Stumptown (TV series) explained

Genre:Crime drama
Creator:Jason Richman
Music:Tyler Bates
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:18
Camera:Single-camera
Runtime:42–43 minutes
Network:ABC

Stumptown is an American crime drama television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2019. The series is based on the comic book series of the same name, created by Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth and Justin Greenwood and adapted for television by writer-producer Jason Richman. The title Stumptown is is a nickname for the city of Portland, Oregon, where the series is set. In October 2019, ABC issued a full season order.

In May 2020, the series was renewed for a second season. In September 2020, ABC reversed the renewal decision and canceled the series after one season, as production delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant the series would not have been ready until April 2021.

Premise

Dex Parios is a sharp-witted military veteran, who struggles to get by and take care of her younger brother Ansel, in Portland, Oregon. She also struggles with PTSD from her time as a Marine in Afghanistan, where she worked in military intelligence until she was injured by an explosion which killed her college sweetheart and former lover. Burdened by heavy gambling debts and unable to hold down a steady job, she becomes a private investigator to solve problems where the police aren't getting involved. Detective Miles Hoffman refers problems to her, and Grey McConnell, a bar owner and Dex's closest friend, provides moral support and employs her brother Ansel at his bar.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Production

Development

On January 29, 2019, it was announced that ABC had given the production a pilot order. The pilot was written by Jason Richman who executive produces along with Ruben Fleischer, Dave Bernad, Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth and Justin Greenwood.[2] Production companies involved with the pilot include The District and ABC Studios. On May 8, 2019, it was announced that the production had been given a series order.[3] A day after that, it was announced that the series would premiere in the fall of 2019 and air on Wednesdays at 10:00 P.M.[4] The series premiered on September 25, 2019.[5] On October 28, 2019, the series received a full season order.[6]

Casting

In February 2019, it was announced that Cobie Smulders had been cast in the pilot's lead role.[7] Alongside the series order announcement, it was reported that Michael Ealy, Mark Webber and Camryn Manheim had joined the cast in starring roles.[3] On May 11, 2019, it was reported that Webber, who was originally cast to play the male lead opposite Smulders in the series, had exited and his role would be recast.[8] On May 29, 2019, Jake Johnson was cast as Grey McConnell, replacing Webber.[9]

At the 2019 San Diego Comic Con preview of the pilot, Cobie Smulders confirmed that Dex's bisexuality would "definitely be addressed in the series". Smulders described Dex as "definitely attracted to women and men ... she tries to recover from her PTSD through sex. She's up for anything — it's one of the things that drew me to this character."[10] [11]

Filming

Although set in Portland, the series is filmed in Los Angeles.[12] [13] However, the pilot episode, filmed mostly in Vancouver, B.C.,[12] included a few scenes shot in Portland.[13]

Cancellation

On May 21, 2020, ABC renewed the series for a second season.[14] On July 25, 2020, Monica Owusu-Breen joined the series as an executive producer for the second season.[15] On September 16, 2020, it was announced that production delays, caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, meant the series would not be ready in time, effectively canceling the series. ABC Studios unsuccessfully shopped the series for a new broadcast partner.[16] According to Deadline Hollywood, production had not yet started, the change of showrunner would also have delayed scripts and the show would not have been ready until April 2021.

Release

Marketing

On May 14, 2019, ABC released the first official trailer for the series.[2]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.56/10, based on 38 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Simple, but strong, Stumptown moves at a brisk pace and packs a serious punch thanks in large part to Cobie Smulders' star making performance."[17] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]

Caroline Framke of Variety wrote: "With only one episode to go on, it’s hard to say how “Stumptown” will handle its upcoming cases of the week, or if it will shade Dex out beyond her clichéd basics. But there are a couple standout elements of the show that point towards a more promising season than not."[19] Allison Shoemaker of The A.V. Club reviewed the first episode and wrote:"It’s likely that this origin story will lead to Dex getting a new case/distraction of the week; hopefully, those stories will stand on their own as much as they illuminate her inner life. Even if it doesn’t, even if life for Stumptown becomes a lot less interesting after this first trip, Cobie Smulders, and Dex Parios, are well worth visiting again."[20] Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote: "There's a potentially appealing mix of wisecracking humor and underplayed, credible action, though, that could blossom if it's given precedence over the melodramatic back story.[21]

