Really Surprised!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This (brief) series was brilliant--writing, casting, characters, ambiance. Totally off-center and smart. One might even say twisted, but hysterically funny in the mode of Deadpool. But as usual, the greedy soulless bastards at Fox will only allow an occasional non-mainstream offering. I will never look at Rainn Wilson in the same way again. Looking for a DVD, hope there is one somewhere.

This show could be amazing. It could become an incredible hit. It could be groundbreaking.Alas, Fox, being the idiots that they are, brutally murdered it. There is no other way to describe what they did to "Backstrom". They barely marketed it. They put it in the worst possible time slot. And, to top it all, they made sure to air the episodes in the wrong order. And that, my friends, ruined the show's continuity. Of course, given the fact that the episodes are more or less stand alone, that is not such a big deal, but it sends a lot of the character development right down the toilet. Two Backstrom's team members fall in love, but instead of seeing their feelings gradually developing during the course of the season, in one episode we see them kissing and sharing deep secrets and in a later episode they act as if they just barely know each other. The same with Backstrom's self destructing nature. In one episode he can be a complete wreck and in the next one he can be a relatively normal, although flawed man.And so on. Fox really messed the continuity of the show up, which is why it won't be surprising if some people think it doesn't make sense. And this is a pity, because "Backstrom" is a real jewel. It is laugh out loud funny and heartbreakingly sad, it is optimistic and pessimistic, it is... It is just that good. Backstrom is an incredible character, flawed and mean, but good at heart and with the soul of a child. The members of his team are all interesting characters with distinct personalities. The cases are well written, although very unrealistic. The dialogue is witty and funny, and the acting is great.And, at least, the show does not end with a cliffhanger. Yes, Backstrom's final words are, "Now what?" but we are given a nice closure.But, yes, Fox messed up. Badly. That is what they do. They either milk a show until it dies, and a few years after that, like they did with "Bones" and "House M. D.", or they actively sabotage it and eventually axe it, like they did with "Firefly", "Almost Human", "Dollhouse"... Why? Just... Why?

I am getting really tired of the abusive and dysfunctional but somehow brilliant brat trope that seems to have taken over television for the last few years. Even "House" could be unbearable. On analysis, most of their brilliance (and yes I'm including "House" in this) is lucky guessing. Keep throwing out theories and you are bound to get it right at least once.I've watched every episode of this season so far (7) and frankly Backstrom is getting more and more irritating as the show goes on. I'm sorry, someone like this would be lucky to keep his job let alone lead a team of detectives. Yes, there are moments that kept me watching, and in all honesty, maybe if I hadn't seen so many similar characters (cop or not) so many times I would have liked the show better, but no. I'm done and I can't recommend it--unless the supporting characters get more screen-time and more stories lines than the main "star". I really like some of the supporting cast and kept watching because of these characters and their back-stories. They were far more interesting. He's not brilliant. He's obnoxious.

As I am writing this review, we are 5 episodes in. From what I have seen so far, I am excited to what they've done with the concept.Cop shows are often a dime a dozen, even when the producers claim they have something new and refreshing. But I certainly feel this one has true potential to be unique and innovative.First of all, the storytelling doesn't shy away from some hard topics, like homosexuality, teenagers, abuse and self doubt among others. They use this to great effect, but they also use subtle, quirky comedy to keep us entertained.Secondly, the main character is an antihero. This has been done before. But Everett Backstrom really has some issues. He isn't very friendly, he hates himself, he drinks on the job and breaks a lot of rules along the way. But despite himself and his ways, his peers respect him nonetheless, they even like him. He even has a homeless, abused tween living with him. He tells himself it's for the rent, but there is some sincerity there, that is picked up by his tenant.Thirdly, it is set Portland, Oregon. This is fun too, because it takes us away from the cliché places like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle or other big cities that are often used for the backdrop.All in all I feel this is a fun ride so far, and I hope they keep up the good writing. If it stays this good, I am here to stay as well.