GOSH, I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY FOX GREENLIGHTED THIS SHOW

Ad I pulled off a political site today:

OK, I see from the site for the show that it's from some of the people responsible for shows such as The Shield and Big Love. And it does star Jennifer Beals, fresh off The L Word. So it probably had a good chance of getting on the air no matter what.

But, um, what are the most prominent parts of this ad, and of the title banner on the site? Why, a black guy described as "corrupt," right near the word "Chicago." Now, why would a Rupert Murdoch media property find this appealing? Gee, let me think....

Will it surprise you if I say that, according to the site, the corrupt guy (played by Delroy Lindo) is a politician? Yes, just an alderman (and an ex-businessman) -- we don't want to be too obvious about this, do we? -- but still, a sleazy pol from Chitown with extra melanin. For Fox fans, what on earth could that possibly bring to mind?

Another curious fact is that the show used to be called The Ride-Along -- in fact, a preview for the show went up on YouTube last spring under that title:



But Fox -- for reasons one can only guess at -- thought The Chicago Code was a better title. (You don't suppose it's believed that anyone anywhere else in the Fox media empire might someday use the phrase "the Chicago Code" in other contexts, do you?)

Here's a more recent preview:



Curious -- it's a shorter promo than the earlier one, but the corrupt black pol shows up in more scenes. What are the odds?

And yet in the show he still seems like a minor character. You wouldn't know that from the Fox ad above, though. Can't wait to see how the actual story develops.

But I'm guessing one thing: this show will be renewed, and will stay on the air at least through, oh, late fall 2012.