by Merrill Barr, Contributor |

 

Cast of CBS’ ‘Scorpion’ Photo: cbs.com

In the current age of broadcast television mandates, there’s no such thing as extra time. No matter what kind of show you’re producing, be it a crime procedural; sci-fi adventure or family drama, every one of the big four (five if you count The CW) operates with the same 42 minute runtime to allow for maximum commerical penetration. Typically, this mandated runtime is the biggest challenge a broadcast pilot has to overcome. How can one be reasonably expected to build a world in that short amount of time that still serves as a decent story on the episodic front? While typically an insurmountable challenge, in the atypical case of CBS’ new drama, Scorpion, the quickened pace of broadcast standards actually work to enhance the characters presented.

Scorpion follows the fourth smartest man on the planet, Walter O’Brien. Following a life spent trying to connect with “normal” people, Walter decides to form an A-Team like gang of geniuses that work to solve various problems. Unfortunately, things over the last two years haven’t gone while for the ambitious company, but that all changes when a computer malfunction at air-traffic control forces U.S. federal agent Cabe Gallo to enlist the help of Walter and his team to prevent a tragedy of epic proportions from taking place.

Read More

Comments are closed.

Post Navigation