CNN’s new real-life drama, non-fiction series ‘Chicagoland” premieres March 6 on the network. The series will explore where politics and policy meet real people’s lives – in a city generating change and innovation in social policy, education, and public safety on the local level – to meet national and local challenges.
Episodes air Thursdays at 10:00p.m. ET beginning March 6th. Narrated by Chicago Sun-Times journalist Mark Konkol, the series will showcase the Windy City’s neighborhoods, City Hall, and the characters that dwell in them.
The series explores Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s complex negotiations with the Chicago Public Schools, as he embarks on an historic schools consolidation plan in order to invest resources in modernizing the city. Also featured will be Fenger High School principal Elizabeth Dozier as she mentors her students and attempts to guide them towards making good life choices. Police superintendent Garry McCarthy works to keep the peace as the school districts are reshaped, and drills his officers in community policing to address a wave of violence that has captivated national headlines and threatens to rob the city of some of its most promising youth.
Among Chicago’s citizens, the series introduces viewers to up and coming performer Chance the Rapper, entrepreneur Billy Dec, acclaimed chef/restaurateur Grant Achatz, child schools activist Asean Johnson, and Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis. Chicago Symphony Orchestra maestro Riccardo Muti, investment executive Mellody Hobson, the rapper Common, former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and NBA stars Dwayne Wade and Isaiah Thomas offer their unforgettable perspectives on their beloved Chicago.
