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News: TNT Begins Production on “Perception,” its New Original Series Starring Eric McCormack

  • By

  • August 17, 2011

  • 3 mins to read

Eric McCormack and Rachael Leigh Cook on the set of Perception. Photo credit: Doug Hyun/TNT.

We’ve all been waiting to see Will & Grace star Eric McCormack grace our screens again in a starring role. This time around though, he’s playing a serious character, Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist and professor who helps the government crack difficult cases, alongside Rachael Leigh Cook as FBI Agent Kate Moretti. Production has begun on the ten episodes scheduled, which will air summer 2012. With TNT’s tagline, We Know Drama, and the success of such series as The Closer, Southland, HawthoRNe, Rizzoli & Isles, and more recently, Falling Skies and Franklin & Bash, I have no doubt Perception will be another hit for the network.

For more details, here’s TNT’s official press release.

TNT began production this week on its intriguing new original series Perception, starring Emmy® and Screen Actors Guild Award® winner Eric McCormack (Will & Grace, Who Is Clark Rockefeller?). The series about an eccentric neuroscientist who helps solve complex criminal cases also stars Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That), Arjay Smith (The Day After Tomorrow) and KellyRowan (The O.C.). TNT has ordered 10 episodes of Perception, which will join the network’s lineup in summer 2012.

In Perception, McCormack plays Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist and professor recruited to help the federal government crack difficult cases. His intimate knowledge of human behavior and masterful understanding of the mind give him an extraordinary ability to read people, but his eccentric view of the world and less-than-stellar social skills can often interfere with his work.

Cook co-stars as FBI agent Kate Moretti, Pierce’s former student and the person responsible for recruiting him to work for the government. Smith plays Max Lewicki, the teaching assistant whose primary job is to keep Pierce in line and on task. Rowan is Natalie Vincent, Pierce’s best friend and every bit his intellectual equal. In addition, award-winning actor LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation) will play a recurring role as Paul Haley, a dean at the university.

Perception, which comes to TNT from ABC Studios, was created by executive producer Kenneth Biller (Star Trek: Voyager, Smallville) and co-executive producer Mike Sussman (Star Trek: Enterprise), with McCormack serving as producer. Alan Poul (Six Feet Under) directed and served as executive producer for the pilot. David Eagleman, a professor at Baylor School of Medicine and author of the New York Times Top 10 bestseller Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, serves as a technical consultant on the series.

Photo © 2011 Turner Broadcasting/TNT Network. All rights reserved.

Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!

Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!