The Chicago franchise remains strong. For proof, look no further than the fact that NBC has announced that it will be renewing Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med, which make for one of the most potent programming blocks that can be found on the TV screen. With that said, there is no reason that the Chicago franchise had to have happened in its chosen setting, not least because there are a lot of other U.S. cities that possess potential in this regard. Here are five examples:
1. Houston
Houston isn’t the first name that comes to mind when one thinks about cities showing up on the TV screen. However, it has a number of characteristics to recommend it. For example, it is home to a wide range of people, a wide range of businesses, and a wide range of institutions, thus making it a very colorful landscape for stories to be situated in. Likewise, it is interesting to note that Houston boasts one of the biggest concentrations of medical institutions that can be found in the entire world, thus making it a most excellent choice for stories featuring medical professionals. On top of this, it should be remembered that Houston can claim a pretty distinctive character as well, which is something that could contribute much to any show set within it.
2. Los Angeles
Considering the media companies that call Los Angeles home, it is perhaps unsurprising that it would be such a popular place for TV shows to situate themselves. With that said, while there are very practical production benefits because of this, it is important to note that the city boasts other upsides as well. For instance, Los Angeles is a dynamic city with a very dramatic landscape, thus making it an excellent backdrop for the kind of stories featured in these shows.
3. New York City
Of course, New York City is another great example of a city that shows up a lot on the TV screen. As such, New York City’s institutions are better-known to the general public than what can be expected of their counterparts in other cities, which is something that has both upsides and downsides. On the one hand, this means a huge amount of familiarity right from the start, which could be very useful for getting a New York City-based show off of the ground. On the other hand, this means that any such show is always going to draw comparisons with its counterparts set in th same city, which could stir up a lot of competition and comparisons.
4. Philadelphia
Like the other cities included on this list, Philadelphia has a number of characteristics that would enable it to stand out from its counterparts. First, it is home to a huge chunk of U.S. history, as shown by the fact that it is the first U.S. city to be counted among the Organization of World Heritage Cities. As such, Philadelphia has a very distinctive feel that can’t be found in a lot of other places in the country. Second, Philadelphia is curious in that it boasts more murals, sculptures, and other examples of outdoor art than anywhere else in the United States, which is another factor that could contribute much to its distinctive feel. Third, the city is both familiar and not too familiar, which could enable a show to make its presentation the most iconic presentation under the right circumstances.
5. Phoenix
Phoenix can be counted among the greatest cities in the United States as well. In its case, it is the center of the so-called Valley of the Sun, which is a metropolitan area that boasts an unusual but not unpleasant series of settings. Moreover, Phoenix’s economy is notable in that it specializes in both manufacturing and tourism, the latter of which could give any show set in the city a natural focus point that hasn’t seen a great deal of use elsewhere. Something that could be very important for enabling such a show to differentiate itself from all of its counterparts, thus boosting its chances of securing the kind of fan base needed to sustain it for the long run.
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