Thank you, Shawn Ryan.

You've given us the magnificent show "The Shield" and the gone-too-soon and wonderful "Terriers."

And now there's "The Chicago Code" (Fox, 9 tonight), an excellent, almost immediately absorbing, gotta-see-the-next-one cop drama with great writing, strong performances and beautifully shot too.

It's easy to make Chicago look beautiful because it is beautiful, but "The Chicago Code" is also shot cinematically. The city is as much a character as the people in the plot.