If the major television networks were a coterie of the clichéd “modern women struggling to have it all” they’re so fond of making shows about, Fox would be the friend who says she’s just looking for a sweet mama’s boy to settle down with but exclusively dates the jerkiest jerks available. Or so it seems from Fox’s marketing campaign for its midseason dramedy Backstrom, which describes Rainn Wilson’s titular character thusly: “Brilliant detective, total dick.”
The Backstrom poster, first noticed by Entertainment Weekly, is merely the latest evidence that Fox needs some time alone to learn how it love itself, with the network having just run into backlash with Red Band Society key art describing Octavia Spencer’s character as a “scary bitch.” The network has made a habit of courting rude, aloof, emotionally distant characters (See: Rake), in an effort to fill the “genius asshole” slot left behind by House.
Hopefully Fox will seek out therapy soon to get to the root of the issue, and by fall, the network will be launching shows with taglines like, “This surgeon writes ‘Have an amazing day’ in the mirror steam when his girlfriend’s in the shower.” Or something shorter than that.