ROSCOE VILLAGE — Roscoe Village, are you ready for your close-up?
"Doubt," a television pilot filming in Chicago, is bringing cast and crew to the neighborhood on Thursday and closing a few streets in the process.
"No parking" restrictions have been issued for 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for both sides of Roscoe Street, from Leavitt to Hamilton avenues; both sides of Hamilton, from Roscoe north 100 feet to the alley; both sides of Hamilton, from Roscoe south 100 feet to the alley; and both sides of Leavitt, from Roscoe to School streets.
Rich Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office, said "Doubt" will wrap up its stay in Chicago on Saturday. It's the last of four pilots to shoot in the city this spring.
According to the website IMDB.com, the show "centers on Vincent, a former cop who's now a cunning but charming low-rent lawyer who uses his street smarts to work the system for his clients while battling his own demons and wooing his ex-wife."
Though Moskal said most pilots tend to be lacking in star power, celebrity watchers should recognize a few names among the "Doubt" cast.
British actor Steve Coogan, best known in his native country for his turn as "Alan Partridge," stars as Vincent. Carla Gugino, whose credits include "Chicago Hope," "Entourage" and "Californication," plays the female lead. Greg Grunberg of "Heroes" and "Felicity" fame is also in the cast.
The show is written and produced by "House" creator David Shore.
Only a small percentage of pilots get picked up by the networks, Moskal said. At that, "there's no guarantee" that more episodes of "Doubt" would get filmed here, he said.
For every "Chicago Fire," which has made the city its home, there's a "Good Wife," which is set in Chicago but films entirely in New York, according to Moskal.
Between available crew members and production facilities, Chicago has the capacity to handle four or five series shooting simultaneously, Moskal said.
His office, he said, tries to remain mindful of residents' tolerance for disruption "in the same way that construction projects burn people out."
The tradeoff for lost parking or increased traffic is the exposure and economic boost the city receives from film shoots.
"It's part and parcel to the process," Moskal said. "We try to let people know what these shoots mean economically."
