Funnyman Rainn Wilson is back! Returning to TV with a brand new police procedural from Hart Hanson (creator of Bones), Rainn Wilson continues to show his versatile acting ability with such wide ranging choice of roles. Joining Rainn Wilson on Backstrom are the likes of Dennis Haysbert, relative newcomer Genevieve Angelson, Kristoffer Polaha, Beatrice Rosen, Page Kennedy, and Thomas Dekker. With such an excellent cast and crew, the only question on my mind before watching the pilot was, "What can go wrong?". Unfortunately, it turns out quite a lot can go wrong and does... To simplify the problems I had with the pilot, I'm going to break it down into 3 different cleverly titled sections.
Unlikable Character Is Unlikable
Backstrom's attitude in the pilot is basically equivalent to a Detective Dr. House. Unlike Hugh Laurie's iconic character however, Backstrom is not only unlikable, but he is unfunny. Nearly all of his jokes fall flat and he resorts to the second lowest form of humor possible (number one is fart jokes): racist jokes. Fans of 24 (also starring Dennis Haysbert) will recall how consistently Jack Bauer screamed dammit. Anyone who watches Backstrom is going to recall how consistently racist Everett Backstrom acts. One of the real strengths of the aforementioned House was its ability to make you like an unlikable character through humor. The writers did a great job at making a character you're not supposed to like, but that is honestly all the credit I can give them so far.
Chemistry is... I'm Still Looking For It Actually
The cast and crew of Backstrom certainly did not take Walter White's chemistry class because if Backstrom is missing one thing, it's chemistry. In the first episode, the cast was unable to work off of each other to make an enjoyable drama/comedy because they have absolutely zero chemistry. Watching Backstrom was literally like picking up the script from any other procedural, removing the characters that make the procedural enjoyable, and replacing them with people you can't even begin to care about.
You Just Don't Care
As I write this review and look at the notes I took during the episode, I am trying to find a silver lining in Backstrom. The only possible use for this show would be for extremely dedicated fans of The Office or Rainn Wilson and that is truly a sad singular use for a new show. It's sad because the people behind this show are clearly very capable actors and writers. Backstrom simply did not click at all! I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about the case, and, most importantly, I did not enjoy Backstrom (the character or the show)!
Rating: 4/10
Backstrom premieres on January 22 on Fox. Be sure to come back here to SpoilerTV to let everyone else know what you thought of the episode. Let us know if you agreed or disagreed!
