The Chicago Code
FOX | Release Date: February 7, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
People WeeklyTom GliattoFeb 1, 2011
Season 1 Review: As police superintendent Teresa Colvin, Jennifer Beals gives a revelatory, no-nonsense performance that should make Tom Selleck's mustache bristle with envy....This should be lots of fun. [7 Feb 2011, p.39]
90
Zap2it (Inside the Box)Rick PorterFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's extremely well cast, uses its Windy City locations beautifully and has an energy that grabs you pretty much from the first scene. Monday nights are really, really crowded, but you need to make room for this show. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesPaige WiserFeb 3, 2011
Season 1 Review: The action is fast, and I was pleased to find that scenes play out unpredictably. I do look forward to less explaining, though, and more insights. Read full review
80
Washington PostHank StueverFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: The show is point-blank, but somewhat brilliantly so. Read full review
80
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: The show is an intelligent addition to the Fox lineup, with both the broad canvas of "The Wire" and the street procedural of "NYPD Blue" in its DNA. Read full review
80
HitfixAlan SepinwallFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: This is a very smart, well-produced, great-looking cop show, one that does familiar things but does them in interesting ways. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: Throw in Wysocki's rookie niece, some intra-force rivalry, those great Chicago locations and a Polish sausage or two, and you have a show that breaks the network code, and that alone is worth watching. Read full review
80
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GrayFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: What Code is is a show that's not afraid to be just a little bigger than life, if only to guarantee that after a long day in the real world, those of us who like our TV cops at least as interesting as our TV criminals will want to come along for the ride. Read full review
80
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: Smart and well-acted with clearly defined heroes and villains--all painted in varying shades of gray--this Chicago-set show feels familiar and new at the same time. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: Tension runs high throughout this densely layered story, which is well worth your time. Hope all the Super Bowl exposure pays off for this one. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: This cop series immediately delivers intense, richly interwoven drama that sets it apart both from other recent new shows and from well-established standard police "procedurals." Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanFeb 3, 2011
Season 1 Review: Code is not a game-changer in a genre that likely won't be changed again for some time, but judging by the first three episodes it's already gripping television and Fox has found a competitive new drama. Read full review
75
USA TodayRobert BiancoFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's a complex story, which may be why Ryan relies in part on an intrusive monologue-narration device to guide us. Still, the intrusions only momentarily interrupt the fast-moving plot, which twists agreeably without losing sight of its moral ambiguities. Read full review
75
New York PostLinda StasiFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: The locales are great, the plots are interesting and the acting for the most part is good--although they should have cast actors who don't look like lingerie models. Read full review
75
Uncle BarkyEd BarkFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: What we have so far is a sturdy cops/crooks/corruption series that falls short of The Shield but is certainly capable of someday earning its own stripes. Read full review
75
NewsdayVerne GayFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: Monday's pilot can't quite close the sale, but there's promise here. The Chicago Code deserves another look. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyKen TuckerJan 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: The Chicago Code provides superior cop drama thanks to its cast--starting with Brotherhood's Jason Clarke and Friday Night Lights' Matt Lauria as tough street police--and its creator (Shawn Ryan, who gave us The Shield). Read full review
70
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan StormFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: It may not be The Shield (what is?), and it isn't up to the standard of TV's other corruption-in-Chicago show, The Good Wife, currently the best drama on network TV. But after you get by the initial S.O.S. of the first episode, The Chicago Code may be better than the other police commissioner show, and at least as worthy to add to your weekly TV appointment lineup. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGinia BellafanteFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: Bribes, kickbacks, suspiciously well-compensated construction companies, organized-crime alliances--this is the stockpot in which the series stirs its wooden spoon. For the most part the flavors blend well. Read full review
70
TimeJames PoniewozikFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: It has some voice and verve, but it's definitely no Shield yet--either in content or innovation--and like a new rookie on patrol, I'm putting it on probationary status for now. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian LowryFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: [Jason Clarke's Jarek Wysocki's] a rich, unpredictable character, and easily the best thing Code has going for it--like the show, just messy enough to be interesting. Read full review
70
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanFeb 3, 2011
Season 1 Review: The new cop drama The Chicago Code resembles its lead characters: It's focused, determined and ambitious--and sometimes it tries to do too much. Still, the handsome Code succeeds far more often than it strikes out. Read full review
60
PopMattersChris ConatonFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: The Chicago Code appears to be aiming for a heady mix of action and political drama, and it mostly works. But it also takes itself very seriously, offering precious little levity to ease tensions. Read full review
50
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardFeb 7, 2011
Season 1 Review: Every character has a voice-over, info dumps for back story that are either irksome or unnecessary. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandFeb 4, 2011
Season 1 Review: The Chicago Code may stick to police-procedural formula, but it does have most of the elements needed to make the show at least a moderate success. With better writing and a bit more imagination, it could do even better. Read full review
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