S01.E01: Klamath Falls

[Guest]

Quote

Series Premiere. Colter's handlers send him to Klamath Falls, Oregon, to investigate the disappearance of 14-year-old Gil Brown who is suspected to have been taken by his birth dad with a criminal background.

Air Date: February 11, 2024 

[possibilities]

I wasn't interested in this show but I had the tv on tonight and got sucked in. I had hypothermia and let me tell you-- it's miserable. I got medical care, but I've never been the same since. So I was sucked in by the opening scene.

And, besides that:

I LOOOOOOVE his handlers (dispatchers? whoever they are) and their dogs.

I envy his amazing trailer. I want one. I want to look at it if I can't have it.

I am tired of every show having a hacker on board, but I also looove his, so I guess they're overcoming my aversion with character beats.

Not thrilled by the professional women being hot for him (lawyer, cop) but at least they're competent professionals and not just bimbo groupies. I alwaya like seeing competent female characters. Just let's not make it habit of having one fall for him every week.

Another thing I"m tired of is the tragic backstory for every hero. So I'm not looking forward to the emo. My guess is that the brother was either acting in self-defense, or killed the dad because he was a sexual abuser and bro was trying to end that situation. But I don't relish the slow agonizing wallow and the clenched jaw and angsty looks into the distance that we are surely going to get all season long in between the flashbacks, culminating in an epic breakdown when he finally gets The Truth.

And if bro wants to tell him something, just fucking text it for godsake, or send a letter. It doesn't have to be in person, except to draw out the pain for tv purposes.

 

[AnimeMania]

Encore Episode 1: February 15, 2024   CBS    10pm

Next New Episode (Regular Scheduled Time): February 18, 2024  CBS     9pm

Colm Hill as Derek
Matthew Nelson-Mahood as Young Russell Shaw
Lee Tergesen as Ashton Shaw 
Prestyn Bates as Young Colter Shaw
Aggie Bell as Dorion Shaw
Arianna McGregor as Patty

Zia Newton as Counter Worker
Paniz Zade as Officer Amini Kahn

Nemo Cartwright as Cop
Garfield Wilson as Fred
Sean Owen Roberts as Milton
Patrick Bahrich as Desk Sergeant 

Ashley Nicole Roxburgh as Jesse Bowers

[buttersister]

Justin’s shirt came off in the first few minutes. He’s got an angst-filled backstory following him presently, every straight available woman has the hots for him. Sigh, here’s hoping the writing improves because so far, only his handlers were mildly interesting.

I liked Justin in TIU. He looks like he hasn’t eaten a carb in a couple years. But I won’t stick around just to see all the dogs.

[Raja]

So broadcast standards Reacher with personal things flipped here and there.

[nixgirl28]

It was OK. Some terrible writing in places. Some rough acting in places. We're supposed to believe he's 36? Justin Hartley is a good looking guy, but he looks his 47 years. 

I'm slightly intrigued, but no character to this point is interesting or likeable yet. I might give it another episode or two, maybe once it gets its stride and figures itself out a bit, this show could be really good.

[Xarquol]

It at least started promisingly. They went into the first few ad breaks with intriguing plot developments that had you wanting to know what happened next. But unfortunately, by the end the tropes others have mentioned above crept in. I'll still give it a few more episodes and see how it goes.

A couple of things confused me though. When they cut to the flashback where a young Colter was climbing, with his Dad watching from below, it took me quite a few seconds to realise that that's what we were being shown. Initially I thought it was the present day, and we were seeing the missing kid and his Dad together. The actor playing what turned out to be the bad guy looked too much like the man in the photograph that Colter took with him. It was unclear how old the photo was so it was easy to accept visual differences and misinterpret the scene.

But that's not the most confusing thing. I swear the man in the photograph is Mackenzie Crook, i.e. Gareth from The Office UK, who was also in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. If it's not him, the similarity is uncanny. And if it is him, it might be a production in-joke, but it distracted from the storyline of him being dead. I was expecting him to appear at the end magically alive. But presumably in this format, there will be a missing person of the week and we will never see this family ever again.

