Backstrom

Detective Lieutenant Everett Backstrom is a man with no filter. After a five-year exile to the traffic division for offensive behavior, he has returned from disgrace to lead Portland's newly minted S.C.U. Tasked with navigating the city's most sensitive and serious cases, he must solve each crime as he tries, and fails, to change his own self-destructive behavior. Based on renowned Swedish criminologist and novelist Leif G.W. Persson’s hit series of books of the same name.

Backstrom (2015) is an American crime drama series created by Hart Hanson for FOX, adapted from the books of Swedish criminologist Leif G.W. Persson. Rainn Wilson stars as Detective Lieutenant Everett Backstrom, a brilliant, profane and deeply abrasive cop who returns from a five-year exile in the traffic division to lead Portland's newly formed Special Crime Unit. His engine is a double struggle: he must solve each grim case while failing, again and again, to rein in his own self-destructive behavior and his contempt for nearly everyone around him. Beatrice Rosen plays Detective Nadia Paquet, and Dennis Haysbert plays Detective Sergeant Almond, the colleagues who must work alongside him. Across thirteen one-hour episodes in a single season, the show tracks the unit's most sensitive and serious investigations, with each case offering a fresh puzzle and a fresh opportunity for Backstrom to alienate the people he needs. Set in present-day Portland, Oregon, the series has a rain-soaked, wry and cynical tone, mixing bleak crime material with dark humor and a grudging sense of professional loyalty. Fans of Monk, Sherlock and the Nordic-inspired Wallander will find resonance in its prickly genius and procedural rigor. The show was canceled after its single season.

Audience reception is modestly positive, with the lead's abrasive charm praised while the series' rating sits in the middle range.

• Bonesflawed brilliant detective, abrasive lead, crime procedural with personal self-destruction
• Monkabrasive detective lead, misanthropic crime drama tone, police procedural structure
• Sherlockbrilliant but difficult detective, unlikable protagonist, crime procedural
• WallanderNordic crime novel adaptation, criminologist protagonist, dark investigative tone

Created by

Hart Hanson

Release Date

2015-01-22

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.4 / 10 (96)

What is Backstrom about?

A brilliant but insufferable Portland detective returns from disgrace to lead a special crime unit while battling his own self-destructive streak.

What is Backstrom like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Backstrom as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Backstrom violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Backstrom as moderate.

What did critics think of Backstrom?

Audience reception is modestly positive, with the lead's abrasive charm praised while the series' rating sits in the middle range.

Which shows are like Backstrom?

Shows with a similar feel include Bones, Monk, Sherlock, and Wallander.

How long is Backstrom?

Backstrom: 1 season, 13 episodes.

Is Backstrom still running?

No, Backstrom was canceled.

Where can I watch Backstrom?

In United States, Backstrom is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.