The Blue Circus won the GOLD MEDAL for Best Original TV Pilot from the Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest 2013.
"This is a superb drama pilot. It takes a close look at Chicago labor and politics. . . The dialogue is great. It sounds authentic. It's tough and often profane but there's a great rhythm to it. This is a very exciting project."
--judge's comment, Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest
To see the JUDGE's COMPLETE COMMENTS on the screenplay, click HERE
___________________________________________________
In its simplest form, THE BLUE CIRCUS is a microcosm of Chicago politics. Instead of portraying the typical politicians and cops in the lead roles, this is an examination of The City that Works, or doesn’t work, through the eyes of its colorful, low-level soldiers, electricians in the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation. Sure politicians, the City Inspector General, reporters, and policemen also appear regularly throughout the season, but the dominant forces that wind this clock are city worker newbie, Danny Lonigan--a disbarred lawyer, and Jimmy “The Hat” Scarpelli--a mob connected worker.
With a mixture of drama and comedy reminiscent of Rescue Me, The Blue Circus is far more than just a peek at a group of colorful malcontents. As the season progresses, civic workers at every level are forced to examine the truths about what they have created and the culture of entitlement that they allow to exist. The City of Chicago itself becomes a character of sorts as its workers weave about its various neighborhoods. The streets, the delis, the pubs, the people that form Chicago bring about the action in each episode. The Lonigan family and the strange way it functions is also always at the forefront.
"This is a superb drama pilot. It takes a close look at Chicago labor and politics. . . The dialogue is great. It sounds authentic. It's tough and often profane but there's a great rhythm to it. This is a very exciting project."
--judge's comment, Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest
To see the JUDGE's COMPLETE COMMENTS on the screenplay, click HERE
___________________________________________________
In its simplest form, THE BLUE CIRCUS is a microcosm of Chicago politics. Instead of portraying the typical politicians and cops in the lead roles, this is an examination of The City that Works, or doesn’t work, through the eyes of its colorful, low-level soldiers, electricians in the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation. Sure politicians, the City Inspector General, reporters, and policemen also appear regularly throughout the season, but the dominant forces that wind this clock are city worker newbie, Danny Lonigan--a disbarred lawyer, and Jimmy “The Hat” Scarpelli--a mob connected worker.
With a mixture of drama and comedy reminiscent of Rescue Me, The Blue Circus is far more than just a peek at a group of colorful malcontents. As the season progresses, civic workers at every level are forced to examine the truths about what they have created and the culture of entitlement that they allow to exist. The City of Chicago itself becomes a character of sorts as its workers weave about its various neighborhoods. The streets, the delis, the pubs, the people that form Chicago bring about the action in each episode. The Lonigan family and the strange way it functions is also always at the forefront.