[MissLucas]

This was pretty much what I had been expecting and I'm fine with that - tropes and all. A bit like the 'The Finder' but less quirky.

[Snazzy Daisy]

What a bland premiere! For me, Justin Hartley is not a leading man material. He lacks onscreen charisma. “Take off your shirt” tactic will not work in long term.

A rewardist? Seriously? Dude, you’re a misper hunter. 🙄

This series needs a compilation of truly engaging cases to sustain. The first case is so blah. Even the intro to hypothermia girl is more interesting.

Am expecting this show to bring us some compelling investigative works based on tracker’s instincts, heavy outdoor tracking and collaborative teamwork. I think I will be disappointed.

Colter’s team is geographically scattered. It doesn’t feel cohesive, totally disjointed. This will be their undoing. Other similar shows (Alert MPU, Found etc.), the togetherness of their team that makes it special and wholesome.

Some viewers may stay for Colter’s backstory. I may not be one of them.

[SunnyBeBe]

I hate I missed this.  Plan to catch up.  It looks appealing.  But, I like Justin.  

[Quickbeam]

I really enjoyed this. I’ve read some of the books so I was prepared for the “he’s in it for the money” angle. Love the inclusion of a character with disabilities. Justin is easy on the eyes and has a likable on screen manner. My standards are not that high. 

[possibilities]

The thing about the hypothermia story that intrigued me the most was that we tend to imagine hypothermia only happens in wintery blizzard type situations, and there was no evidence of that. Plus, her boyfriend seemed totally cold about her nearly dying, and also like he didn't expect to be asked to pay the reward.

I think that the woman with hypothermia probably has a pretty sad backstory, too, given she's apparently romantically attached to some asshole of a guy.

And they introduced that just for a passing case that had no follow up. Usually, these kinds of shows make the flash in the pan characters generic and forgettable. 

[slasherboy]

7 hours ago, Xarquol said:

And if it is him, it might be a production in-joke, but it distracted from the storyline of him being dead. But presumably in this format, there will be a missing person of the week and we will never see this family ever again.

What would the in-joke be?

I believe we'll see his family again. There's a reason his brother, Russell, keeps calling him and insisting he answer the phone. They're not going to just ignore that. Also, I don't think they'd bring his mother in for just that brief scene, never to be heard of again. I also think his sister will re-surface.

I'm going to give it a chance, mostly for the dogs and I like looking at Justin Hartley.

[slasherboy]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I hate I missed this.  Plan to catch up.  It looks appealing.  But, I like Justin.  

It's going to be re-run on February 15th.

 

[possibilities]

I suspect mom is not as innocent as dude thinks she is. Her total rejection of the other brother is surprising. Maybe the kid is the family scapegoat. Maybe dad fell and everybody blamed the brother. I mean, it's never as simple as a dysfunctional family makes things seem to outsiders. If dad was so dangerous, why didn't mom do anything to protect the kids or help the dad? A kid wanting his dad dead is not something that happens without a lot of abusive build up. 

[Netfoot]

Watched the episode and enjoyed it well enough. If they keep the Case of the Week interesting, this show could be good. If they press the stupid family back-story drama too far the show will fall flat.

Will watch a few more to see how it goes.

[Xarquol]

5 hours ago, slasherboy said:

What would the in-joke be?

I believe we'll see his family again. There's a reason his brother, Russell, keeps calling him and insisting he answer the phone. They're not going to just ignore that. Also, I don't think they'd bring his mother in for just that brief scene, never to be heard of again. I also think his sister will re-surface.

I'm going to give it a chance, mostly for the dogs and I like looking at Justin Hartley.

The in-joke would be a slightly famous actor appearing only as a character in a photograph for five seconds, never to be seen again.

The family I am referring to is that of the Case of the Week, not Colter's. I'm sure Colter will continue to get vague texts at inopportune moments, we'll see more flashbacks, and then Colter will return to his trailer one night to find his brother half way through a bottle of bourbon, ready for a big ol' chat.

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, Xarquol said:

and then Colter will return to his trailer one night to find his brother half way through a bottle of bourbon, ready for a big ol' chat.

