From classics like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” to contemporary hits like “The Bear,” the heart of the Midwest has been featured in hundreds of movies and TV shows, and continues to be fertile ground for actors looking to start their careers. Here are some of the greatest TV series and films with Chicago at their heart.
What makes Chicago so attractive to filmmakers? Is it its frigid winters? Its baffling approach to pizza? Its shiny Bean? Most likely, it’s because Chicago feels like a cross section of America. When filmmakers want to tell a story about your everyday American, they often end up in Chicago or its suburbs.
But Chicago doesn’t just have one face. Part of what makes it one of the best cities for actors is its wide range of opportunities. The Windy City is a comedy powerhouse, home to the legendary improv institution Second City. It also boasts gritty TV shows and a thriving live theater scene. All of these elements are unique while also inextricably tied to Chicago.
So to become an actor in Chicago, one must embrace the identity of the city. More often than not, films or shows holding auditions in the city are looking for people who have a piece of Chi-town in them. Similarly, the best films and TV shows shot in Chicago fully incorporate the city not just as a backdrop but as a key element.
How to Become an Actor in Chicago Chicago has a rich history of television, from sitcoms to dramas to procedurals. Like Chicago movies, these are shows that couldn’t happen anywhere other than Chi-town.
1. “Shameless” (2011–2021): This series is much more than Jeremy Allen White’s initial foray into the Chicago TV ecosystem. Paul Abbott’s dark comedy follows a dysfunctional family struggling to get by on the South Side. While there have been plenty of family sitcoms, “Shameless” stands out as a show that highlights how struggles with addiction can affect a family.
2. “Chicago Fire” (2012–): After Dick Wolf made about 300 TV shows based in New York, he turned his attention to the Second City and created the smash hit “Chicago Fire.” It’s got everything you want out of a Wolf procedural as it follows public servants just trying to do their best as the city they love throws them every obstacle it’s got. As with all Wolf shows, its success beget several spinoffs: in this case, “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med.”
3. “The Chi” (2018–): Chicago pride permeates through Lena Waithe’s Showtime series, which focuses on the city’s South Side and provides a cross section of the neighborhood—large in scope but intimate in story. The result is a plethora of characters fans have fallen in love with.
4. “The Bear” (2022–): One of the most popular TV shows today, Christopher Storer’s kitchen dramedy looks at the city’s distinctive cuisine. Sure, each episode is extremely stressful, but doesn’t it also make you want to go on a Windy City food tour? “The Bear” expertly shows us the beauty of Chicago: It’s abrasive and dirty and can be a little hostile, but its community is unlike any other.
A few more popular Chicago TV shows:
- “Punky Brewster” (1984–1988; 2021)
- “ER” (1994–2009)
- “Kenan & Kel” (1996–2000)
- “The League” (2009–2015)
- “Mike and Molly” (2010–2016)
- “Easy” (2016–2019)
- “Power Book IV: Force” (2022–)
There’s no shortage of great Chicago movies. Here are some of the best movies to have filmed in Paris on the Prairie.
1. “The Blues Brothers” (1980, dir. John Landis): Don’t worry, we won’t end this list without mentioning one of the defining Chicago movies. The city has a powerful legacy of blues and R&B, and while “Blues Brothers” kind of makes fun of it, it’s clear that it’s all out of love. We don’t need to sell you on this movie: It’s John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in their most iconic roles.
2. “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986, dir. John Hughes): Remember when we said that filmmakers looking to make a movie about your everyday American often end up in Chicago? Well, Hughes did exactly that with his defining movie on the youth of 1980s America. In this classic, we get a look at Chicago’s suburbs, as well as the Windy City itself, as Ferris (Matthew Broderick) and his friends try to take a bite out of life.
3. “The Untouchables” (1987, dir. Brian De Palma): It’s hard to talk about Chicago’s cinematic output without talking about its famous gangsters. Many a filmmaker has sought to depict Chicago’s criminal underbelly, but few have done it as effectively as De Palma. The legendary director looked at the law enforcement team tasked with taking down Chicago’s most well-known gangster, Al Capone. The result is a thrilling film that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
4. “Candyman” (1992, dir. Bernard Rose): “Candyman” is one of the best and most original horror movies of the 1990s, zagging from the conventional rural or suburban settings seen in so many horrors, then leaning into a city-based shocker. Though based on a Clive Barker short story that takes place in England, Rose makes the movie a stark examination of Chicago and its inequality.
5. “The Dark Knight” (2008, dir. Christopher Nolan): Technically, “The Dark Knight” takes place in Gotham City, but Nolan and his team don’t try to hide the real location of the film. The film’s urban exteriors lean on Chicago’s distinctive features. Here, Chicago is no anonymous backdrop; it is the visual spine of the movie.
6. “Widows” (2018, dir. Steve McQueen): McQueen isn’t from Chicago, but perhaps it takes an outsider to the city to make a movie as insightful and fresh as “Widows.” The thriller is ostensibly about a heist, but it also looks at Chicago’s notorious political system and the people most affected by it. McQueen also shoots the city beautifully, juxtaposing the ugliness that can take place inside it with its grandeur.
We could go all day, but in the interest of time, here are a few more notable Chicago movies:
- “Home Alone” (1990, dir. Chris Columbus)
- “While You Were Sleeping” (1995, dir. Jon Turteltaub)
- “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997, dir. P.J. Hogan)
- “The Road to Perdition” (2002, dir. Sam Mendes)
- “Public Enemies” (2009, dir. Michael Mann)
- “Man of Steel” (2013, dir. Zack Snyder)
- “Chi-Raq” (2015, dir. Spike Lee)
Chicago’s entertainment industry may not be as big as New York City’s or L.A.’s, but it certainly makes up for its size with personality. When you see a great Chicago movie or TV show, you know it was made in the city—and couldn’t have been made anywhere else.
