PILOT REVIEW: Instinct

INSTINCT












Starring: Alan Cumming, Bojana Novakovic, Daniel Ings, Sharon Leal, and Naveen Andrews

Based on the Book "Murder Games" by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
Created for Television by Michael Rauch
Teleplay by Michael Rauch, Directed by Marc Webb

THE PREMISE
Instinct is sort of a hybrid between Elementary and Criminal Minds. It has the light hearted murder mystery feel with a male/female combo solving crimes, but it focuses a lot on criminal behavior and, by extension, serial killers. Former CIA officer Dr. Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming) gets back in the crime solving business when an NYC detective, Elizabeth Needham (Bojana Novakovic). Rounding out the main cast is Dylan's husband, Andy (Daniel Ings) and Elizabeth's boss, Lt. Jasmine Gooden (Sharon Leal).

THE REVIEW
This is a procedural through and through and a perfect fit for CBS. I can handle procedurals and I often like them but even I had to laugh a couple times at the implausibility plot jumps that happened in the pilot and if that is going to be the way the show goes, even solid performances from Alan Cumming and Bojana Novakovic won't be enough to save it. While the storyline of a serial killer using a deck of cards as hints for his next murder was a little contrived, I was willing to let that go until Reinhart and Needham started figuring out the next clues in records amount of time and then took it upon themselves to take care of each step. I'm forgiving for plot holes but this was a step too far because I just couldn't take it seriously. For example, they assume there's no card until a body is removed and they see a card underneath? They didn't think to look underneath her before?

If the show can somehow overcome some major plotting issues in the pilot, then I think it could be good because there's winning performances and chemistry between Alan Cumming and Bojana Novakovic. Cumming is a pro and while a standard CBS procedural seems a bit beneath him, he plays the arrogant professor role quite well. Novakovic was also believable as the detective with a (surprise) sob background story. The rest of the cast didn't have much to do in the pilot and I didn't know enough about it going in so I was surprised to see Whoopi Goldberg, albeit in a forgettable recurring role.

While this show could have been an interesting look into psychological development and its impact on murderers, it got covered over too much by the CBS procedural paint. For being a show about a psychopathic behavior and a convincing lead who could sell that plot, it was too bent on solving a crime in the first hour and coming up with witty banter between the two leads. While none of that was unenjoyable, it just isn't a show I care about seeing on a weekly basis but I think the actors and plot would have been intriguing enough. It just doesn't pan out.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Maybe but I doubt I'll be a regular viewer.