This season, they're offering two programs with female leads -- EMERGENCE and STUMPTOWN. It's the latter that The Water Cooler Set is obsessing over. Even though there's nothing remotely lifelike in STUMPTOWN and we'd include Cobie Smulders' performance inthat evaluation. That's right Robin of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER is now a bad ass. She's called Dex and supposedly saw combat in Afghanistan but, scene after scene, it's pure Robin Sparkles singing "Let's Go The Mall."
Who thought this was the way to go?
Greg Rucka created a great story with strong characters but ABC seems intent on turning it into THE LOVEBOAT. Oh, look, there's NEW GIRL's Jake Johnson! Over there, it's PERSON OF INTREST, GHOST WHISPERER and THE PRACTICE's Camryn Manheim, and isn't thatALMOST HUMAN's Michael Ealy?
Of all the roles, it's the lead role that really required a new face. If the thought was that Colbi would deliver viewers . . . Well, maybe for the first episode. But every episode since has seen strong erosion in viewers.
Casting Cobie was taking a huge risk and not because she's known for comedy. Christina Applegate, for example, has a comedy background but she could have handled the role. It requires an ability to dig into a character. Nothing in Colbi's past indicatesshe possessed that ability. Even as an Agent of SHIELD she was iffy, not strong.
Due to the material, it really should have been a new face in the lead. You really don't want to risk bringing in a lot of baggage into the role. If you needed a 'name' to get a series order from the network, then you go after a woman who can play the role. Applegate, Emily VanCamp, Meagan Goode, and Maggie Q are just a few who quickly come to mind.
If casting Cobie in the lead role was a mistake, it was also a mistake to cast Johnson as Dex's best friend when everyone watching is going to be hoping he gets together with Dex since he's the biggest male name and has a number of followers.
EMERGENCE is ABC's other hour long drama starring a woman. In this case, it's FARGO's Allison Tolman. If Cobie's supposed to be a hot bad ass, Allison's supposed to be . . . Amy Klobuchar? She's a police chief, Jo Evans, in a town where a plane goes down. She discovers a child near the crash site but the child, Piper, is unharmed. Was she part of the crash? She has no scratches and no injuries.
Before this can be pondered too much, a couple emerges claiming to be the parents. And the crash site is taken over by federal authorities -- or people claiming to be.
This is a suspense show and the best news for the series is that NBC turned it down (after viewing the pilot) and ABC picked it up. If it were airing on NBC, it would be cancelled.
Well, that's not fair. They could tack "Chicago" onto the title (CHICAGO EMERGENCE) and it might stand a chance. But NBC has consistently failed the sci-fi and fantasy audience. Since there is no real network support for the genre, it's smart that the show moved over to ABC.
It's a smart show that, so far, has managed the twists and turns and revelations at a consistent pace that keeps the viewer interested -- not overwhelmed or bored.
It's also got a very strong cast led by Allison. Along with her, immediate stands out include Donald Faison, Maria Dizzia and Robert Bailey Jr. And EMERGENCE is a strong show.
Even with the problems STUMPTOWN has, ABC deserves credit for continuing to support female-driven projects. It's time to start asking other networks like NBC, CBS and FOX why they can't say the same?