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Stories Set in Illinois

Stories Set in Illinois — top stories

The Windy City's gangsters, blues clubs and skyscraper canyons anchor Illinois fiction. Beyond Chicago, prairie towns stage coming-of-age classics and road stories.

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10 famous stories set in Illinois

Live snapshot of the top 10 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-04). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.

Browse 417 books, 531 movies, 41 TV shows and 54 games set in Illinois.

North by Northwest

North by Northwest

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
movie

Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy triggering a deadly cross-country chase.

Setting: New York USA; Chicago, USA; South Dakota, USATime Period: 1950s
The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

Universal Pictures-A&M Films-Channel Productions
movie

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John princess Claire outcast Allison brainy Brian and Andrew the…

Setting: Illinois, USATime Period: 1980s
Mean Girls

Mean Girls

Broadway Video-Paramount-M.G. Films
movie

Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics the A-list girl clique at her new school until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.

Setting: Illinois, USATime Period: 2004
The Simpsons

The Simpsons

tvshow

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the…

Setting: Fantasy: Springfield, USATime Period: Contemporary
Divergent

Divergent

Summit Entertainment-Red Wagon Entertainment
movie

In a world divided into factions based on personality types Tris learns that she's been classified as Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents Tris and the mysterious Four must find…

Setting: Sci-Fi: Chicago, Illinois, USATime Period: Sci-Fi: Future
The Irishman

The Irishman

Tribeca Productions-Sikelia Productions-Winkler Films
movie

Pennsylvania 1956. Frank Sheeran a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of…

Setting: Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago, USATime Period: Mid-20th Century
Halloween

Halloween

Compass International Pictures-Falcon International Productions
movie

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963 Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield Illinois to kill again.

Setting: Haddonfield, Illinois, USATime Period: 1978
The Untouchables

The Untouchables

Paramount
movie

Young Treasury Agent Eliot Ness arrives in Chicago and is determined to take down Al Capone but it's not going to be easy because Capone has the police in his pocket. Ness meets Jim Malone a veteran patrolman and…

Setting: Chicago, USATime Period: 1930s
Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot

The Mirisch Company-Ashton Productions-United Artists
movie

Two musicians witness a mob hit and struggle to find a way out of the city before they are found by the gangsters. Their only opportunity is to join an all-girl band as they leave on a tour. To make their getaway they…

Setting: Chicago, USA; Florida, USATime Period: 1920s
The Simpsons Movie

The Simpsons Movie

Gracie Films-Film Roman-20th Century Fox Animation-The Curiosity Company-20th Century Fox
movie

After Homer accidentally pollutes the town's water supply Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons are declared fugitives.

Setting: Springfield, USATime Period: Contemporary

The 10 stories above are just a sample of the 1,043 in the catalogue for this entry. For the full live catalogue with trailers and time filters, open Illinois in the StoryTerra app. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.

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