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Miniseries – City So Real

Play trailer Poster for Miniseries – City So Real Oct 2020 Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Featuring the city of Chicago, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election, and the tumultuous 2020 summer of COVID-19 and social upheaval following the police killing of George Floyd.
City So Real — Miniseries

What to Know

Critics Consensus

An epic portrait of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of a diverse and divided community, City So Real's even handed, empathetic storytelling exposes the complex structural issues facing the people of Chicago today without ever feeling like work.

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Critics Reviews

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Caroline Framke Variety 11/17/2020
In showing them as they are, instead of the nefarious agents of mass deception that the president would have us believe, "City So Real" ends up performing a quietly radical act of service. Go to Full Review
Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times 11/09/2020
Like all the best documentaries, it leaves with you as many questions as answers and a healthy inkling that every person represents a pair of shoes in which you haven't walked. Go to Full Review
Linda Holmes NPR 11/04/2020
City So Real arrives with the message that no matter what happens in any one election, it's going to take a lot more than that one election to determine the future. Go to Full Review
Derick Gomez PopMatters 01/29/2021
One of the crowning achievements... is that it shows that the fight for racial justice became adopted by people of all identities thanks to the tireless work of organizers that keeps the lives of those murdered by the police from being forgotten. Go to Full Review
Akhil Arora Gadgets360 12/16/2020
During its five hours, [Steve] James paints a portrait of Chicago that is as wide-sweeping as the five seasons of The Wire. Go to Full Review
Aaron Hunt Hyperallergic 11/17/2020
James might have explored the travails of Chicago with more substance if he had not tried to keep City So Real so safe. Go to Full Review
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City So Real — Miniseries

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 29, 2020 Welcome to Chicago Incumbent Rahm Emanuel must choose whether to run for reelection in Chicago's mayoral race. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 29, 2020 Blood Sport With Rahm Emanuel out of the race, 21 mayoral candidates submit petitions to replace him. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 29, 2020 With All Due Respect to the Candidate The petition process results in a mayoral ballot with a record 14 candidates. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 29, 2020 If You Want to Break the Machine No clear front-runner emerges in the mayoral race; over a dozen candidates jockey for votes. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 29, 2020 You Gotta Make It or You Gotta Take It The mayor and Chicago residents grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread social upheaval. Details
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Season Info

Director
Steve James
Executive Producer
Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder
Network
National Geographic
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date
Oct 29, 2020