Chaos (TV series)
Encyclopedia
CHAOS is an American television series for the CBS
network. The one-hour comedic drama
premiered on April 1, 2011, as a midseason replacement
for The Defenders
.
) joins the team as an in-house mole
for CIA National Clandestine Service Director
H.J. Higgins (Kurtwood Smith
). However, Martinez is quickly found out by the ODS (Office of Disruptive Services) team, who "turn" him for their own use.
written by Tom Spezialy
. Casting announcements began in mid-February, with Freddy Rodriguez being the first actor cast. Next to come on board were James Murray and Tim Blake Nelson. Eric Close joined the cast in early March, followed by Carmen Ejogo. Finally, Stephen Rea
completed the main cast in mid-March. The pilot was filmed in Los Angeles
.
In late July, CBS announced that it had officially ordered 13 episodes of the series for a mid-season start. Kurtwood Smith joined the cast in November 2010, replacing Rea in the role of Director H.J. Higgins.
Starting in mid-December of 2010, CHAOS film crews were spotted and the actors photographed at various set locations around Vancouver
– at the Vancouver Rowing Club
, in Gastown
, on the rooftop of The Bay
, at the Terminal City Iron Works, and at mansions in the Shaughnessy and Point Grey
neighborhoods – with these locations standing in for exotic locales around the world.
After CHAOS was removed from CBS's schedule on April 19, filming on the remaining episodes continued in and around Vancouver
until the originally scheduled completion date of May 2.
assigned CHAOS a score of 50, signifying mixed or average reviews.
and The Defenders
in the same slot, also the lowest rating for any CBS drama this season.
won an Imagen Award in the category "Best Actor/Television" from The Imagen Foundation
for his role as Rick Martinez in CHAOS on August 12, 2011.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network. The one-hour comedic drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
premiered on April 1, 2011, as a midseason replacement
Midseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
for The Defenders
The Defenders (2010 TV series)
The Defenders is a 2010 American legal comedy-drama that was ordered to series by CBS for the 2010–11 television season. The series originally ran from September 22, 2010 to March 11, 2011....
.
Premise
Threats to national security are investigated by a group of rogue CIA spies in the division of Clandestine Homeland Administration and Oversight Services (CHAOS), also trying to keep their jobs from being eliminated due to budget cuts. New agent Rick Martinez (Freddy RodriguezFreddy Rodriguez
Freddy Rodriguez is an American actor known for playing the characters Hector Federico "Rico" Diaz on HBO's Six Feet Under and El Wray in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror...
) joins the team as an in-house mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
for CIA National Clandestine Service Director
Director of the National Clandestine Service
The Director of the National Clandestine Service is a senior United States government official in the U.S...
H.J. Higgins (Kurtwood Smith
Kurtwood Smith
Kurtwood Larson Smith is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop and stern parental characters , and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction...
). However, Martinez is quickly found out by the ODS (Office of Disruptive Services) team, who "turn" him for their own use.
Cast
- Freddy RodriguezFreddy RodriguezFreddy Rodriguez is an American actor known for playing the characters Hector Federico "Rico" Diaz on HBO's Six Feet Under and El Wray in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror...
as CIA Field Agent/Operative Rick Martinez - Christina ColeChristina ColeChristina Cole is an English actress known for portraying Cassie Hughes in the Sky One supernatural television series Hex.-Background:...
as NCS Deputy Director Adele Ferrer - Carmen EjogoCarmen EjogoCarmen Elizabeth Ejogo is a British actress, currently based in the United States.-Early life:Born and raised in London, Ejogo is the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Ejogo née Douglas. Her father is a Nigerian entrepreneur and her mother a Scottish tour guide. During her childhood, Ejogo...
as Intelligence OfficerIntelligence officerAn intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
Fay Carson - James MurrayJames Murray (English actor)James Murray is an English actor.-Early life :Murray was born in Greater Manchester; his great-grandfather, Richard Hollins Murray, invented the reflecting lens in 1927.-Career:...
