Backstrom (American TV series) explained

Developer:	Hart Hanson
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	13
Producer:	Rainn Wilson
Runtime:	43 minutes
Network:	Fox

Backstrom is an American crime comedy-drama television series that aired from January 22 through April 30, 2015. It was developed by Hart Hanson based on the Swedish book series by Leif G. W. Persson.^[1] The series is set in Portland, Oregon and filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. On May 8, 2015, Fox cancelled the series after one season.^[2]

Premise

Backstrom centers on Everett Backstrom (Rainn Wilson), an "overweight, offensive, irascible" police officer who is engaged in a constant struggle with his "self-destructive" tendencies,^[3] and is part of a team of eccentric criminologists.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Rainn Wilson^[4] as Detective Lieutenant Everett Backstrom, head of the Special Crimes Unit. Prior to the beginning of the series Backstrom was demoted to Traffic following his racially insensitive outburst after he caught the murderer of six Native Americans.
• Genevieve Angelson as Detective Sergeant Nicole Gravely, Backstrom's second in command. Gravely is a young, idealistic detective who works with Backstrom even though she finds him to be lazy and cynical.^[5] Originally played by Mamie Gummer in the CBS pilot.^[6]
• Page Kennedy as Officer Frank Moto, member of the Special Crimes Unit, and a former MMA fighter.
• Kristoffer Polaha as Sergeant Peter Niedermayer, the unit's Forensics Liaison. Backstrom frequently mocks him for his New Age beliefs.
• Dennis Haysbert as Detective Sergeant John Almond, a nondenominational minister who has been married for 30 years. In an offhand remark, Gravely mentions to Backstrom that Almond has the highest conviction rate out of any detective in the history of the Portland Police Bureau.
• Beatrice Rosen as Nadia Paquet, a foreign-born civilian who supports the detectives in the Special Crimes Group as a cyberspace expert.
• Thomas Dekker as Gregory Valentine, a former male prostitute who is Backstrom's tenant, decorator and "underworld connection" due to his being a fence for stolen merchandise. Backstrom had previously met Valentine's mother, a prostitute. It is later revealed that Valentine is Backstrom's half-brother.

Recurring

• Ben Hollingsworth as Steve Kines, who previously allowed Gravely to be blamed for a failed undercover operation
• Sarah Chalke as Amy Gazanian, Chair of the Civilian Oversight Committee and Backstrom's ex-fiancée
• Inga Cadranel as Police Chief Anna Cervantes, Backstrom's former (police) partner
• Rizwan Manji as Doctor Deb, a doctor working for the Portland Police Bureau who provisionally clears Backstrom for duty with the caveat that he change his self-destructive lifestyle
• Robert Forster as Sheriff Blue Backstrom, Everett Backstrom's estranged father, who pistol-whipped Everett at a young age. He is Sheriff of Cooch County
• Adam Beach as Tribal Police Captain Jesse Rocha, one of Backstrom's rivals who begins dating Amy Gazanian

Production

In July 2012, CBS greenlit a pilot episode to be produced for Backstrom.^[7] The pilot for the series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.^[8]

When CBS passed on the pilot, 20th Century Fox Television shopped it around to other networks before landing a 13-episode series order with their own network, Fox.^[1] For the pilot episode, the producers contacted Minor League Baseball team Portland Sea Dogs to use their hat with their logo for the family fishing boat business.^[9]

Reception

Backstrom has been met with mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a rating of 37%, based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 4.78/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Backstroms humor is a cop-out, availed little by the talented cast's attempt to make good of sloppy schtick."^[10] On Metacritic, the show has a score of 51 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "Mixed or average reviews".^[11]

Other adaptations

A Swedish-language version was created in 2020 and currently (2024) has 3 seasons.^[12]

Notes and References

1. Web site: FOX Cracks the Case with Hart Hanson's New Crime Drama "Backstrom". The Futon Critic. January 21, 2014. January 7, 2014.
2. Web site: Fox Cancels The Following: Find Out Which Other Shows Are Dead. Bricker. Tierney. E! Online. May 8, 2015. May 8, 2015.
3. Web site: Rainn Wilson to play irascible cop for CBS. Rice. Lynette. AV News. March 17, 2013. October 4, 2018.
4. Web site: Rainn Wilson to Star in Hart Hanson's 'Backstrom' Adaptation for CBS. Goldberg. Lesley. The Hollywood Reporter. January 21, 2014. March 17, 2013.
5. Web site: Genevieve Angelson Set As Female Lead In Fox Series 'Backstrom'; Christopher Denham Joins WGN America's 'Manhattan'. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline.com. February 15, 2014. February 14, 2014.
6. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mamie-gummer-star-opposite-rainn-430264 "Mamie Gummer to Co-Star Opposite Rainn Wilson in CBS' 'Backstrom'"
7. Web site: 'Backstrom' Crime Drama From 'Bones' Creator Hart Hanson And 20th TV Gets Pilot Production Commitment At CBS. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline.com. January 21, 2014. July 30, 2012.
8. Web site: SHOOT: Rainn Wilson & Dennis Haysbert Film CBS Pilot BACKSTROM in Downtown Vancouver Alley. yvrshoots.com. January 21, 2014. March 28, 2013. March 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150315062635/http://yvrshoots.com/2013/03/shoot-rainn-wilson-dennis-haysbert-film-cbs-pilot-backstrom-in-downtown-vancouver-alley.html. dead.
9. Web site: TV Show Set in the Other Portland Tips it's Hat to Sea Dog. Portland Press Herald. January 23, 2015. January 22, 2015.
10. Web site: Backstrom: Season 1. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. July 5, 2019.
11. Web site: Backstrom: Season 1. CBS, Metacritic. February 3, 2014.
12. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10068932/