Is 61st Street Based On A True Story? What's Real?
Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for 61st Street.
61st Street, AMC's legal drama that revolves around Chicago's notoriously corrupt criminal justice system, tackles uncomfortable truths about society—but is it based on a true story? The short answer is no, 61st Street isn't based on a single true story or account of real events. The legal drama is entirely fictional. That said, similar to other legal and crime dramas like The Wire, Law & Order, and The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, 61st Street tells a story that's rooted in grim social realities.
61st Street's plot revolves around the fate of Moses Johnson, a teenager who's headed to college on a scholarship. Moses finds himself at the wrong place and at the wrong time when he and his brother Joshua inadvertently get involved in a drug bust gone wrong, which results in the death of police officer Michael Rossi. Franklin Roberts, a public attorney at Chicago's Cook County court, finds out about Moses' case. Unable to bear the thought of yet another young man getting eaten alive by Chicago's criminal justice system, Roberts decides to represent Moses in court.
Related: Is The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey Based On A True Story?
61st Street may not be based on a single true story, but its plot hits very close to home for the Black communities in the city of Chicago. Unlike the popular police procedural series Chicago P.D., which focuses on the virtues of the city's police department, 61st Street is a head-first dive into the systemic injustice, racism, police brutality, and gang culture that pervades the city in present times. This can be observed in how 61st Street main antagonist Lieutenant Brannigan, who proudly displays a Blue Lives Matter flag in his office, also
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