Backstrom
Season 1 Episode 6: “Ancient, Chinese, Secret”
Directed by Rob Hardy
Written by Leif G.W. Persson (author)
Created by Hart Hanson
Starring Rainn Wilson, Beatrice Rosen, Page Kennedy, Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, Thomas Dekker, and Kristoffer Polaha.
FOX
Air Date: Thursday, February 26, 2015, 9:00pm

Last week on Backstrom 1.5 “Bogeyman,” our hero set out to solve a kidnapping eerily similar to an old case of his. It got personal and Everett Backstrom (Rainn Wilson) showed us his softer side. It is difficult to maintain a hard facade when young girls are being kidnapped by pervs, even for Backstrom. So that episode brought the needle a bit higher than the week before.

Backstrom 1.6 “Ancient, Chinese, Secret” review: A Chinatown psychic is brutally stabbed to death in an elaborate fight to the death scene, at least according to the preliminary blood spatter analysis provided by Niedermayer (Kristoffer Polaha).

Backstrom
Season 1 Episode 5: “Bogeyman”
Directed by Michael Offer
Written by Eli Attie and Leif G.W. Persson (author)
Created by Hart Hanson
Starring Rainn Wilson, Beatrice Rosen, Page Kennedy, Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, Thomas Dekker, and Kristoffer Polaha.
FOX
Air Date: Thursday, February 19, 2015, 9:00pm

Last week on Backstrom (spoilers!), our favorite cranky Special Crimes Unit detective investigated what he declared as a hate crime, in order to postpone his own hearing with the Civilian Oversight Committee. This case was wrapped up in the episode and Moto (Page Kennedy) was Backstrom’s (Rainn Wilson) hero in the end. Last week’s episode was good, but not the best of the episodes thus far.

How does Backstrom 1.5 “Bogeyman” measure up?

Backstrom
Season 1 Episode 4: “I Am a Bird Now”
Written by Leif G.W. Persson (author)
Created by Hart Hanson
Starring Rainn Wilson, Beatrice Rosen, Page Kennedy, Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, and Kristoffer Polaha
FOX
Air Date: Thursday, February 12, 2015, 9:00pm

Last week’s Backstrom 1.3 “Takes One to Know One” was the most hilarious episode to date (although the young woman murdered was not funny). Backstrom’s ex-fiancee (guest star Sarah Chalke) showed up to question him at his hearing.

Backstrom 1.4 “I Am a Bird Now” review: A drag queen is murdered. Is it a hate crime, or a crime of passion? Backstrom suspects the latter, but perhaps that’s because it will get him a postponement from The Civilian Oversight Committee hearing about the guy he shot a few episodes ago. His health problems seem to be getting worse, which is worrying his ex, his team, and especially his doctor.

Backstrom
Season 1 Episode 3: “Takes One to Know One”
Directed by Randy Zisk
Written by Hart Hanson and Leif G.W. Persson (author)
Starring Rainn Wilson, Beatrice Rosen, Page Kennedy, Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, Thomas Dekker, and Kristoffer Polaha
FOX
Air Date: Thursday, February 5, 2015, 9:00pm

What you missed last week (spoiler alert!):

Backstrom 1.2 “Bella” was on “fire” last week as cranky Backstrom (Rainn Wilson) and the gang trailed an arsonist and battled bullies to get their “man.” Valentine (Thomas Dekker) and Backstrom bet on whether Valentine could get Niedermayer (Kristoffer Polaha) to play for the other team. That was fun to watch. I’m hooked already.

Backstrom 1.3 “It Takes One to Know One” review: Geek alert! Guest star Sarah Chalke (Scrubs, HIMYM) shows up as Backstrom’s ex-fiancee! Apparently, she invented his first-person game during investigations. She is….well, I’ll let Backstrom tell you….

Backstrom
Season 1 Episode 2: “Bella”
Directed by Alex Chappa
Written by Joe Hortua and Leif G.W. Persson (author)
Created by Hart Hanson
Starring Rainn Wilson, Beatrice Rosen, Page Kennedy, Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, and Kristoffer Polaha
FOX
Air Date: Thursday, January 29, 2015, 9:00pm

Last week on Backstrom 1.1 “Dragon Slayer” (possible spoilers – beware!): We met Everett Backstrom (Rainn Wilson): cranky, overweight, pessimistic, negative, unhealthy……did I mention cranky? We’re also introduced to his band of much merrier men and women. And we met their first case and Backstrom’s unorthodox methods for solving crimes, or even seeing crimes when everyone else doesn’t see one. A senator’s son was murdered and while the whodunnit was interesting, it got a little overshadowed by the exposition. In pilots, that is sometimes to be expected. However……