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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2019
‘Stumptown’: Portland-set series is one of fall TV’s best
By KRISTI TURNQUIST
The Oregonian
It’s never easy to tell from
just one episode whether
a TV series will be worth
sticking with. But ABC’s
new “Stumptown” starts off
strong, quickly introducing
us to characters we want to
get to know better, avoid-
ing the usual private inves-
tigator clichés, and giv-
ing us a setting that’s fresh
and brimming with story
possibilities.
OK, so we’re a little
biased. “Stumptown” is set
in Portland, and it’s inspired
by graphic novels written by
Portland-based author Greg
Rucka. But “Stumptown”
looks like it will be good
enough on its own to make
us forgive the fact that the
show – despite some scenes
fi lmed locally – will be pro-
duced in Los Angeles.
Cobie Smulders, best
known for “How I Met Your
Mother” and Marvel mov-
ies, is a perfect fi t for Dex
Parios, a military intelli-
gence veteran who’s not
exactly keeping it together
in Portland.
After the fi rst episodes
gets off to a literally fl ying
start with a stunt involving
Dex, two thugs, and a car we
see soaring in the sky with
the Broadway Bridge in the
background, we come crash-
ing down to earth. Dex is
gambling at a Native Amer-
ican-operated casino, and
to do a job for the cool,
tough-minded boss of the
casino, Sue Lynn Blackbird
(played with steely charisma
by Tantoo Cardinal).
Dex hadn’t really thought
of turning her military skills
into a career as a private
investigator, but when Sue
Lynn’s granddaughter goes
missing, Dex might just be
the right person to fi nd the
young woman.
As Dex pursues leads,
we meet the other people
in her life. She takes care of
her younger brother, Ansel
(played by Cole Sibus), who
wears a Portland Timbers
shirt to display his loyalty,
and who has Down syn-
drome. Dex’s friend, Grey
McConnell (a winning turn
by Jake Johnson, of “New
Girl”), also pitches in when
it comes to looking after
Ansel, even as Grey is open-
ing his own bar.
Once Dex starts tangling
with bad guys – like the
ones who lock her in that car
trunk we see in that open-
ing action sequence – she
gets beaten up, lied to, and
meets members of the Port-
land police force, including
Detective Miles Hoffman
(Michael Ealy) and Lieu-
tenant Cosgrove (Camryn
Manheim).
Along the way, we learn
that Dex has enough demons
to populate a Halloween
haunted house, and that her
self-destructive impulses are
at war with her yearning to
‘STUMPTOWN’ IS SET IN
PORTLAND, AND IT’S
INSPIRED BY GRAPHIC NOVELS
WRITTEN BY PORTLAND-BASED
AUTHOR GREG RUCKA.
though she’s enthusiastic,
she’s not particularly lucky.
Dex is shrewd enough
to instantly spot a fi shy
come-on from a guy hitting
on her with a made-up story,
but she’s also gotten herself
in deep debt to the Whisper-
ing Winds casino. Which is
why she reluctantly agrees
make things right, even after
she messes them up.
For Portlanders, there’s
fun in seeing the scenes
fi lmed on location (the pilot
also includes scenes fi lmed
in Vancouver, B.C.); meet-
ing Dex’s friend, Tookie
(Adrian Martinez), who
owns a taco food cart (how
Kailey Schwerman/ABC
Cobie Smulders delivers a sharp, sexy performance as Dex Parios in “Stumptown,” based on comics-turned-graphic novels by
Portland-based author Greg Rucka.
Portland can you get?);
hearing references to Old
Town, Bend and more Ore-
gon spots; and, once again,
seeing the “Portland, Ore-
gon” neon sign in Old Town,
letting viewers know where
this is supposedly taking
place.
Even better is how exec-
utive producer and showrun-
ner Jason Richman’s script
mixes suspense with Dex’s
self-deprecating jokes, and
the expert performances
from everyone in the cast.
It’s particularly satisfying
to see Smulders fl ex muscles
we maybe didn’t know she
had. She makes Dex both a
deeply human, self-sabotag-
ing mess, and a brave, gutsy
heroine we’re willing to fol-
low down dark alleys, in
Portland, or anywhere else.
“Stumptown” premieres
at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.
25, on ABC.
Matthias Clamer/ABC
The cast of “Stumptown,” including, from left, Camryn Manheim as Lieutenant Cosgrove,
Adrian Martinez as Tookie, Michael Ealy as Detective Miles Hoff man, Cobie Smulders as Dex
Parios, Jake Johnson as Grey McConnell, Cole Sibus as Ansel Parios and Tantoo Cardinal as Sue
Lynn Blackbird.
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