Review: 'Backstrom' - 02/12/2015

As a rule, procedural dramas don't get a lot of attention from TV critics. They're generally written about before the premiere and then they only get the spotlight if they're canceled or have some buzzworthy special guest. Critics tend to think of the genre as pedestrian and predictable. I've heard critics argue that a show like "NCIS" hasn't changed much since its first season. An argument which is ludicrous to anyone who has seen more than a couple of episodes of the long-running series.

"Wait, you're the wife? I thought the pretty one was always the wife."

I like a good procedural show. Yeah, when they're bad they can suck the soul right out of you. But a good one is like a Jerry Bruckheimer film. At it's worst, it's just a fun time. But the best of the genre can be so much more.  Two new TV shows in this category that I've really come to enjoy during their premiere seasons are "Scorpion" and "Backstrom." Different networks and very different shows. But in both cases I've enjoyed watching the cast and crew work out the subtle changes that need to happen to improve the show. They're both shows I look forward to seeing and even when an episode misses, I can appreciate the ride.

"So he was massively gay. Elton John gay. That would explain the bangs."

"Backstrom" has been an especially choppy ride at times. There hasn't been as loathsome a character on primetime television since Dabney Coleman's "Buffalo Bill" back in the mid-1980s. Rainn Wilson's Everett Backstrom might be a world-class detective, but he is a bitter, jaded man who can often come off as some Rainman of racist, sexist comments. It's a difficult challenge to give the audiences something to root for in this d-bag of a broken man. But based on "I'm A Bird Now," the show has found its footing, even though you probably wouldn't know it from the lack of industry attention being given to the show.

"So someone hunts down a boy dressed like a girl, with generous genitalia and kills them. How is that NOT a hate crime?"

The episode has two intertwined storylines. Detective Backstrom has been called in to testify in front of the Civilian Oversight Committee. They have questions about a shooting in which Backstrom killed a man. His story doesn't quite fit the forensics and that's especially a problem when he's been questioned by his ex-fiance, Amy Gazanian (guest star Sarah Chalke). And of course, there's a murder to investigate. This week's crime is the shooting of a drag queen Internet blogger named Jenna Rose. Backstrom tries to use the investigation to stall his testimony. And dealing with Portland's LGBT community gives him ample opportunities to be insulting, mildly homophobic and a bit racist.

"He said that Asians are terrified of black people and missionaries. And you're both of them."

Despite all that, the episode is a fun one to watch. It's becoming increasingly clear that there is a bit of a method to Backstrom's painfully uncomfortable banter. And his inability to get through any conversation without sounding like Archie Bunker on crack makes the rest of the show's ensemble even more fun to watch as they scramble to justify him to the outside world. He's not an easy person to work for and the fact that so many otherwise sane people believe he's worth protecting is a testament to his detective skills. Because it's pretty clear there isn't much to like about the guy on a personal level.

I like "Backstrom." The show improves every week and it has a borderline anti-social vibe that is really compelling. If you haven't seen the show since its premiere, then tonight's episode is a good time to dip in again.

"Oh my God, a blogger. Another motivation for murder."

"Backstrom" - it's douchbagerrific!