Based on 1 season, 18 episodes · through March 25, 2020
Stumptown is a crime drama TV show about Dex Parios, a smart military veteran working as a private investigator in Portland. She solves difficult cases while dealing with her own messy life, drinking, and PTSD. The show prominently features girl power, as Dex frequently beats up men in fights. It also showcases identity themes, including Dex's active bisexuality, and stories about Native American tribal casinos and her brother who has Down syndrome.
Why 66%? See the score breakdownBreakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Stumptown.
Woke representation / casting
The show features an openly bisexual lead character, which adds extra weight under our LGBTQ+ scoring rules. It also actively prioritizes diverse casting by placing a Native American actress in a prominent role as a tribal casino boss. Additionally, an actor with Down syndrome plays the lead character's brother. These choices were highly emphasized in the show's marketing.
74%
Woke political dialogue
The political dialogue is very mild. The show touches on things like veteran health care and Native American tribal laws. However, it avoids using direct political lectures or activist language. Most of the dialogue focuses on standard detective drama and sarcastic banter.
10%
Production
Identity-driven story themes
This score is high because the lead character is openly bisexual and her romantic history with a woman is a key part of her backstory, adding LGBTQ+ weight. The show also focuses on identity-driven story themes. These include Native American tribal casino dynamics and the struggle for independence of a character with Down syndrome.
50%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The show offers a noticeable critique of traditional roles. It portrays its female lead as a messy anti-hero who rejects typical family life, marriage, and domesticity. It also includes mild critiques of how the government treats veterans and how local police interact with Native American tribal land.
42%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The television show is faithful to the original comic books by Greg Rucka. The comic books already featured a bisexual female lead and a brother with Down syndrome, so no identity-driven changes were made to the established canon.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
There was no organized backlash or boycott against the show. A few online comments criticized the girlboss action scenes where a smaller woman beats up multiple men. However, most viewers did not view the show as pushing an aggressive activist agenda.
15%
Creator track record context
The creative team is a mix of traditional network television writers and progressive creators. Some writers, like Zahir McGhee and William Jehu Garroutte, have strong records of advocating for LGBTQ+ and Indigenous representation.
31%
