Not many of you who read this have seen or even heard of the 2015 short-lived TV series "Backstrom" starring Rainn Wilson as Lt. Everett Backstrom, head of the Portland, Oregon, Police Bureau's Special Crimes Unit. Lt. Backstrom is an addict, a loaner, a miserable person, and an absolutely brilliant homicide detective in charge of a motley crew of misfits.
The show lasted one partial season and was canceled. Every time I watch it (I bought the series when it was available) I wonder why. It is edgy and exciting and quite unlike those other "perfect" detective shows that portray police as either completely competent and always in control or as idiots who stumble over their own feet.
They were not realistic. "Backstrom" is ... and it is not a pretty sight. While watching the season again this evening, I think I figured out why the public rejected the show.
You see, the star, Rainn Wilson, is most famous for playing 'Dwight' in the very popular TV show "The Office" not long ago. My guess is his name recognition brought a lot of the fans over from that show for a look-see - I am not one because I never watched one minute of even one episode. What they saw was nothing like what they expected and they left, revolted.
Our television habits are fairly predictable and we watch what we like to watch. Hollywood makes guesses about that and tries to keep familiar names, especially famous familiar names from well-received shows, close to those expectations. When Rainn Wilson deviated from the Dwight character, this was too much for them and they abandoned it.
His name is not well known outside "The Office" and that sealed the show's fate. The cancellation came fast and without remorse. But I own the entire season and watch often.
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