Review: 'Backstrom' - 01/29/2015

As a writer, one of the things I enjoy most about watching a television show each week is seeing how the writing staff wrestles with the chemistry of the cast. All pilots are flawed in some fashion and after seeing the first episode of any show, I have this urge to try and mentally "fix" the problems. It's a writing exercise for me and a creative challenge. How would I make this show better and how close does my vision come to the eventual direction chose by the people actually responsible for the series?

The first episode of the new Fox series "Backstrom" was like some drunken, racist painter who might turn out to be the next Picasso. There was a lot of promise in the episode and hints that there was greatness in the ensemble. But there were also some jarring tonal issues and a few lines that brought the flow of scenes to a screeching halt. I wanted "Backstrom" to be better and given the talent involved, I was hopeful for the future. But how was the show going to evolve as it went into week two?

Based on the episode "Bella," one way showrunner Hart Hanson solved some of the problems with the pilot is by making the show a lot less about Rainn Wilson's Backstrom. The troubled detective is in a lot less of the second episode and while it seems like a counter-intuitive choice, it's one that often works well in a procedural show. Mark Harmon's Leroy Gibbs is the emotional core of "NCIS," but he's often only a tangential player in many scenes. In the best shows, the star has to be willing to step back and trust that everyone can carry their part of the show each week. That process is even more of a challenge with this show, since deciding how much to expose the audience to a character with the potential asshattery quotient of Backstrom is a delicate dance. But it's also a process that everyone seems to get just right in this episode.

Like all great procedurals, the supposed plot of the episode is almost incidental. Backstrom and his team are called on to try and track down a serial arsonist who has begun targeting houses that are inhabited. The case brings Backstrom face-to-face with a couple of childhood bullies who are now popular firemen. And possibly thieves and arsonists, if Backstrom's theories are to be believed.

The episode gives the show the chance to fill in some of Backstrom's back story and it comes close to making the detective likeable, which would be a shame. But the writers do tone done some of the more jarring of Backstrom's comments, which does a nice job of easing him back from the racist, misogynistic cliff he was teetering on in the pilot. Backstrom is already becoming human and the final scene of him flying a kite is both believable and touching. The show is compared to "House" a lot by TV critics, but both "Backstrom" the character and the show are more complex emotionally than "House" was in its first season. The results aren't perfect, but I appreciate the ambition of the effort.

Rainn Wilson's Backstrom is the obvious star of the show, but if the series has a long run it will be due in large part to its impressive ensemble cast. Dennis Haysbert, Page Kennedy, Thomas Dekkar, Genevieve Angelson, Kristoffer Polaha and Beatrice Rosen are all still finding the best moments for their characters. But it's already a very strong cast and having Backstrom step back a bit gives the rest of the ensemble space to carve out their place in the show. It's a process that will play itself out throughout the next few weeks and it's one of those necessary evolutions that needs to take place on any show that hopes to be around for awhile.

I enjoyed the first episode of "Backstrom" but after watching it, I wasn't sure if it was a show I wanted to watch every week. I'm a much bigger fan of the show after this week and having seen a couple of more episodes in advance of their airings, I can tell you that the show continues to improve week after week. "Backstrom" is already my favorite guilty pleasure of the spring. I can't wait to see where we are by episode eight.