You get an A+ in TV literacy!

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, Xarquol said:

and then Colter will return to his trailer one night to find his brother half way through a bottle of bourbon, ready for a big ol' chat.

Which will be the worst episode for the entire season.

[DanaK]

I had to babysit my DVR due to the game overtime but I managed to record this in full. I liked it enough to keep tuning in for now

[AZChristian]

A friend mentioned this series to me at lunch yesterday, because she knows hubby and I are on a Jeffrey Deaver books kick.

Hadn't read any of the Colter Shaw stuff yet, but I'm really looking forward to it now.  I think the actor who plays Colter is great . . . calm, intelligent, slightly sarcastic.  But you KNOW he's going to track down that $50,000 the hypothermic girl's boyfriend casually offered.  He seemed surprised that someone actually wanted to be paid!  (See update below.)

I didn't think "Eddie Brown" looked like MacKenzie Crook, but the actor who plays him (Stephen Hooper) has only ever had one role (according to IMDB), and this is it.  No biography, no pictures.  Nada.  Hmmmm.

UPDATE:  Upon rewatch, I was reminded that Colter accepted a Visa card as payment for finding the young woman.  The ladies who are apparently his associates were fussing at him because of the fees.  

I rewatched the portion with the picture of Gil with Eddie.  Eddie is NOT being played by MacKenzie Crook.  I'm a big fan of "The Detectorists" . . . 

 

 

Edited February 13 by AZChristian
Rewatch.

[Featherhat]

I liked it well enough to give it a 2nd try next week. JH was OK but he doesn't scream "I can carry 80% of this show by myself" IMHO but we'll see. There was also some very clunky dialogue but I've heard worse from a pilot. I think they *tried* to make it natural in some places, which highlighted that it wasn't. 

I laughed when he said "rewardist" yeah that makes everything so palatable. Hey, if you're that good a hunter/mercenary that you put most PDs to shame then just own it. You don't have a problem collecting the money 2 seconds after rescue. 

I liked his handlers, although I hope they meet up face to face sometimes, them being on a screen will get boring after a while. 

Lawyer was OK but I called that they'd slept together the second one of the women was "noooo". And she can't get enough of his cases even though/because he does really, really dumb stuff like get arrested in a fast food restaurant. Even though she's a high end Harvard educated lawyer. Right.  

I didn't think that the scene where he spills his backstory to the cop was at all earned. Not even a little. That was one of the unnatural parts. I know they were apparently mutually lusting but as a reveal or an intimate moment, even for a one ep hook up, it fell flat. I suppose it's a little different that such a pivotal pilot moment was given to a one ep character and that there was no angst between them at the end though. But obviously they also set up his love interest. 

I knew he was going to jump in with the kid the second I saw water there, because what's the most maverick/"badass" thing he can do in the situation. But I will give it another week at least because it wasn't terrible.

[Bulldog]

So, I’m thinking Mom killed Dad and brother took the blame. 
 

Also, I liked the female cop. I’m assuming she’s a one-off, given that the premise of the show is Shaw traveling to collect rewards. 
 

Overall, liked it well enough to keep watching. I thought Hartley was very underrated on TIU (he was my favorite of the Big 3), so I’m glad he got the opportunity to be a show lead. 

[ribboninthesky1]

On 2/12/2024 at 12:17 AM, possibilities said:

Another thing I"m tired of is the tragic backstory for every hero. So I'm not looking forward to the emo. My guess is that the brother was either acting in self-defense, or killed the dad because he was a sexual abuser and bro was trying to end that situation...

And if bro wants to tell him something, just fucking text it for godsake, or send a letter. It doesn't have to be in person, except to draw out the pain for tv purposes.

Or hell, send an email! I'm guessing the dad's death might have been an accident, or maybe Lee Tergresen intentionally jumped trying to escape whoever was "after" him. 

I also like the theory that the mom was involved - given his increasing level of paranoia and presumably violent outbursts, maybe she led him to his death.

On 2/12/2024 at 7:11 AM, Raja said:

So broadcast standards Reacher with personal things flipped here and there.

Pretty much!

