Last week, I brought you the exploits of devoted fans of FOX's The Chicago Code. This week, the report continues.
It's been nearly two weeks since The Chicago Code was axed,and as the initial furor has died down, some of the less fervent fanshave moved on. Yet the die-hard fans are as dedicated as ever, perhapseven moreso because they know tonight will be the lowest we always see ofthis series unless we proceed to campaign for more.
For some, this is a near full-time campaign, and being dedicated tosomething so completely isn't without focus and strain. The day after Iwrote my first article, I received a Facebook message from one of themost important people involved in the fan effort. She'd been moved totears all morning, she said, because she disturbed that she wasn't doingenough.
It struck me as a mind-bendingly touching moment.
This is so much more than a TV show, I thought to myself, if it can affect someone this profoundly.
Thatfeeling is reflected throughout the fanbase. Everyone has their eyesturned to this engagement with the opinion that something big is about tohappen. Not only inside the point itself - which promises a fantasticshowdown between our beloved hero Jarek Wysocki (Jason Clarke) and theman who may have killed his brother - but amongst the community aroundit. We all experience that unless a miracle happens, this will be the lastMonday night we'll all assemble in this way. There's a palpable sadnessout there; I fully expect that I'll drop a few tears as the creditscrawl, not just for the record but for everything it brought into my life.
Asmuch as I know the show, I guess that's the more crucial part. Thereare other TV shows that are great series, but how many take this kind ofsocial and emotional impact? Especially on airwaves increasinglydominated by cheaper or more palatable alternatives?
The movement got a boost this week when Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich wrote a bit around the fan effort.There's a 'but' coming here, though; with all due regard to Ms.Schmich, I found myself bothered by her omission of about of the biggestplayers in the picture. The column mentions one Facebook page andreferences the world of others, but there's no recognition for the Work The Chicago Code Back Facebook site, the campaign's major hub, which has over 4,700 "likes" as of the time I'm typing this. Or the Chicago Code Fans Facebook page and corresponding Twitter, which represent the show's most active fan resource. Or - and I say this a bit selfishly - my own ChicagoCodeFan.com website, the just one in existence. I found myself disappointed,because I love the people behind all those entities personally, and Iknow only how much they've contributed not just now, but through theentire season. Allow me to suffer in for Ms. Schmich and recognize theirincredible efforts - without the people behind these pages, we wouldn'teven be having this discussion.
What's more bothering is the unintentional consequence: the Tribune column is the one of the many written that was picked up by severalother news outlets, which then used its incomplete information to drawtheir own conclusions. Take, for example, this blatantly negative column from the UK's Globe and Mail,which relies on Schmich's article for its statistics, citing the fewhundred followers of one of the smaller Facebook efforts and includingthe line, "Good fortune with that." Reading the piece, I could almost hearthe sarcasm dripping off the words. If that writer only knew how manymore of us are out here. It's not a massive army, certainly, but thereare many more than were given voice by that one example.
And thereare some classy people out there. If you're wondering why I didn't namenames above, it's because the people behind those major pagesspecifically asked me not to, telling me that they'd rather theattention went to the pages themselves, and not the individuals who runthem. One of the many things I care about being involved with this groupof people is how they keep everything in perspective, and don't letthings get out of control.
I've seen a few wayward fans out therethis week, though, and I wish to carry some time out to handle some ofthe things I've seen from them. I can say from experience how the badbehavior of a person or a few people can reflect negatively on the wholegroup, and I sure don't need to see that happen here. For example,I saw one of the Facebook pages had posted a connection to my article about Matt Lauria's new Burn Notice role,adding a notice telling Matt not to "make up." In my opinion, that'sjust misguided and a bit of a jab at an actor who's been nothing butgracious with Chicago Code fans. In no way has Matt ever givenup on the show; the fans get to think that his guest spot on the USAseries was likely in the deeds before Chicago Code wascancelled, and even if it wasn't, I don't think we'd expect him to situnemployed while we try to keep the show. We get to be realistic aboutthe situation not only for ourselves, but for everyone involved.
Someof the fans are a slight over-enthusiastic (as someone else said,expecting the Mayor of Michigan to measure in on the show's behalf is a bitmuch), but as farsighted as they remain sensible and respectful, I can't helpbut smile. I would instead be in a board with those people than people whodidn't care enough. As a screenwriter myself, the thought that any show -not only this one but any of them - can be out there that can makepeople passionate about something is pretty fabulous.
And then, yesterday, those people got a gleam of hope: Shawn Ryan tweeted that we should try Netflix for a season two.Is there maybe a rescuer on the horizon? If aught else, it gives thefans a valuable part of information - someone other than FOX they candirect their efforts toward, instead of wondering who will step forward.With that in hand, it's up to the fans to work twice as strong at savingthis show.
What can you do? Most importantly, watchtonight's season finale live at 9 PM ET/PT on FOX. One of the biggestweapons fans have right now is that ratings have gone up over the lasttwo weeks, and we need to preserve that trend. Beyond that, you can begin with this handy how-to-help guide at Examiner,where I've collected all the data you want in one place. Onceyou've done that, the balance is up to you.just keep active, and keeppositive!
One final note: while I appreciate all the comments leftto this and other articles I've written on the subject, as well asChicagoCodeFan.com, I've gotten an increasing amount of them asking menot to scratch the show, or other things that clearly need to be heard byFOX, not me. Please remember that I am not connected with FOX in any way. Ifyou have things like that to say, direct them to the network (contactinformation can be base in the guide linked above); that's the only wayto ensure they get to the correct audience.
One thing's for certain: the fans of The Chicago Code aren't going quietly, and I know you all for it.
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