| Creator: | Graham Yost |
| Composer: | Philip Giffin |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Episodes: | 24 |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Camera: | Single-camera |
| Runtime: | 45 minutes |
| Network: | NBC |
Boomtown is an American action drama television series created by Graham Yost, that aired on NBC from September 29, 2002 to December 28, 2003. The show's title is a nickname for its setting: Los Angeles, California.
The show portrayed a criminal investigation each week, seen from various points of view: the police officers and detectives, the lawyers, paramedics, reporters, victims, witnesses, and criminals.
The series premiered on September 29, 2002. The first season order was for 18 episodes. After disappointing ratings, the series was retooled: the reliance on non-linear storytelling was lessened, some characters were written out, and others were introduced. Ratings did not improve, and the series was canceled, with the last episode airing on December 28, 2003.
Despite its low viewership, Boomtown received several awards and nominations, including Emmy Awards, Golden Satellite Awards, and Television Critics Association Awards.
Boomtown received largely positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 96% with an average score of 10/10 based on 26 reviews. The website's critical consensus is, "Boomtown gives the police procedural innovative pep with its dense ensemble and warring perspectives, bringing a refreshing moral ambiguity to primetime."[1] On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 89 out of 100 based on 31 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim".[2]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ||||
| Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Pilot | Meg Liberman and Camille H. Patton | |||
| Best Supporting Actress - Television | ||||
| Online Film & Television Association Award[3] | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | |||
| Best Direction in a Drama Series | Jon Avnet (For the pilot episode) | |||
| NBC Studios, in association with DreamWorks Television Inc., and Nemo Films | [4] | |||
| Philip Giffin | ||||
| 2004 | ||||
Lionsgate Home Entertainment release Season 1 of Boomtown on DVD in Region 1 on July 20, 2004. Season 1 was subsequently released in Region 2 as well. Despite strong sales of season one and popular demand on TV-DVD websites, season 2 was never released in the USA or UK. The season two episodes were made available, however, on the French DVD box set Boomtown Complet, which also includes a short interview with French film critic Alain Carraze, who offers comments about the show. The DVD's released in the United States contain an optional commentary soundtrack by individuals who were involved in making the show but this is absent from the French and British DVD releases.
The Region 1 release has been discontinued and is now out of print.[5]