On 2/12/2024 at 7:31 AM, nixgirl28 said:

We're supposed to believe he's 36? Justin Hartley is a good looking guy, but he looks his 47 years. 

I'll never turn down shirtless Hartley, and the man can wear a pair of jeans quite nicely.  But I also wonder if he's doing something to his face, as it looked just slightly off in direct shots.  I'm not knocking cosmetic procedures, because hey, that's the entertainment biz.  But when it's not done well, or the results are still...settling, it's more noticeable then ever in this high definition, digital era. 

But yeah, he looks his age and there's no reason the character can't be in his forties.  I wonder who is cast as the older brother in present day.  

In any case, I'll probably watch the next day via streaming to avoid the commercials.  It went by pretty quickly for me in that regard.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, Bulldog said:

So, I’m thinking Mom killed Dad and brother took the blame. 

Ooh! Interesting theory... and COLD AS ICE!

[nixgirl28]

1 hour ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

Or hell, send an email! I'm guessing the dad's death might have been an accident, or maybe Lee Tergresen intentionally jumped trying to escape whoever was "after" him. 

I also like the theory that the mom was involved - given his increasing level of paranoia and presumably violent outbursts, maybe she led him to his death.

Pretty much!

I'll never turn down shirtless Hartley, and the man can wear a pair of jeans quite nicely.  But I also wonder if he's doing something to his face, as it looked just slightly off in direct shots.  I'm not knocking cosmetic procedures, because hey, that's the entertainment biz.  But when it's not done well, or the results are still...settling, it's more noticeable then ever in this high definition, digital era. 

But yeah, he looks his age and there's no reason the character can't be in his forties.  I wonder who is cast as the older brother in present day.  

In any case, I'll probably watch the next day via streaming to avoid the commercials.  It went by pretty quickly for me in that regard.

Oh he's gorgeous! Doesn't look old or bad in any way, but he looks in his forties. I think I was just taken aback because I just turned 37 and don't like the idea that he's younger than me, lol!

[nixgirl28]

On 2/12/2024 at 6:57 PM, possibilities said:

I suspect mom is not as innocent as dude thinks she is. Her total rejection of the other brother is surprising. Maybe the kid is the family scapegoat. Maybe dad fell and everybody blamed the brother. I mean, it's never as simple as a dysfunctional family makes things seem to outsiders. If dad was so dangerous, why didn't mom do anything to protect the kids or help the dad? A kid wanting his dad dead is not something that happens without a lot of abusive build up. 

Dad was paranoid and that's not easy to live with and who knows, maybe mom bought into it too. He is similar to my dad, all about prepping and a survivalist lifestyle, fear of "them" and conspiracy minded. It's hard on a kid, especially moving away from everything to live in anxiety and paranoia. It really takes its toll (ask how I know, lol). I'm guessing it was probably an accident that is just assumed to be murder (and of course people in these shows don't communicate). Or it was a crime of passion and the kid just snapped from the stress of it all. We'll see, I really hope they don't go the abuse route, I think mental illness/paranoia/delusions is enough.

[Writing Wrongs]

I just started watching the episode and had my first big eyeroll with the clunky "their history" exposition of lawyer at the jail to some random cop who couldn't give a shit. I hope the writing gets better.

[Xarquol]

On 2/13/2024 at 1:42 PM, AZChristian said:

I rewatched the portion with the picture of Gil with Eddie.  Eddie is NOT being played by MacKenzie Crook.  I'm a big fan of "The Detectorists" . . . 

It would have been very odd if he had been. I didn't think to even look in the credits, as I wouldn't have expected the character to be listed. Is it normal for someone in a photograph to be credited? Perhaps there was a cut flashback or something, but that could have been confused with Colter's family flashbacks.

[AZChristian]

4 hours ago, Xarquol said:

It would have been very odd if he had been. I didn't think to even look in the credits, as I wouldn't have expected the character to be listed. Is it normal for someone in a photograph to be credited? Perhaps there was a cut flashback or something, but that could have been confused with Colter's family flashbacks.

Not usually, but if they are going to do flashbacks (as was hinted in this first episode), there is an actor playing Colter's father . . . thus, the credit on IMDB.

