Fox’s “Mob Doctor” becomes the fourth television series to film in Chicago this year, with the announcement that the network has picked up the drama for a full 12-episode series, to begin shooting in mid-July.
Produced by Sony TV, directed by Michael Dinner (who directed the pilot called “Dirty Medicine”) and headquartered at Chicago Studio City, “Mob Doctor” will shoot around town simultaneously with “Chicago Fire.”
The two series start a week apart: “Mob Doctor” on July 16 and “Chicago Fire” on July 23, and will shoot through Christmas.
Two TV series that have been working here will end production in summer. Starz’ “Boss” wraps its second season July 11 – and airs Aug. 17 – and MTV’s “Underemployed” ends Aug. 10.
“Mob Doctor” stars Jordana Spiro (“The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard”) as a young female thoracic surgeon with Bridgeport roots, who juggles her professional career and her lifelong debt to the South Chicago mob. Executive producers are story creators Josh Berman and Robert Wright.
Local 476’s Mark Hogan is elated with the surge of Hollywood production, which assures work for union members and actors through the end of the year. “This is excellent, as we’ve worked so hard to sell Chicago for TV series production and we’re finally succeeding,” he says.
The city has endured a long dry spell between Chicago-made television series. Hogan points out that in 1999, one of Chicago’s biggest and best years of Hollywood-Chicago production, the city hosted three pilots, “Early Edition,” “Turks” and “Cupid;” in 2000, “Early Edition” and “What About Joan;” nothing for five years until “Prison Break” in 2005; “The Beast” in 2008, “Chicago Code” in 2010; “Boss” and the two ill-fated episodes of “Playboy” last year.
Michael Dinner was executive producer on “The Beast,” with the late Patrick Swayze, and he returned last year as the executive producer of the sci-fi TV movie “Powers.”
“Boss” and “Chicago Fire” are headquartered at Cinestage studios.
