“Stumptown” follows the misadventures of an Afghanistan war veteran who reluctantly becomes a private investigator.
The gritty procedural drama, adapted from a graphic novel series by Greg Rucka — premiering 10 p.m. Wednesday on ABC — is set in Portland, Ore. It takes viewers into the dark world of Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders), a former Marine military intelligence officer suffering from PTSD. She’s spent the last 10 years living on disability, gambling and gracing more than a few strangers’ bedrooms.
“She’s very much up for whatever the night presents,” says Smulders, best known to audiences as TV reporter Robin Scherbatsky on the long-running CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother.” She says she has no idea how fans of that show will receive her as the trainwreck that is Dex, whose self-destructive behavior stems from an explosion that killed the man she loved.
“Time has passed and she’s still picking up the pieces,” says Smulders, a vision in yellow eyelet during an interview at the Beverly Hilton hotel. “She never sought out treatment. She did about three tours of duty. She enlisted quite young.”
When conceiving Dex, who is bisexual in the comic books but heterosexual (so far) in the series, Rucka said he was partly inspired by retro TV dude fare such as “Magnum P.I.,” “Simon and Simon” and “The Rockford Files” — and Rockford (James Garner), with his mixture of charm and sarcasm and defiance of police department procedures, seems like the closest fit. Dex butts heads with the local police officials, played here by Camryn Mannheim and Michael Ealy, and makes criminals sorry they went afoul of the law to begin with.
Her beginnings, recounted in Wednesday night’s premiere, are not auspicious. Dex, who lives with her younger brother Ansel (Cole Sibius), is hired by casino owner Sue Lynn Blackbird (Tantoo Cardinal of “Dances With Wolves”) to find her granddaughter and acutely realizes her shortcomings.
“She’s never done this before,” Smulders says. “Within the first six episodes, she realizes, ‘I need a license.’ Someone who’s never held a steady job in her life, who doesn’t have a bank account, has to figure out how to get a license.”
Smulders is a fan of BBC America’s “Killing Eve” and is happy to find a place in the expanding spectrum of women’s roles on TV. “It used to be that a couple of notes are played in each character, and that’s their box and their personality,” she says. “We’re allowing ourselves to look deeper into characters.”
One thing “Stumptown” also does is let Smulders, who has appeared in four “Avengers” movies, spend more time with her husband, comedian Taran Killam, and their two daughters. The show is shooting in LA.
“I’m really excited to play her. I’m really excited to be in one place,” she says. “It’s better for the kids. Going from film to film is hard. It’s hard on the family. It’s hard on you.”
What’s most amazing about Smulders is that she continues to have a thriving career. The Canadian actress was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, while filming the third season of “HIMYM.” Two tumors were surgically removed and Smulders is now in remission.
“Going through that has made me a better person, a better mother,” she says. “If cancer can give you a gift, it’s gratitude for being here.”