Scorpion

If you are looking for another great binge on Netflix then check out Scorpion. The show originally aired in the US on CBS and there are four seasons to get stuck in to.

Created by Nick Santora (Reacher), the show is based on the life of Walter O'Brien (Elyes Gabel), a high IQ genius of sorts. He leads a band of merry misfits, each with their own unique set of gifts. But without structure or the ability to keep everybody in check, things are not looking good for team Scorpion.

That is until two people enter the frame. Firstly there's Agent Cabe Gallo (Robert Patrick) from Homeland Security. He and Walter O'Brien go back a few years but haven't spoken in some time. Now, desperately needing his help, Gallo is back to recruit Walter and team Scorpion to solve some of the departments biggest challenges.

The second character to help the geniuses along is Paige Dineen, played by Katharine McPhee. A former waitress, she too has a gifted son who she struggles to communicate with. She is brought in to keep them on the straight and narrow and to intervene when they step out of bounds in everyday situations.

The rest of the team is made up of Toby Curtis (Eddie Kaye Thomas) who is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist. Happy Quinn (Jadyn Wong) is a gifted mechanical engineer And Sylvester Dodd (Ari Stidham) is a computer genius and hacker. Together the team must pit their wits and expertise to help the government stop major world-altering events from happening in each episode.

It's essentially an action drama that has some funny and occasionally poignant moments thrown in. So expect to see plenty of bomb-defusing, system hacking, crime solving and hijinx as the team find themselves in increasingly dicey situations.

Scorpion is an easy watch. The group of characters are solid, the story development over the seasons is good but it does have some downsides. When a procedural show goes out to air on TV there's generally a week between each episode. However, when you binge-watch the show on Netflix, it does get very repetitive very quickly. In almost every single episode they have one hour to solve the problem and it ALWAYS comes down to about 10 seconds before the team run out of time to save the world.

And while the characters each contribute, some are more stunted than others. Sylvester is afraid of everything. And I mean everything. Whatever the plot of the episode you can guarantee that he won't like it. That gets old and a bit annoying. As does the almost continual mention of Walter's IQ. 197 anybody? We get it he's smart but I suspect at this stage they are contractually obligated to mention it at least fives times in every show!

All that said, Scorpion is fun and a very easy watch. It's similar to Timeless or Limitless so if you like that genre of action/drama, this will be right up your street.

Is Scorpion Based On A True Story?

Technically the answer is yes. Scorpion is very loosely based on the life of its executive producer and self-proclaimed computer expert Walter O'Brien.

However, his claims, including his IQ of 197 have been scrutinised and remain unproven. So whether or not he is as smart as he is portrayed is anybody's guess.

Why Was Scorpion Cancelled?

There is almost nothing worse than being invested in a tv show, seeing the last episode end on a cliffhanger and only then discover that it has been cancelled, which is what happened with the Scorpion series. But why did CBS call it a day?

Basically, it was all down to viewing figures. Scorpion was CBS' most-watched drama in season 1 but by the time season 4 was ending, it was among the least-watched shows on the network. It definitely retained a loyal fan base, just not enough to justify the cost of another season.

So the sad news is that 4 seasons of Scorpion is all that we are getting and there will not be a season 5.

Where Can You Watch Scorpion?

If you live in the UK you are in luck as Scorpion is still streaming on Netflix. However, fans in the US will have to watch it on Amazon Instant Video as it was removed from Netflix US. That doesn't mean it won't be back, it's just not available right now.

What Are The Cast Working On Now?

The lead cast member was always Elyes Gabel who played Walter. Over 93 episodes and four seasons we watched him solve crimes, save the world and bumble his way through a budding relationship with Paige.

These days Gabel is filming Suspicion, for Apple TV+, a thriller about the kidnapping of the son of a prominent American businesswoman.

Katharine McPhee who was cast to play Paige Dineen, starred in Country Comfort for Netflix however the sitcom was cancelled after one season.

Eddie Kaye Thomas who played Toby has been voicing the character of Barry Robinson on American Dad! since 2005 and has notched up 16 years on that particular job.

Happy Quinn was played by Jadyn Wong and you can catch her in the upcoming Needle In A Timestack alongside Orlando Bloom, Frieda Pinto, Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odum Jr.

Robert Patrick who played homeland security agent Cabe Gallo is in a lot of shows and movies, many of which are on Netflix including Edge of Fear and Safe House. More recently he started in Perry Mason and Goliath and is currently filming the new tv series Peacemaker with John Cena.

So that's it from team Scorpion and homeland security who apparently needed their help at an alarming rate! Don't forget you can still watch every season on Netflix or Amazon.