Wisdom of the Crowd

"Wisdom of the Crowd" takes the viewer on a ride exploring the most important societal issue of our time; Privacy vs Security in the digital age. America is one the most, if not the most voyeuristic societies in the history of the world, we love to watch others. This is evident by the 19 seasons, now going on 20 seasons of the CBS hit reality show, "Big Brother," as well as numerous other movies and shows tackling the issue. That being said, there are few societal luxuries that are held more sacred than that of privacy in the United States. Wisdom, uniquely brings this question to the forefront of American dialogue and debate. The show tackles the question, "how much bad is tolerable if in the end there is more good?"

Wisdom, follows lead character Jeffrey Tanner (Jeremy Piven) on his mission to bring his daughter's killer to justice using a crowd-sourced interface that he created. The basic premise sends chills up my spine as I remember the crowd-sourced Reddit mayhem that ensued after the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013, in which a photo of an innocent man was posted to a Reddit forum. The open forum that Reddit provides caused the situation to quickly spiral out of control. The trial was opened and closed minutes later with a unanimous vote of guilty. The show takes an interesting look at both the criminal justice system as well as our societal need of 'nowism' and the impact that technology can and will have on both.

Wisdom, finds balance in Detective Tommy Cavanaugh (Richard T. Jones) who sees the danger in the interface and works to draw lines between right and wrong, dangerous and safe. His hesitation can be seen in an exchange of dialogue early in the episode in which Cavanaugh argues; "We have this thing called the Constitution, which protects people's privacy." To which, Tanner responds "Privacy, we gave that up a long time ago so we can watch cat videos on our phone." Cavanaugh and Tanner will surely continue this debate as will those who decide to tune in. In a post-Snowden world, "Wisdom of the Crowd" has the potential to be THE 'water-cooler' show of the season.

A unique and contemporary approach to the traditional crime format. Impressed that a network show would introduce some new tropes into an old format. Rounded out by a deep, talented cast, this is a really enjoyable show. The pilot really kept me engaged and I'm looking forward to seeing future episodes.

Why cancel the show because of the actor who can be replaced? Just have some respect for the viewers all over the world and finish the story

This show may be to one's liking - or may be not, it's a matter of personal preference. I liked the show, that's why I persevered watching it, week by week - all 13 eps. Few weeks ago it became known that the series are being cancelled after the first season - ratings were not that great, but it was not the deciding factor (as everybody knows by now, CBS made the call right after sexual harassment allegations were made against the star of the show, Jeremy Piven). What I want to communicate in this review (one may call it a rant) - if you have not started watching the series - don't bother. There was no conclusion, no closing of any kind - total disrespect for viewers (I understand that 7.4 mln people were watching it, on average, in US only). The series revolves about the murder of Mia, a multi-billionaire's daughter - who's focus in life becomes to find her killer. His team is edging closer to get the answer, bit by bit - one may expect this will come to the fruition by the end of the season. Alas, we come away empty handed. The last episode (S01E13) is just another "monster of the week" story, with main theme (Mia's killer) almost completely ignored and left open-ended. It is such a disappointment, you feel cheated and disrespected. It's hard, in this situation, to rate the series objectively - but I know that I want to rate CBS 0/10 - this is not the first time they've done it, actually.

I am not a regular TV watcher as there are few shows that interest me. However, I was intrigued by the premise for Wisdom of the Crowd. A crowd-sourced program to help solve crimes makes so much sense and makes it stand out from your typical crime-fighting shows. Jeremy Piven is a great actor who I have never watched in anything before, but I am enjoying his performance and all the realness of his emotions that he brings to each scene. It's an intriguing show and I look forward to it every week now.