# Anyone looking forward to "Backstrom"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392 "2015-01-09T14:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/21 "2015-01-26T13:15:15Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I didn’t hate it, but it needs to improve. I’m hopeful that they laid on his character thick for the pilot, and will be dialing it back in subsequent episodes. Not that he will get nicer, exactly, just that it won’t need to demonstrate it in every single scene. I also hope that we will learn that it’s done for a specific purpose, that he’s using it to gets reads on people and not solely to be a dick. I don’t know if “thick” is the problem…I didn’t think his character was all that funny and that’s what I was looking for personally. I’m not a big fan of crime dramas. So is that his son that he lives with? He did refer to the kid’s mother but it wasn’t totally clear to me. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/22 "2015-01-26T13:29:28Z")
Argh, I go and make a post in anticipation of a tv show premiere, then I totally forget to watch it! :smack: Oh well, will have to catch it On Demand. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/23 "2015-01-26T13:36:50Z")
I missed the first few minutes so I didn’t get all of the set up. I don’t think the character works at all. I just couldn’t see him being able to work in a government bureaucracy like the NYPD and keeping his job let alone rising to the level of Lieutenant. He would never have made it through the academy. Maybe it’s just me but I found Genevieve Angelson as his sidekick to be distractingly beautiful. I expect TV characters to be more attractive than their real life counterparts but I just kept seeing her and not the role. But if asked for my ideal she would be pretty damn close so it probably is just me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/24 "2015-01-26T22:33:48Z")
I get abrasive and self-destructive. Ok, that’s a meme now. And some great performances. But racist? Naw, that dog dont hunt. And- smoking is on my bad list. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/25 "2015-01-26T23:51:11Z")
Wasn’t particularly impressed with teh pilot. Not sure if I’ll give it a second go. But just so I’m clear: This guy so screwed up at some point that he spent the last six years as a traffic cop. And apparently was able to do that sufficiently well to not get fired. Then a new police chief comes along who knew him from the old days and immediately promotes back to being **head** of major crimes? This is the world we’re to inhabit? ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/26 "2015-01-27T02:34:51Z")
I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I was pleased with it. It wasn’t the best cop drama I’ve ever seen, but it was far, far from the worst. I’ll keep watching it, which means it’ll get really good and then be canceled prematurely. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/27 "2015-01-27T02:55:40Z")
I would probably watch anything that had Rainn Wilson and Dennis Haysbert in it. I didn’t really expect to like this show, but I liked it well enough that I plan to keep tuning in. Better writing would help, but that is true of almost everything. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/28 "2015-01-27T13:21:40Z")
Watched it last night. Wanted to like it, thought eh, it isn’t terrible, but I’d expect more from the pilot. I did have kind of a ‘seen it before’ vibe. The callbacks to the phrase “absolutely not!” were amusing. The Backstrom character didn’t quite work for me. I don’t think it was Rainn’s fault- he seemed to be throwing himself into the character with conviction. Maybe it’s that the writing isn’t quite there. His character’s not balanced enough- too much “jerk”, not enough “genius”. My wife and I were distracted by Dennis Haysbert, since all we’ve seen him in are the 20 bazillion Allstate commercials he’s done. At one point in the show he started saying a phrase, something like “in the past year…” And it sounded so similar to something he says in the insurance commercials I half expected him to say “in the past year people saved blah blah on their auto insurance from Allstate”. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/29 "2015-01-27T14:41:26Z")
> [@solost](#): > > The Backstrom character didn’t quite work for me. I don’t think it was Rainn’s fault- he seemed to be throwing himself into the character with conviction. Maybe it’s that the writing isn’t quite there. His character’s not balanced enough- too much “jerk”, not enough “genius”. I have some hope. Sometimes they don’t quite have a feel for the character in the pilot but find it after the pilot gets picked up. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/30 "2015-01-27T15:33:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I have some hope. Sometimes they don’t quite have a feel for the character in the pilot but find it after the pilot gets picked up. I think he’s well on his way to developing the character. I tried to imagine him as Dwight Shrute with contact lenses and a career change and couldn’t do it. Both characters are jerks but Shrute was a tightly-wound oddball and Backstrom is a dissolute misanthrope. Hopefully the writing tightens up. ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/31 "2015-02-01T17:26:12Z")