[Sake614]

On 2/12/2024 at 1:52 AM, buttersister said:

won’t stick around just to see all the dogs.

I will lol! Seriously, the premiere was okay. My guess is mom killed dad and the brother took the rap for it. Probably went to prison for a few years or was just ostracized from the family. Mom let coulter believe it was Russel all these years to keep Coulter close to her and to protect her own ass. 

I’ll stick with it for a few more episodes and hope it becomes more than just a guy driving around the country saving people for a reward. 

[Xarquol]

7 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Not usually, but if they are going to do flashbacks (as was hinted in this first episode), there is an actor playing Colter's father . . . thus, the credit on IMDB.

But NotMackenzieCrook was "playing" the dad of this week's missing person, so presumably we'll never see him again. Those five seconds on a photograph waved about in front of the camera is all we'll get. We've already seen Colter's father in flashback, and presumably we aren't going to see him in the present day, unless he didn't actually die in what we've seen so far. We'd perhaps need an older actor anyway.

Mind you, if Paramount+ placing this in its list of sci-fi shows isn't a mistake, anything's possible.

Edited February 16 by Xarquol

[HurricaneVal]

OK.  I'm ten minutes in on the first episode.  This is like BJ and the Bear, only without the chimp and instead of T&A bimbos we've got sharp and sarcastic lesbians?  Or The A-Team, only a solo act, rolling Mr. T, the con man, the crazy pilot, and the gruff commander into one guy?  Or MacGyver without the gimmicks?  Or Airwolf without the miracle helicopter?  

At any rate, after fifteen minutes....I'm all in now.  I'm a total sucker for this roving do-gooder genre of a show.

[possibilities]

The formula is timeless! The original King Fu-- a lone guy, on a personal quest, roaming the earth, doing good deeds....

[nx74defiant]

It was fun. Not great but still enjoyable.

Of course the fast food kid doesn't even know what time they open.

Yes, the exposition with the cop was clunky.

I like the lead and the scenery is beautiful.

[shapeshifter]

On 2/13/2024 at 8:44 PM, ribboninthesky1 said:

Or hell, send an email! I'm guessing the dad's death might have been an accident, or maybe Lee Tergresen intentionally jumped trying to escape whoever was "after" him. 

I assumed what was "after" Dad was schizophrenia. No?

[MissLucas]

21 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Or Airwolf without the miracle helicopter?  

And WHERE is the Airwolf remake I've been asking for for years now??? Hollywood is remaking old shows left and right but nobody touches the magic helicopter - I'm just saying.

I like this show but an Airstream is no Airwolf.

[proserpina65]

On 2/12/2024 at 12:17 AM, possibilities said:

My guess is that the brother was either acting in self-defense, or killed the dad because he was a sexual abuser and bro was trying to end that situation.

My guess is that the mother killed him and the brother covered for her.

 

[Trini]

Okay, so some clunky expository dialogue and cliché tropes, but I still thought this was good. Willing to stick around and see more of Colter's adventures. It's starting out stronger than some other shows.

[Morrigan2575]

I enjoyed the first episode, I will admit the ladies were the most entertaining parts but, I'm willing to give Colter time because they did use a lot of his time to setup the tragic backstory/exposition and season long mystery. 

 

[shapeshifter]

On 2/12/2024 at 12:17 AM, possibilities said:

My guess is that the brother was either acting in self-defense, or killed the dad because he was a sexual abuser and bro was trying to end that situation.

On 2/20/2024 at 4:20 PM, proserpina65 said:

My guess is that the mother killed him and the brother covered for her.

My guess: Father had developed schizophrenia and either asked Mom or one of the brothers to kill him or killed himself — and, if so, probably accidentally by running off of the cliff to escape a hallucination.

 

Edited February 22 by shapeshifter

[candall]

Justin "carb-free" Hartley, the whole adorable dog situation, and . . . Robin Weigert!!  Tell me she does not polish and elevate any project she touches.  Love her.  ❣️

[Featherhat]

On 2/22/2024 at 12:21 AM, Morrigan2575 said:

I enjoyed the first episode, I will admit the ladies were the most entertaining parts but, I'm willing to give Colter time because they did use a lot of his time to setup the tragic backstory/exposition and season long mystery. 

