Meh Ratings Place The Chicago Code in Renewal Limbo

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 2, 2011 8:40PM

Delroy Lindo (from left), Jennifer Beals and Jason Clarke star in The Chicago Code. (Photo Credit: Fox Television)

We've been able to look past the sketchy accents, the "Cubs or Sox" cliches, the "Irish Mob," and the fact that 623 E. Jackson would be in Lake Michigan to accept Fox's The Chicago Code for a well-written show that's building in suspense with each episode. More important, despite the cliches and geographic errors mentioned, the tenor of the show is surprisingly local. You get a sense for neighborhoods with the show that don't pander to out-of-towners. The show is doing alright in the ratings, but nothing spectacular. Which puts The Chicago Code on Tv by the Numbers' "watch list," according to the Tribune's Steve Johnson.

Ratings for the show have been up slightly the past couple of weeks, but it's performing at a slightly lower pace than other similar scripted shows on Fox. Another thing that may be hurting the show, a glut of police dramas on network television. What could seal renewal for the show is how it does in the coveted 18-49 viewer demographic. the premiere of the show earned a 2.4 rating in that demo. That rating dropped to 2.0 the following week before bouncing back to 2.1 the past two weeks. TV by the Numbers' Bill Gorman tells Johnson that a 2.4 in that demographic generally guarantees renewal. For now, the show is in that viewer limbo where it isn't tanking in the ratings, but isn't a runaway hit.

Which is a shame. Because the drinking game for the show will get you geeked fast.