‘Backstrom’ canceled; Rainn Wilson series no more at Fox

The list of unfortunate but far-from-surprising cancellations today continues. We have already heard official word today that both “Constantine” and “State of Affairs” are going away, and the same now can be said for “Backstrom.” E! News reports that the Rainn Wilson crime series is ending after just one season on the air.

We feel heavily for “Backstrom,” mostly because it is a show that barely even had a chance. It aired most of its season against two big shows in “Scandal” and “The Blacklist,” and it also aired during what has been a pretty rough year for Fox. Sure, they’ve got “Empire” and to a certain extent “Gotham” and “Last Man on Earth,” but most of their other new shows failed and even some returning ones struggled. (We’ve already discussed heavily the major failures of “Sleepy Hollow” season 2.)

Unfortunately for “Backstrom” fans, we feel like the odds are low of it being shopped elsewhere successfully. It’s possible in theory, but there is not much incentive given how low the ratings were for most of the season.

What we do hope moving forward is that Wilson does eventually land on another show where his talents can be utilized to the fullest. He may be best going back into an ensemble, since that is where he shined the brightest on “The Office.” Hopefully, the right role will come for him over time, but we are far too late in pilot season for him to hop aboard a new fall show unless there are some recastings that happen over the course of the upcoming months.

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