 

I thought the dog storyline was a pretty good way of introducing their personalities and their relationship. I wonder how they got into the mercenary business in the first place? 

[possibilities]

I really want to know how they and the IT guy got connected with Colton, too.

[KaveDweller]

I was trying to figure out if one of the two handlers could be Coulter's little sister. We see that he has one in the flashback, and the relationship seems like it could fit a sibling one. Plus why introduce a little sister in the past if she isn't going to be on the show at some point.

I know she didn't have the same name, but I think they called the little girl "Dory" and the adult is "Teddy." Her name could be Theodora or something, and she changed nicknames.

[love2lovebadtv]

On 2/12/2024 at 7:31 AM, nixgirl28 said:

It was OK. Some terrible writing in places. Some rough acting in places. We're supposed to believe he's 36? Justin Hartley is a good looking guy, but he looks his 47 years. 

Meh, I think the actor can pull off an overall vibe of a 36-year-old so I'm OK with it. Plus, people age differently. I've seen 30-somethings on TV who have wrinkles and people in their 50s who don't.

On 2/12/2024 at 11:46 AM, Xarquol said:

A couple of things confused me though. When they cut to the flashback where a young Colter was climbing, with his Dad watching from below, it took me quite a few seconds to realise that that's what we were being shown. Initially I thought it was the present day, and we were seeing the missing kid and his Dad together. The actor playing what turned out to be the bad guy looked too much like the man in the photograph that Colter took with him. It was unclear how old the photo was so it was easy to accept visual differences and misinterpret the scene.

But that's not the most confusing thing. I swear the man in the photograph is Mackenzie Crook, i.e. Gareth from The Office UK, who was also in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. If it's not him, the similarity is uncanny. And if it is him, it might be a production in-joke, but it distracted from the storyline of him being dead. I was expecting him to appear at the end magically alive. But presumably in this format, there will be a missing person of the week and we will never see this family ever again.

I was pretty confused by the similar appearance!

On 2/12/2024 at 4:42 PM, Quickbeam said:

I really enjoyed this. I’ve read some of the books so I was prepared for the “he’s in it for the money” angle. Love the inclusion of a character with disabilities. Justin is easy on the eyes and has a likable on screen manner. My standards are not that high. 

I didn't even realize this was based on a book series. I was just looking for something to watch while relaxing and I have seen the lead actor in a few things before.

On 2/14/2024 at 5:16 PM, Writing Wrongs said:

I just started watching the episode and had my first big eyeroll with the clunky "their history" exposition of lawyer at the jail to some random cop who couldn't give a shit. I hope the writing gets better.

 I HATED the lawyer's behavior. She sounded like a bratty teenager who was mad a boy didn't call her back after the dance. There's nothing about Colter that would make me think he's going to stick around once a case is wrapped up. He said he had to work and I believe him. Even if she was upset by it, either you take the case and behave professionally (as in, not sharing your sexual history with your client with a random cop) or you decline the offer. 

That part was a turnoff and I hope we don't have to see a repeat of this. 

[shapeshifter]

On 2/12/2024 at 7:31 AM, nixgirl28 said:

 We're supposed to believe he's 36? Justin Hartley is a good looking guy, but he looks his 47 years. 

18 hours ago, love2lovebadtv said:

Meh, I think the actor can pull off an overall vibe of a 36-year-old so I'm OK with it. Plus, people age differently. I've seen 30-somethings on TV who have wrinkles and people in their 50s who don't.

And non-actors too!

[roamyn]

On 2/12/2024 at 3:39 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I hate I missed this.  Plan to catch up.  It looks appealing.  But, I like Justin.  

I’m saw this last night and am intrigued. A few rough spots, but pretty good for a Pilot.

However I’m having difficulty with Justin.  He showed himself to be a dumb pretty boy actor at the NFL Awards when he couldn’t even read KEVIN Stefanski’s name correct, and acted stupid on stage.