Martin Bohm cannot reach his son. That is the engine of Touch, Fox’s 2012 drama about a man whose grief has left him unable to connect to his autistic, mute 11-year-old boy, Jake. The show’s premise is simple: Jake sees things nobody else can see, and the patterns connecting those things form the heart of the series. But the execution asks viewers to believe in magic while telling a story about loss, and the two rarely meet.
Touch ran for two seasons, 26 episodes, from January 25, 2012, to May 10, 2013. Created by Tim Kring, the series stars Kiefer Sutherland as Martin and David Mazouz as Jake, with Saxon Sharbino and Lukas Haas rounding out the main cast. It was cancelled after two seasons, on May 9, 2013. The show’s first season aired Thursdays starting March 22, 2012, with thirteen episodes and a two-part finale on May 31, 2012. Fox renewed it on May 9, 2012, but the second season was delayed from October 26, 2012, to February 8, 2013.
Trailer, via 24 Spoilers.
Martin Bohm and His Dead Wife
The show opens with Martin, a former reporter, living alone with Jake in a small apartment. His wife died in the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks, and Martin has spent the years since moving from job to job, barely holding himself together while trying to care for a child who cannot speak. Jake spends his days writing numbers in notebooks and on his touch-screen tablet, arranging objects in patterns that seem to mean nothing to anyone else.
The series wants the audience to believe that these patterns are meaningful. They are not. The show repeatedly sets up a pattern that connects two people or two events, then delivers a payoff that feels hollow. A child’s drawing might predict a train derailment. A phone call from a stranger might reveal a secret about Martin’s past. These connections are meant to be profound, but they are delivered with such casualness that they feel less like revelations and more like set dressing.
The Pattern Machine
Jake’s ability is not explained in scientific terms. He simply sees things others cannot see, and he draws patterns that Martin cannot understand. The show treats these visions as literal, not metaphorical. This is a difficult ask, especially when the show itself spends so much time on Martin’s grief and his inability to communicate.
The pattern machine is the show’s central metaphor. It represents Jake’s mind, full of connections that the outside world cannot grasp. It also represents the show’s own approach to storytelling: it connects everything, but it never explains why. The result is a narrative that feels dense with meaning and empty of substance.
Kiefer Sutherland’s Performance
Sutherland is the reason the show works at all. As Martin, he plays a man who is constantly failing, both professionally and personally. He loses jobs, he loses custody battles, and he loses his grip on reality. Sutherland brings a weariness to the role that is deeply affecting. Even when the show’s plots strain credibility, his performance keeps the emotional core intact.
Mazouz is also strong as Jake. The young actor manages to convey the boy’s isolation without ever resorting to melodrama. Jake is not a tragic figure in the traditional sense; he is simply a child who sees the world in a way that nobody else can understand. The show’s treatment of autism is problematic, as it often reduces Jake to his condition rather than exploring his humanity. But Mazouz’s performance is honest enough to carry the weight of the script.
The Case Files
Each episode of Touch revolves around a case file. A child somewhere in the world is in danger, and Jake’s patterns lead Martin to that child. The cases are often emotionally powerful, but they are also repetitive. The formula is simple: Martin gets a clue, follows it, saves a life, and learns something about himself. By the second season, this structure starts to feel exhausted.
The cases also serve a larger thematic purpose. Each one is about a child who has been abandoned, neglected, or forgotten. The show is making a statement about the value of human life, and it is a valid one. But the message is delivered through a mechanism that feels increasingly mechanical. The cases are not mysteries in the traditional sense; they are moral lessons dressed up as plot devices.
The Delayed Second Season
The second season was delayed for months, and the show’s momentum suffered. The premiere, on February 8, 2013, felt like a restart rather than a continuation. The cases were still compelling, but the stakes had shifted. The show had established a global network of children in its first season, and the second season pulled back from that.
The delay changed the tone of the show. The premiere did not reintroduce the global network of children; it reintroduced Martin’s personal journey. The show had spent its first season building a web of interconnected stories, and the second season pulled back from that. It became more focused on Martin’s growth, and that shift was noticeable.
The Finale
The finale, on May 10, 2013, attempted to tie everything together. It reunited Martin with Jake, and it offered a resolution to the show’s central mystery. But the ending felt rushed, and it did not resolve the questions the show had raised. The series ended with a cliffhanger, which was never resolved. It is a frustrating note to end on, and it leaves the viewer feeling cheated.
The show’s final episode was supposed to bring closure. Instead, it left the audience hanging. The series ended with Martin and Jake reunited, but the global network of children remained unresolved. The show had promised a bigger picture, and it delivered a smaller one.
The Verdict
Touch is a flawed show, but it is a flawed show with a beating heart. It is at its best when it is quiet, when it is focusing on Martin and Jake, and at its worst when it is trying to be a global conspiracy thriller. The show’s ambition is admirable, but its execution is uneven. The patterns are beautiful, but the payoffs are often hollow.
The show’s score reflects this tension. Critics gave Touch a score of 6.3 out of 10, and that seems fair. It is a show that is better than its reputation, but it is also a show that deserves a better reputation. It is a show that asks big questions and offers small answers.
The key facts:
- Creator: Tim Kring
- Network: Fox
- Premiere: January 25, 2012
- Finale: May 10, 2013
- Episodes: 26 total, 13 per season
- Score: 6.3/10
Touch is a show that is worth watching for its performances and its themes, but it is a show that is ultimately unsatisfying. It is a show that tries to be more than it is, and it fails to deliver on its promises. But it fails in a way that is often touching, and it fails in a way that is often honest. It is a show about a man who cannot reach his son, and it is a show about a son who cannot reach the world. It is a show that is better than its ending, but that judgment rests on the critic’s own view.
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