What a pilot. ... I watched “Forget It, Dex, It’s Stumptown” three times before sitting down to write this review, and got more out of it each time. What’s more, each of those three times, the cold open gag plus action sequence plus Neil Simon musical sting that sets up the series’ whole vibe absolutely killed, as did its callback at the end of the hour.
Fortunately, Stumptown is blessed with a proven TV and movie star playing a character who herself arrives on screen fully formed. It’s years away from becoming a classic in its own right, but it reminds me of one, and that’s a good start.
Stumptown is my 3rd favorite new drama of 2019, one of my top 5 favorite new shows of 2019, and one of my favorite shows of all time, it was a A+ first season. Cobie Smulders gives a phenomenal leading performance, she gives a funny, deep, and strong performance. The supporting performances from Cole Sibus, Jake Johnson, Camryn Manheim, Tantoo Cardinal, Adrian Martinez, and Michael Ealy were stupendous. The writing and storylines are outstanding. The stunts are awesome and spectacular. The soundtrack is excellent. This was a terrific first season.
“Stumptown” starts off strong, quickly introducing us to characters we want to get to know better, avoiding the usual private investigator clichés, and giving us a setting that’s fresh and brimming with story possibilities.
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 cliched basics. But there are a couple standout elements of the show that point towards a more promising season than not.
Wednesday’s premiere episode veers back and forth story-wise almost as crazily as the show-starting wild ride. ... That’s the overall point and thrust of Stumptown, where a woman drinks, fights and has sex on her terms in the same manner numerous men did in an assembly line of earlier ABC action dramas.
Stumptown is one of the better new fall network pilots, and not just because most of them are BAD, but because it delivers Smulders to our TV screens on a weekly basis again.
Seems like it might have some promise, but will have to wait and see how it pans out. Some of the plot lines are interesting, but I wonder if any will have enough legs to carry the series.
Stumptown is about Dex Parios (How I Met Your Mother's Cobie Smulders), an ex-soldier with PTSD and a tragic past who decides to become a private detective. I stopped watching this after the eighth episode. I didn't think this was bad so much as there wasn't enough to keep me watching.
The pilot episode and and one subplot that lasted a few episodes are pretty good. However, the writers didn't really know what to do with the stand-alone episodes which were often just okay. The biggest trouble is that the show tries to balance network lightheartedness and comedy with more serious elements. They nail it in the first episode, but for the rest of the show the disparate parts never quite gel. (I get the feeling that the original graphic novel this was based on was more mature and they tried to adapt this to be more network-friendly.)
I have no complaints with the cast. Smulders and New Girl's Jake Johnson is great as her friend.
I can see some people getting more out of this than me, but personally I think there are a lot of shows out there that take priority.
Interesting characters in an over the top premise that occasionally entertains. Could do without all the dark secrets and pointless non-conformity to rules and social norms. Don’t understand why the lead character has to get in physical altercations almost every episode.
Getting to the predictable plot lines and unimaginative plot twists too early on. Doesn’t bode well for sustaining the needed quality in the scripts.