Chicago has been good to NBC. The Windy City has been the home for the aptly titled One Chicago franchise, which has been among the most successful and consistent brands in network tv for the past decade.
Now, it seems, NBC is looking to add to its Chicago roster. Screen Magazine announced that the network is developing a drama titled The Santos of Chicago, with a tentative production start date of 2023.
Is there a new One Chicago show?
The Santos of Chicago will follow the lives of six Afro-Latinx siblings who live in, you guessed it, Chicago. The two eldest siblings decide to mount insurgent run for Congress, and the outlet cites John and Bobby Kennedy as primary influences on them. The rest of the family will contend with their own issues pertaining to relationships and their careers.
The family is inspired by that of Jorge A. Reyes, one of the show’s three developers. Some of the shows that it has been compared to thus far include the family dramas This Is Us and Brothers and Sisters, and the political drama The West Wing.
Other developers on the show include Ben Silverman, who worked on The Office, and Pharrell Williams, a beloved musician who was nominated for Academy Award for his song “Happy” in 2015.
The Santos of Chicago will undoubtedly draw comparisons to the One Chicago franchise the more it gains traction, as they will share a network and a similarly grounded perspective on their titular city. It’s unclear, at this stage, however, whether The Santos of Chicago will be set in the same universe or share any overlapping characters.
The focus of The Santos of Chicago is going to be less procedural based. Still, it will be interesting to see how NBC uses the attention from their established franchise to bolster the new show and whether the network will decide to amplify their similarities. We can’t wait to find out!