# Stumptown **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [September 27, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933 "2019-09-27T23:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/41 "2019-11-03T13:00:51Z")
I am saying that the show is not like the Rockford Files. The only similarity is that both shows have a private detective. This one is no more similar to the Rockford Files than any other private detective drama. I happen to like the show so far. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/42 "2019-11-03T19:00:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I am saying that the show is not like the Rockford Files. The only similarity is that both shows have a private detective. This one is no more similar to the Rockford Files than any other private detective drama. > > I happen to like the show so far. As noted above, I went back to it to see if it’s smoothed out any. It still falls short. Writers, for some reason, always think they need to include a kid, usually some sort of rebellious teen or bratty younger kids, and an ex. In this case, they went for the mentally challenged kid who is a font of wisdom. I really dislike these memes and it makes the show unwatchable for me. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/43 "2019-11-03T19:05:12Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > As noted above, I went back to it to see if it’s smoothed out any. It still falls short. Writers, for some reason, always think they need to include a kid, usually some sort of rebellious teen or bratty younger kids, and an ex. In this case, they went for the mentally challenged kid who is a font of wisdom. I really dislike these memes and it makes the show unwatchable for me. I think the pilot was the best episode and it’s been degrading, but I also think this show was rushed into production and the writing can improve. Right now it’s a soap opera, nothing like Rockford. Cobie Smulders is a fine actress given some decent writing, but it looks like once again she’s being used just for her looks. Camryn Manheim may be the best character on the show so far, she’s got the skills to make something out of her role. They should have just given her a show if they won’t give the Dex character some meat. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/44 "2019-11-03T19:33:33Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > As noted above, I went back to it to see if it’s smoothed out any. It still falls short. Writers, for some reason, always think they need to include a kid, usually some sort of rebellious teen or bratty younger kids, and an ex. In this case, they went for the mentally challenged kid who is a font of wisdom. I really dislike these memes and it makes the show unwatchable for me. I have not read it, but wasn’t the brother in the graphic novel on which the show is based? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/45 "2019-11-03T20:01:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Writers, **for some reason** , always think they need to include a kid, usually some sort of rebellious teen or bratty younger kids, and an ex. In this case, they went for the mentally challenged kid who is a font of wisdom. I really dislike these memes and it makes the show unwatchable for me. …yeah, for some reasons writers also like to include a protagonist, a bad guy, sometimes a love interest and sometimes even a love triangle. Those silly writers! Always finding ways to put characters in their TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/46 "2019-11-03T20:10:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think the pilot was the best episode and it’s been degrading, but I also think this show was rushed into production and the writing can improve. Right now it’s a soap opera, nothing like Rockford. Cobie Smulders is a fine actress given some decent writing, but it looks like once again\*\* she’s being used just for her looks\*\*. Camryn Manheim may be the best character on the show so far, she’s got the skills to make something out of her role. They should have just given her a show if they won’t\*\* give the Dex character some meat\*\*. …what television show are you watching? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/47 "2019-11-03T20:21:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have not read it, but wasn’t the brother in the graphic novel on which the show is based? No idea, never read it. **Banquet Bear** : nice try at a straw man. The single parent with a kid has been done to death in recent years. Unlike an antagonist or a love interest (which goes back to, well, the beginning of writing), it seldom works as a subplot. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/48 "2019-11-03T21:14:48Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **Banquet Bear** : nice try at a straw man. \*\*The single parent with a kid \*\*has been done to death in recent years. Unlike an antagonist or a love interest (which goes back to, well, the beginning of writing), it seldom works as a subplot. …not a strawman. The “single parent with a kid” hasn’t been “done to death.” Single parents who happen to be a Private Eye haven’t been done to death either. And Stumptown isn’t even a TV show about a single parent with a kid. Ansel is Dex’s _brother_. Perhaps, like TriPolar, you are watching another TV show? The dynamic between brother and sister, where Dex is also playing surrogate mother, is interesting to me. I can’t think of that many TV shows with characters with Down Syndrome in the principal cast. I think representation is important. So I’m really not seeing a problem here. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/49 "2019-11-03T21:51:58Z")