“Backstrom” still disappoints me. It is just so sloppy, a mishmash. Is anyone still watching? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/32 "2015-02-01T18:34:42Z")
I thought the second episode was a little more balanced. He admitted he was wrong _gasp_. Less jerk, more brains. I am still unreasonably distracted by the fact Gravely appears to be 18. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/33 "2015-02-01T20:06:53Z")
Thought it was good enough again. My main annoyance is the high number of extreme assumptions Backstrom throws out based on…nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m used to these types of detective shows making questionable leaps of logic, but it seems like too much of Backstrom’s running around involves no logic at all. Just random shots in the dark until something works out. Not really what one watches a detective show for. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/34 "2015-02-01T20:21:54Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Thought it was good enough again. My main annoyance is the high number of extreme assumptions Backstrom throws out based on…nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m used to these types of detective shows making questionable leaps of logic, but it seems like too much of Backstrom’s running around involves no logic at all. Just random shots in the dark until something works out. Not really what one watches a detective show for. I’m now picturing Columbo doing his usual schtick to _every_ suspect in an episode, such that (a) it turns out he’s been pissing most of them off for no good reason, because that’s invariably how he _also_ irritates the one guy who can be hounded into giving himself away; and (b) we only ever see it from the guilty party’s perspective. “No, sir; you really did commit the perfect crime; I had no idea it was you; I’ve been acting like I knew whodunit, but I kept asking _everyone_ Just One More Thing.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/35 "2015-02-01T20:39:31Z")
Well, less bigotry, which is good. More smoking, which means that the briefcases full of coke and cash arrived at Fox. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/36 "2015-02-01T21:14:16Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Watched it last night. Wanted to like it, thought eh, it isn’t terrible, but I’d expect more from the pilot. I did have kind of a ‘seen it before’ vibe. The callbacks to the phrase “absolutely not!” were amusing. > > The Backstrom character didn’t quite work for me. I don’t think it was Rainn’s fault- he seemed to be throwing himself into the character with conviction. Maybe it’s that the writing isn’t quite there. His character’s not balanced enough- too much “jerk”, not enough “genius”. > > My wife and I were distracted by Dennis Haysbert, since all we’ve seen him in are the 20 bazillion Allstate commercials he’s done. At one point in the show he started saying a phrase, something like “in the past year…” And it sounded so similar to something he says in the insurance commercials I half expected him to say “in the past year people saved blah blah on their auto insurance from Allstate”. I’m waiting for him to reassure a victim “you’re in good hands.” ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/37 "2015-02-07T20:36:32Z")
Watched the first two episodes so far just because of Wilson and the nominal Portland setting. (Basically an occasional TriMet sign or some such. :() A few bits here and there that seem interesting but most of it just doesn’t work. Unless they can turn it around, it won’t last. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/38 "2015-02-07T22:24:22Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I’m waiting for him to reassure a victim “you’re in good hands.” I’m waiting for him to sacrifice a bucket of chicken to the voodoo gods for help solving a case. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/39 "2015-02-11T21:08:40Z")
Watched the 3rd episode. A noticeable improvement but still has a ways to go. E.g., how are they going to prove statutory rape if the victim is now dead and it happened years ago? The addition of Sarah Chalke is interesting. But not given much screen time. The “rules don’t apply” motif is getting heavy handed. The new pile-on is Sarah Chalke running the investigation into her ex-fiancee-that-she-still-has-a-thing-for. No PD at the level Portland would let anything remotely like that happen. Can’t they at least buy some stock footage of Portland for bumpers? ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392/40 "2015-03-27T13:58:49Z")
I’m still watching and think it got better after the first two or three episodes. The plots are throwaway but Dwight’s schtick is getting funnier and all of the other characters have been developed well…IMHO. You gotta be able to handle (and enjoy) politically incorrect humor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-looking-forward-to-backstrom/709392.md?page=3)