartley, depicting his everyday life and amusing shenanigans both at work and at home. The series launched at the same time as fellow television heavy hitters Sanford & Son, M*A*S*H, Maude, and The Waltons, yet despite such stiff competition, The Bob Newhart Show was an immediate hit and helped further cement the comedian’s status as a top-notch on-screen presence. In 2004, Chicago and TV Land commemorated the program with a statue of Newhart’s character Dr. Hartley, placing the sculpture in a park near Chicago’s Navy Pier entertainment complex.
1 Chicago Fire/P.D./Med
Produced by Wolf Entertainment, the Chicago media franchise chronicles the different public services in the Windy City, first launching back in 2012 with Chicago Fire, followed by Chicago P.D. in 2014 and Chicago Med in 2015. The popular and enduring television shows follow the courageous men and women in Chicago’s Fire Department, Police Department, and emergency room at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, with the bar Molly’s serving as a unifying theme amongst the thrilling programs. Renowned television producer and co-creator Dick Wolf wanted to bring a sense of unity amongst the franchise, opting to have many episodes end at Molly’s because “it’s a great note on the end of every show that connects all the shows.”
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
