Grimm: Series Premiere

In the world of television, there are shows that are truly the brainchild of a single (or multiple) creator, a true show-runner; then there are shows that are built almost entirely in the executive room, with various executives throwing ideas at a wall until something sticks.

NBC’s upcoming cop drama Grimm clearly evolved from the latter. Imagine, for a moment, the following scenario:

A group of suited executives pace around an office at Universal Television, nervous and scrambling for ideas.  Let’s call them Bill, Karen, and Jack.

Bill:  We’re dying here, people.  The Law & Order franchise has been our bread and butter here for over twenty years. We need a new crime drama. Now!

Karen:  What if our lead detective is a vampire?

Jack:  Or a witch?  They’re trending right now, like werewolves.

Bill:  No. The CW has a strangle hold on that.  We need to keep it gritty, stay true to our roots.

Karen:  Or we can do both. Imagine a detective series set in the real world but all the villains are creatures from the old Grimm’s fairytales: wolves, witches, goblins. But our detective is the only one who can see them for what they really are.

Jack:  So like a creepy mailman to everyone else, our detective sees him as a wolf?

Bill:  It’s Law & Order: SVU meets Little Red Riding Hood.

Karen:  Exactly.

And presto! The series Grimm is born.

Now I’m sure the real conversation that led to the creation of Grimm was far more complex and thoughtful and inspired.  But if you can forgive my fleeting cynical quips, my fabricated studio scenario does not intend to belittle the integrity or value of the show in the slightest, regardless of how near or far from the truth it may in fact be.  On the contrary, television studio executives make big bucks for these types of conversations, and their ability to construct a premise as intriguing and innovative as Grimm is exactly why.

When I watched the four-minute trailer for the series on NBC’s website, it quickly became one of my more anticipated new shows coming this fall, and I’ve spoken with numerous others who would say the same.  A show like Grimm is undoubtedly ripe for a television market increasingly trending toward the fantasy genre. True Blood is one of the most popular shows on television, and NBC would be thrilled if Grimm proved as successful as The Vampire Diaries (or as successful as I anticipate The Secret Circle will be when it premieres).  In fact, it’s somewhat ironic that Grimm’s tagline, “Once upon a crime,” is remarkably similar to the title of another upcoming fantasy series: Once Upon A Time.

In the case of Once Upon A Time, the pilot presents us with a clear story, and our desire to see that story progress throughout the season forms the foundation of our investment in the show—we know we’re working toward a specific endgame, and we’re excited for each step (i.e. episode) to bring us closer.  The pilot for Grimm, however, presents us with a premise, albeit a very good one, but one that seems positioned to unfold procedurally from episode to episode without any particular goal in mind. 

This isn’t necessarily a terrible thing, as evident by the outstanding success of Law & Order and other procedural dramas, and the episode certainly suggests that a broader narrative will carry through the series to prevent each episode from being entirely self-contained.

Grimm succeeds in presenting an intriguing world and compelling premise, and the pilot proves sufficiently entertaining in and of itself.  Due to its seemingly procedural nature, however, the pilot does not necessarily provide the same incentive to continue following the series as is the case for Once Upon A Time.

Like Law & Order, much of the show’s early success has already been won or lost in the development stage, aiming to appeal primarily through the premise itself rather than a continued narrative anticipation for future episodes.  Those interested in the premise will likely continue to watch until the formula grows stale or they generally lose interest, and those not interested—well, if they watch it all—will find little to keep them coming back. 

Grimm certainly appears a fresh fantasy-infused variation of the Law & Order formula; but executives will have to wait and see if they’ve found the next SVU success or another Los Angeles single season flop.