By Ethan Anderton/Aug. 23, 2016 12:00 pm EST
The core concept of The Departed, which was a remake of the Hong Kong crime drama Infernal Affairs, was a detective going undercover to incriminate a crime ring, all while the police department was already being infiltrated by someone with ties to the criminals. That same concept will be used for the show, but it won’t be set in Boston, and it won’t be about bringing down a section of the Irish mob.
Instead, Deadline reports The Departed TV series will bring the action to present-day Chicago, set in the middle of the conflict of some ethnic drug gangs who are at war with each other. The police department sends in a young cop to go undercover in a ruthless Latino gang while the gang itself has a man they’ve placed in the police department. And just like the movie, the two are trying to do their jobs without blowing their covers while also trying to expose each other.
It’s probably for the best that the show isn’t trying to remake the movie in the same setting with the same roster of characters. It would always be compared to the movie, and it’s a story we’ve already seen play out in that fashion. But by changing the setting up a little bit and bringing in some new characters, there’s a chance this could be a compelling series. Plus, as someone who loved The Chicago Code and was sad to see it get canceled after just one season back in 2011, I’m happy to see The Departed utilizing the corrupt world of The Windy City.
