SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 6.

It’s impressive that it took Sheriff Country six episodes to have a rough outing. And “Exit Interview” isn’t a terrible episode; it’s just not great and not up to the standard the CBS drama has already set for itself. It feels much more like a garden-variety procedural than what this series wants to be.

There are so many parts of this episode that feel contrived, or at the least, incredibly awkward. The revelation that Nathan Boone is secretly married means that the other characters in the Sheriff’s Office spend too much time gossiping about his personal life. There’s the expected awkward conversation between Mickey Fox and Boone’s wife Nora, for example. And it’ll be up to viewers if they believe Sheriff Country‘s explanation for the secrecy: Boone married the widow of his former partner to ensure that she and her son would be financially supported. It’s a marriage of support, not love. That’s certainly a plot twist, and it says a little more about Boone’s character, but it may not be convincing to everyone.

Yet that’s not nearly as strange as the scenes between Mickey’s ex Travis Fraley and his current girlfriend, Cassidy Campbell. Things between them are still strained, so Travis takes the creepy step of ambushing Cassidy in court, choosing to represent a guy she ticketed for a simple moving violation. It’s a sequence that’s hard to watch with how forced it feels. In fairness to the show, Travis does realize immediately afterward what a bizarre move he’s just made, so at least the script gives him some self-awareness. But this feels like a reach, simply to get Travis and Cassidy to the point where she breaks up with him near the end of the episode. Hopefully there’s a greater arc for these two as the season progresses; otherwise, it’s going to feel like the whole Cassidy and Travis relationship was just included for the initial shock value, since they’re breaking up so soon.

And when Boone reappears in Mickey’s office at the end of the hour, having changed his mind about the job in Oakland, it’s without any kind of context or explanation. It’s certainly great (if expected) news, but Sheriff Country is going to have to spell out why Boone finally went back on his plans after saying explicitly that he wouldn’t. It can’t just imply or gloss over that. His not really an exit interview with Mickey was nice, but as with Travis and Cassidy, the show can’t stretch this plot point over several episodes and then quickly move on. It’s going to mean something, to both Mickey and the audience, for him to say the words.

However, “Exit Interview” does one thing really right, and that’s make Wes Fox important in the crime-solving part of the show. Not only does W. Earl Brown give his best performance yet, but this makes Sheriff Country feel more cohesive. Mickey’s dad isn’t just going to be Mickey’s dad, only popping up for brief family asides. The writers are going to treat him with the same importance that they treat all of the other main characters. Obviously Wes isn’t going to help solve a crime every week, but just like Mickey’s knowledge of the community helps her on a regular basis, Wes has his own knowledge of and connections in Edgewater. If he can be integrated into the rest of what’s happening in the town, the entire show is better off.

The case of the week is decent if not great, as one of Wes’s friends is actually the killer, and Wes being the one to confront him is certainly the best way to tell that story. But the overall themes of “things aren’t what they used to be” and killing for money are a bit tired. All things considered, “Exit Interview” doesn’t have much rewatch value. It feels like what so many other shows would do, instead of the organic storytelling that Sheriff Country has already established. Hopefully the series will get back on track when it returns, because it’s the best new show in the CBS lineup.

Sheriff Country airs Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Photo Credit: Courtesy of CBS.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.