After a lengthy demotion due to his offensive actions, Detective Everett Backstrom is tasked with running Portland’s newly formed Special Crimes Unit. Now, he’s on his best behavior (allegedly) as he tries to change his self-destructive tendencies (unsuccessfully). He’s brash, boorish, insulting and an undeniably brilliant detective who, despite his character flaws and personal shortcomings, always gets his man, or woman.
“He makes a ton of mistakes as he’s trying to solve a crime but nothing gets by Backstrom. He’s like an alcoholic shark with a badge,” says Backstrom (Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT on FOX beginning Jan. 22) star Rainn Wilson. “He doesn’t solve crime to be one of the good guys, but to ‘put away’ any criminal who thinks they might be smarter than him.”
Part of Backstrom’s appeal is the show’s willingness to go there. No subject is taboo and no one is safe from Backstrom’s barbs. “He says exactly what’s on his mind. All the time. Wickedly. He has no filter. ‘Political correctness’ is his mortal enemy,” says Wilson.
Wilson’s Backstrom may be TV’s least heroic hero, but the actor doesn’t mind — he has built a career on playing lovable but deeply flawed characters. The Office’s nerdy, beet-loving Dwight Schrute earned Wilson not only three Emmy nominations, but also a bobblehead doll created in his mustard-colored-shirt-wearing likeness.
As Backstrom, Wilson should expect nothing less — perhaps a sculpture made out of cigars and bacon as a nod to his character’s disdain for all things healthy — but the role has enough drama and comedy to showcase the actor’s talent. “I was always drawn to the misfits, the down-and-outers, the sad clowns of the world,” he reveals. “When I read this script I was blown away.”
Surrounding Backstrom is a team that tries to rein in the misanthropic genius. “The cast is a band of misfit losers fighting crime together — like Guardians of the Galaxy, only in the Portland Police Department,” says Wilson. “The only people Backstrom seems to care about are his roommate/fence/underworld connection Valentine, played by the great Thomas Dekker, and his ex-fiancée Amy, played by the great — and hot — Sarah Chalke. And hookers. He gets along with them just fine.”
Image: ©2014 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX
