Wisdom of the Crowd - Nella rete del crimine

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.

Tech entrepreneur Jeffrey Tanner (Jeremy Piven) forgoes his wealth and his company Allsourcer to offer a $100M reward to find his daughter's real killer. Carlos Ochoa was convicted for her murder a year earlier. Using his crowd sourcing program Sophie, he aims to find new evidence with his team of programmers led by Sara Morton. He partners with police detective Cavanaugh who was dismissed from her case. His ex-wife Alex Hale is a politician who wants him to stop digging up their daughter's closed case.

This is a workable concept. It's another show where a wealthy billionaire Batman tries to save the world. He has a box where answers magically appear and a personal murder mystery that he's desperate to solve. The magic box is too magical. The general idea of crowd sourcing is easy to understand but the show doesn't explain how the program finds the right people with the right answers. The show starts off fine at first but it devolves into Deus ex machina.

The other problem is trying to force a procedural out of the concept. He's trying to find his daughter's killer. It's a simple idea and the show should run with that at top speed. All these other cases keep detouring the show. The first season should be a tightly written whodunit that wraps up with a big climatic cliffhanger. It should be an intense mystery thriller but this is so much less. The show should go the procedural route only after his daughter's killing is solved. It looks like the show is ending after a 13 episode run. The mediocre ratings don't help but Piven's sexual harassment allegations in this environment is probably the final nail in the coffin.

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

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.