as Field Agent/Operative Billy Collins - Tim Blake NelsonTim Blake NelsonTim Blake Nelson is an American director, writer, singer, and actor.-Early life:Nelson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Ruth Kaiser Nelson, who is a noted social activist and philanthropist in Tulsa, and a geologist father...
as Field Agent/Operative Casey Malick - Eric CloseEric CloseEric Close is an American film and television actor.-Early life:His father is an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. His family moved to Indiana, then to Michigan, and finally settled in San Diego when Close was seven years old.Close graduated with a B.A...
as Field Agent/Operative Michael Dorset - Kurtwood SmithKurtwood SmithKurtwood Larson Smith is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop and stern parental characters , and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction...
as NCS Director H. J. Higgins
Development and production
In January 2010, CBS ordered production of a pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
written by Tom Spezialy
Tom Spezialy
Tom Spezialy is an American television producer, director and screen writer. In 2007, began serving as executive producer of Reaper.-Career:Spezialy began his career in 1989 writing for the CBS television series Doctor Doctor...
. Casting announcements began in mid-February, with Freddy Rodriguez being the first actor cast. Next to come on board were James Murray and Tim Blake Nelson. Eric Close joined the cast in early March, followed by Carmen Ejogo. Finally, Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in high profile films such as V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto...
completed the main cast in mid-March. The pilot was filmed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In late July, CBS announced that it had officially ordered 13 episodes of the series for a mid-season start. Kurtwood Smith joined the cast in November 2010, replacing Rea in the role of Director H.J. Higgins.
Starting in mid-December of 2010, CHAOS film crews were spotted and the actors photographed at various set locations around Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
– at the Vancouver Rowing Club
Vancouver rowing club
Vancouver Rowing Club is a rowing club in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,Originally formed in 1886 as the Vancouver Boating Club, the first clubhouse was built a year later. In 1890 one of the city's early athletic rivalries began when the Burrard Inlet Rowing Club built its headquarters just...
, in Gastown
Gastown
Gastown is a national historic site in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the northeast end of Downtown adjacent to the Downtown Eastside. Its historical boundaries were the waterfront , Columbia Street, Hastings Street, and Cambie Street, which were the borders of the 1870 townsite survey, the proper...
, on the rooftop of The Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
, at the Terminal City Iron Works, and at mansions in the Shaughnessy and Point Grey
West Point Grey
West Point Grey is a neighbourhood on the western side of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered by 16th Avenue to the south, Alma Street to the east, English Bay to the north, and Blanca Street to the west...
neighborhoods – with these locations standing in for exotic locales around the world.
After CHAOS was removed from CBS's schedule on April 19, filming on the remaining episodes continued in and around Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
until the originally scheduled completion date of May 2.
Episodes
For unknown reasons CBS aired the episodes out of chronological order.. The production codes in the episode table reveal the originally intended order.| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Critical reception
MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
assigned CHAOS a score of 50, signifying mixed or average reviews.
Ratings
The series premiered with 6.53 million viewers and a 1.1 rating in the adults 18–49 demo. The rating equaled the lowest ratings achieved by MediumMedium (TV series)
Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...
and The Defenders
The Defenders (2010 TV series)
The Defenders is a 2010 American legal comedy-drama that was ordered to series by CBS for the 2010–11 television season. The series originally ran from September 22, 2010 to March 11, 2011....
in the same slot, also the lowest rating for any CBS drama this season.
Hiatus
CBS removed it from the schedule on April 18, 2011 after airing three episodes of the 13 episode order, and placed it on hiatus. The series resumed with episode 4 and episode 5 on May 28. The final episodes aired on Saturdays at 8pm Eastern.Awards
Series star Freddy RodriguezFreddy Rodriguez
Freddy Rodriguez is an American actor known for playing the characters Hector Federico "Rico" Diaz on HBO's Six Feet Under and El Wray in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror...
won an Imagen Award in the category "Best Actor/Television" from The Imagen Foundation
Imagen Foundation
The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry"....
for his role as Rick Martinez in CHAOS on August 12, 2011.