Ratings

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stumptown Meet the Cast. ABC Entertainment. January 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191218112606/https://abc.com/shows/stumptown/cast. December 18, 2019. live.
  2. Web site: ABC New Series Trailers: Cobie Smulders' 'Stumptown', 'Emergence', 'Black-ish' Spinoff 'Mixed-ish'. Andreeva. Nellie. Petski. Denise. Deadline Hollywood. January 29, 2019. May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190422075000/https://deadline.com/2019/01/abc-orders-drama-pilots-stumptown-inspired-by-graphic-novels-triangle-1202544984/. April 22, 2019. live.
  3. Web site: Cobie Smulders P.I. Drama Based On 'Stumptown' Graphic Novels Gets ABC Series Order. Nellie. Andreeva. May 8, 2019. Deadline Hollywood. May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190508213819/https://deadline.com/2019/05/cobie-smulders-pi-drama-abc-series-order-stumptown-graphic-movels-1202610098/. May 8, 2019. live.
  4. Web site: ABC Fall 2019-20 Schedule: Very Few Changes, 'The Rookie' Moves To Sunday, 'American Housewife' To Friday. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. May 14, 2019. May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190514145341/https://deadline.com/2019/05/abc-fall-2019-20-schedule-upfronts-new-shows-the-rookie-mixed-ish-emergence-cobie-smulders-1202614248/. May 14, 2019. live.
  5. Web site: ABC Fall Premiere Dates: 'The Conners', 'Black-ish' & Spinoff, Cobie Smulders' 'Stumptown', Final 'Modern Family' Season & More. Deadline Hollywood. Erik. Pedersen. July 2, 2019. July 2, 2019. April 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200408205934/https://deadline.com/2019/07/abc-fall-premiere-dates-2019-1202641119/. live.
  6. Web site: 'Mixed-Ish', 'Stumptown' & 'The Rookie' Get Back Orders By ABC, 'Emergence' Remains In Renewal Contention. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. October 28, 2019. October 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191028192526/https://deadline.com/2019/10/mixed-ish-stumptown-the-rookie-back-orders-abc-emergence-remains-renewal-contention-bless-this-mess-1202770143/. October 28, 2019. live.
  7. Web site: Cobie Smulders to Star in ABC Drama Pilot 'Stumptown'. Joe. Otterson. Variety. February 25, 2019. May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401092813/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/cobie-smulders-abc-stumptown-1203149177/. April 1, 2019. live.
  8. Web site: New Cobie Smulders ABC Series Recasts A Male Lead, Departing Mark Webber Calls Treatment "Degrading". Nellie. Andreeva. May 11, 2019. Deadline Hollywood. May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190514180535/https://deadline.com/2019/05/new-cobie-smulders-abc-series-recast-mark-webber-reaction-calls-treatment-degrading-1202612642/. May 14, 2019. live.
  9. Web site: Jake Johnson To Co-Star On New ABC Drama Series 'Stumptown' In Recasting. Nellie. Andreeva. May 29, 2019. Deadline Hollywood. May 29, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190529222043/https://deadline.com/2019/05/jake-johnson-co-star-stumptown-new-abc-drama-series-cobie-smulders-recasting-mark-webber-new-girl-1202623858/. May 29, 2019. live.
  10. Web site: Ramos. Dino-Ray. 'Stumptown' Spotlights Female Veterans And Indigenous Women; Cobie Smulders Addresses Character's Bisexuality – Comic-Con. Deadline Hollywood. July 18, 2019. November 12, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191218091259/https://deadline.com/2019/07/stumptown-abc-comic-con-cobie-smulders-greg-rucka-1202648857/. December 18, 2019. live.
  11. Web site: Reiher. Andrea. In "It's About Time" News, the Main Character of This Detective Show Will Be Bisexual. PopSugar. August 15, 2019. February 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190914010301/https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Is-Dex-Bisexual-in-Stumptown-TV-Series-46456655. September 14, 2019. live.
  12. News: Horton . Jay . ABC's Portland-Set, Los Angeles-Filmed Detective Series Finds the Right Blend . November 7, 2019 . . October 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191107112449/https://www.wweek.com/arts/2019/10/01/abcs-portland-set-los-angeles-filmed-detective-series-finds-the-right-blend/ . November 7, 2019 . live .
  13. News: Turnquist . Kristi . 'Stumptown' isn't the only TV show set in Oregon, but filmed someplace else . November 7, 2019 . . September 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191107112447/https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2019/09/stumptown-isnt-the-only-tv-show-set-in-oregon-but-filmed-someplace-else.html . November 7, 2019 . live .
  14. Web site: ABC Renews 13 Series, Including Freshmen 'Stumptown' & 'Mixed-ish', For 2020-21 Season. Deadline Hollywood. Peter. White. May 21, 2020. May 21, 2020. May 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200521211124/https://deadline.com/2020/05/abc-renewals-stumptown-mixed-ish-2020-21-season-a-million-little-things-the-conners-the-goldbergs-the-rookie-the-bachelor-dancing-with-the-stars-renewed-1202940807/. live.
  15. Web site: 'Stumptown': Monica Owusu-Breen Boards ABC Drama Series As Exec Producer For Season 2. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. July 25, 2020. July 25, 2020. July 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200725201440/https://deadline.com/2020/07/stumptown-monica-owusu-breen-boards-abc-drama-series-as-exec-producer-for-season-2-1202995078/. live.
  16. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . 'Stumptown' Canceled: ABC Not Proceeding With Season 2; Cobie Smulders Series May Be Shopped Elsewhere . Deadline Hollywood . September 17, 2020 . September 17, 2020.
  17. Web site: Stumptown: Season 1 . . September 2, 2020 .
  18. Web site: Stumptown: Season 1 . . September 2, 2020 .
  19. Web site: September 25, 2019 . Framke . Caroline . TV Review: ABC's 'Stumptown' Starring Cobie Smulders . Variety . September 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190926111549/https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/stumptown-abc-review-cobie-smulders-1203347958/ . September 26, 2019 . live .
  20. Web site: September 24, 2019 . Shoemaker . Allison . Stumptown should really be called Cobie Smulders Town . . September 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190926051450/https://tv.avclub.com/stumptown-should-really-be-called-cobie-smulders-town-1838391961 . September 26, 2019 . live .
  21. Web site: . Hale . Mike . Fall TV Reviewed: Detectives, Sci-Fi and an Attempt at Romance . September 22, 2019 . September 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190925153538/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/arts/television/stumptown-emergence-progigal-song-bob-hearts-abishola-review.html . September 25, 2019 . live .

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