tvrealm challenge redux...create a show
For the Challenge Redux we had to choose an older challenge to complete a second time. I decided to create another show. A huge shout out to the other members of Team Chiller who encouraged me to keep going when I was stuck and helped me with some great ideas. <3 you guys!
Strange Bedfellows
Sam Waterston stars as John Stewart, the new governor of the state of Illinois. Elected on a reform platform after the state’s last two governors went to prison, John has the courage of his convictions and has promised to clean up the state on behalf of its citizens. Unfortunately, the new mayor of Chicago, the former chief of staff for the current President of the United States, wants to keep the political climate exactly as is…and he will stop at nothing to hold on to his power. John’s wife, Abigail, is a loyal politician’s wife…but she does have a few secrets in her own closet. What exactly is her relationship with the new mayor of Chicago?
Illinois Governor John Stewart (Sam Waterston)...tough, fair, honest. He's trying to do the impossible and fighting some very powerful people...and making very powerful enemies.
John's wife, Abigail Stewart (Kathy Baker), is an expert at living the life of a politician's wife. She knows how to keep a smile on her face no matter the circumstances...when in public. Behind closed doors, she doesn't hesitate to speak her mind.
Chicago Mayor David Elkin (Oded Fehr), former chief of staff to the current President of the United States. He knows what it takes to get things done...and his temper is legendary if you cross him.
Alderman Ronald Green (Andre Braugher) runs his ward like a benevolent dictatorship. Scratch his back and he'll...let you. He's played the game long enough not to get caught.
Max Conforti (Josh Duhamel) officially is the assistant to the mayor of Chicago. Unofficially he's the mayor's "fixer"...whatever (or whomever) the mayor wants done, Max gets it done.
Politics in the state of Illinois are ugly. One of the most corrupt states in the nation, Illinois is run by what some call the Combine - powerful Republican and Democratic politicians who unite to get rich and gain more power. The losers are the citizens of Illinois.
Here’s the situation Governor John Stewart is stepping into: The prior two governors each went to prison, and the new mayor of Chicago is the President’s former chief-of-staff. Chicago is its own island of corruption in the sea of Illinois, and now that the mayor has a close ally in the President, Stewart is facing the fight of his life to clean up the state.
Much of the action takes place in Chicago even though the state capital is located in Springfield, about 3-1/2 hours to the south. The upcoming G8 summit in Chicago is causing headaches for the mayor and governor. Mayor Elkin is taking a hard line against possible protests, passing city ordinances severely restricting the ability of people to assemble and march. Political contracts for services provided during the summit are being bought and sold, and Governor Stewart finds himself being muscled out of the picture.
Scandals are erupting at the public universities, drawing Stewart’s attention. Fraud involving financial aid and state grants given to the children of several state legislators is discovered. Rumors of Stewart’s niece receiving one of the grants are leaked to the media, and while Stewart knows his hands are clean, he’s not sure if his wife is equally innocent. Stewart suspects Mayor Elkin’s assistant - his “fixer” - was involved in the media leaks.
Another player in Chicago politics is Alderman Ronald Green. Ald. Green has been the target of several corruption probes by the federal government, but he always comes through unscathed. He has his own staff of fixers and spies, helping him avoid the stench of dirty deals. Green has the support of the people of his ward because he always comes through for them. During the infamous Chicago blizzards, the streets of his ward are plowed first. In the summer heatwaves, Green’s people are knocking on doors, delivering water and chauffeuring elderly residents to cooling centers around the city. Green is a baseball fan, attending many Cubs games at Wrigley Field. Sitting outside in the noisy crowd is the perfect place to make deals without being taped.
The Chicago mob - the Outfit - is still active in the state, its fingers in everything from trucking and construction to pensions and riverboat gambling. A reformer like Stewart is a threat to their livelihood, and it’s possible that they are behind some death threats Stewart has received.
The season finale takes place at a gala event held at the Field Museum of Natural History, home to Sue the T-Rex. Gov. Stewart and his wife are in attendance, as is Mayor Elkin, Ald. Green, and mayoral assistant Max Conforti. Look beyond the smiles, the glittering gowns and sharp tuxes, the champagne, and the local jazz orchestra playing softly in the background, and you’ll see the ugliness of politics. A gunshot cracks through the genteel atmosphere and someone falls against the marble base surrounding the enormous T-Rex skeleton….
Strange Bedfellows will be back with new episodes in the summer.