…and the actor Cole Sibus is 21 years old. He’s playing an adult, who works in a bar for goodness sakes, he’s not a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/50 "2019-11-04T21:23:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t know why this is being compared to the Rockford Files. I think that just came out of the PR department and it’s getting parroted. As the OP, and the first person in this thread to make the _Rockford Files_ comparison, I can say that I came to that on my own after watching the first episode. I have no idea if they used the _Rockford_ angle in any of their marketing. I really didn’t think the observation was all that astute. The tough-but-flawed P.I. (or soon-to-be-P.I.) with a grumpy disposition and a past who butts heads with the local cops. Jim had his Dad and Angel, and Dex has her brother and Grey. Jim got punched in the face a lot, and Dex takes her share of knocks. The overall pacing and tone felt similar to me as well. Are they exactly the same show? Of course not. But I stand by the comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/51 "2019-11-05T05:35:09Z")
Gawd, the last episode nearly collapsed under the weight of Hoffman’s emo-ing over his dead stoolie. It was a hackneyed plot and not enough was done to give it weight. I’m just not that invested in this guy yet (if I ever will be). I still enjoy the show overall, but I agree with the posters above – make Dex the show’s only (or at least majority) POV character. And as long as we’re going retro with the Rockford vibe, I renew my call for a more standalone, case-of-the-week format. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/52 "2019-11-08T22:36:55Z")
Kind of a weak episode this week, IMO. The main plot line was entirely hacky and predictable. From the first time the manager guy opened his mouth, you _knew_ he had something to do with the “stalking.” Identifying the alleged stalker was implausibly easy. The lesbian angle was salacious and unnecessary. And the actress playing Fiona was NOT good. The C plot with the Taco guy and the Lieutenant was 100% forced and seemed totally superfluous to anything. I didn’t much care for Ansel’s antics around Gray’s new friend, but it felt like the truest thing going on in this episode. I started out with very high hopes for this show. Here’s hoping they can step things up a few notches and fulfill some of the early promise. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/53 "2019-11-15T03:40:03Z")
Watching the last episode (Dex and her rock-star ex-girlfriend), I was pretty sure it was the last episode of the series I’d be watching, and when I saw the preview for next week, I was sure. This show is making every wrong decision, putting too much weight on character relationships that are unformed and lacking in chemistry while devoting maybe five minutes to a perfunctory detective story plot. (Dex works about as hard to solve her cases as the squad on Brooklyn 99.) Irrespective of what’s in the comics, which I haven’t read, it feels like the show is going all-in on 'ships, hoping that having multiple partners in play for Dex or Cop or Bearded Bar Guy will lend the show momentum and ignite a fan base. Next week’s Thanksgiving episode looks like more — much more — of the same. I’m out. Maybe someone else will come along and write a solid case-of-the-week PI story with an interesting protagonist who actually solved cases. I’d probably watch that. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/54 "2019-11-15T03:42:01Z")
Oh yeah: Camryn Mannheim and the taco guy. Did those scenes fall in from another series? What was the point of that? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/55 "2020-03-15T17:38:26Z")
I’m still watching _Stumptown_, and usually enjoying it. I like the taco guy! He reminds me, in his heft and his comedic timing, of Wayne Knight (Newman from _Seinfeld_) in a way. But Grey, owner of the Bad Alibi, is my new favorite character. A very talented actor, and his facial expressions, voice, timing and body language, especially in his scenes with the taco guy, are perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/56 "2020-03-15T21:33:36Z")
I’m still watching it too. It’s a good show. All it has to do is get a little more focused, and lose its tendency toward mawkishness, and it could be a great show. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/57 "2020-03-15T21:53:38Z")
Still watching, a few episodes behind. One thing I’m surprised by is how her car has been “deprecated”. It was a major thing in the first couple episodes. Now it doesn’t even appear in some and barely at all in others. Maybe you get a fragment of an old song when she starts the car. The car was a key part of her character. Shoot, the car is a character. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/58 "2020-04-09T00:51:00Z")
S1’s over. I mostly enjoyed it, but don’t know if I’ll be coming back for S2, if there is one (still no word on that). Certainly no lack of cliffhanger plotlines if so. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/59 "2020-05-24T05:25:28Z")
It’s official - renewed for S2: [ABC Renews 13 Series, Includes Freshmen Stumptown & Mixed-ish – Deadline](https://deadline.com/2020/05/abc-renewals-stumptown-mixed-ish-2020-21-season-a-million-little-things-the-conners-the-goldbergs-the-rookie-the-bachelor-dancing-with-the-stars-renewed-1202940807/) ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933/60 "2020-05-24T13:30:58Z")
Yay! I really liked S1. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stumptown/840933.md?page=4)