The one thing a number of shows have figured out over the years is that borrowing the Law & Order style of story-telling, where each episode is about something new while each season develops the characters over a lengthy stay for moments at a time, can be replicated under a number of different genres besides the procedural. It works incredibly well for action thriller style shows; Scorpion has shown that three seasons in that it can take this formula and keep it working consistently well.
Simple premise. Robert Patrick coordinates a group of really smart people (Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jadyn Wong, Ari Stidham, Elyes Gabel) to solve crimes and mysteries. Think of it as Robert Patrick leading a group of people who are borderline autistic because of their genius; it makes the show easier to understand. If The Big Bang Theory group turned to solving crime this would be about as accurate a descriptor as well.
Each episode they are hired to do something that showcases just how smart they are, et al, as well as how profoundly unequipped they are to deal with modern society. How so? We have a character (Katherine McPhee) designed to explain to them everything they can’t understand.
The problem with the show is that none of this is very interesting. It makes for perfect network television fodder, giving a show that doesn’t challenge much but delivers the same thing on a regular basis. As long as you know how far you are into the episode you can step into a new one without much backstory needed.
Scorpion has an interesting premise but ultimately isn’t television with much behind it.
A handful of EPK pieces are included but nothing worth watching.
Paramount presents Scorpion (Season 3). Starring Robert Patrick, Katherine McPhee, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jadyn Wong, Ari Stidham, Elyes Gabel. Run Time: 17 hrs, 14 minutes. Not Rated. Released on 9.12.17
