Can Tonight’s Episode of TNT’s Perception Bounce Back from Last Week’s Bland Debut?
Perception is on Monday nights at 10/9 Central on TNT
Summer is the time for cable channels to move to the fore with original programming as the broadcast networks fill their schedules with reruns and cheap “reality” shows. And it has become a truism that the major free cable channels are rather more adventurous in their programming than the broadcast networks. This willingness to take chances has led to some very good shows such as Monk, The Closer, Mad Men, Nero Wolfe, and the like.
However, as the cable channels seek to fill their schedules with more and more shows, the ingenuity and originality factors have necessarily suffered in the past couple of years. That appears to be the case with the new TNT crime drama Perception.
By giving it the time slot just after the network’s most widely admired show, The Closer, TNT is clearly placing high expectations on Perception, and viewers can be expected to do likewise. Alas, it appears both may end up disappointed. Having The Closer as a lead-in should give the show some time to develop viewer loyalty. As should be expected, Perception did well in the ratings for its premiere Monday night, drawing 5.6 million viewers (live plus same-day). That’s an 8 percent drop from the 6.1 million people watching The Closer, not a bad first-night audience at all.
What the first-night viewers of Perception saw was what TV producers and distributors typically try to do: create something that’s the same as previously successful shows but just a little different.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with that — it’s what makes shows such as Psych and The Mentalist follow the success of Monk. Here’s how it works in Perception: An eccentric genius neuroscience professor, Dr. Daniel Pierce (Eric McCormack), teams up with one of his former students, Chicago-based FBI agent Kate Moretti (Rachael Leigh Cook), to solve mysteries. Pierce’s credibility is undermined, however, by his susceptibility to schizophrenic hallucinations. That’s his designated quirk, a necessity for modern-day TV detectives. Pierce, for her part, has a history of testy relationships with her superiors in the FBI.
I quit watching at the third display of liberal bias, namely, the human lie-detector. They had to go all the way back to Bush to find the most recent incident of presidential lying? Give me a break. And, oh by the way, click.
You missed the sad part. After the Bush tape, Obama came on the TV and the human lie detector died of a busted gut.
It was the Clinton finger wag.
Me too, it was horrible. Literally five minutes would not go by without some paean to some liberal cause under the guise of his “quirkiness”. The the Bush thing, not only hackneyed but Stalinesque. Plus, the whole “drug companies want to sell drugs that hurt people” meme is so idiotic and tiresome.
Karnick is wrong, this is beyond the pale. No conservative (or free thinking individual) should watch this crap! This is almost HBO-like.
Another popular series of the “detective” genre not mentioned is Numbers. But unlike Perception, Numbers’ genius – Charlie Epps – was a normal guy with a normal family. And the FBI agents were adults, including his brother Don. Perception’s Moretti looks more like a college grad student than an FBI agent.
My favorite detective series today? Castle, without question. There one certainly finds “a protagonist [two actually, Castle and Beckett] and close associates whom audiences like, root for, and want to invite into their homes every week.”
I’m with Trombonist. I turned it off after the Bush lied scene.
When that sort of thing happens, it really means one of two things about the writers of a show.
1) Either they are not intelligent enough to realize that at least half of their potential audience leans conservative. Which means that the writers are not very smart, and if not very smart, how are they going to write a good show?
2) Or the writers know that they are alienating at least half their audience and the writers simply don’t care and will continue to do so for whatever reason (it makes them feel good??). And why would I want to watch a show that is going to insult my political viewpoint week in and week out.
So guess what TNT and the advertisers on “Perception”, I’m not watching.
While I watched the pilot in its entirety, I do not plan on watching the next show for the same reason.
They should have used something that was less of a Truthyness and something that was more of a Reality. So I am done with it.
My sentiments exactly.
I vote with Trombonist and WJW. I too shut it off in the middle of Bush. I know that McCormick is a flaming liberal but didn’t realize he is brain dead too.
The USA channel has some pretty good series. Nothing requiring a lot of thought but better than reality shows.
I fell asleep ten minutes in.
Yea, came in just before the Bush part, left right after. Seemed like a good idea for a show and wanted to like it, but too ham fisted.
I guess if you believe Conservatives are either evil or stupid, you don’t feel bad about insulting them. Never mind they make up 35% to 45% of the population, or what Bush said in the clip was true, that all the intel agencies thought there was active WMD programs in Iraq, that even Saddam’s generals thought he had poison gas and possibly even nuke programs.
No, it was all just a big lie. Bush was just a dumber, friendlier version of Nixon. Angry simpletons, all of them.
Eh gad, living in their head must be terrible.
Yeah, B’Gal and I watched the pilot and were pretty disappointed at the slaps against conservatives. Plus, the show wasn’t that good, although, as the author mentions, it did have one minor plot twist that was interesting, just not enough to save the episode.
Got last night’s show recorded. They had better improve quickly if they want these two viewers. There’s just too much else to watch.
Watched the pilot and didn’t return last night. McCormick was okay, but the whole premise is untenable. Universities don’t keep hallucinating crazies in the classroom, genius or not. Also, his scruffiness was so obviously organized. And the FBI girl was such a purposeful visual contrast. And the evil drug company and evil Bush were so hackneyed. Just didn’t work.
It also ripped off some elements of the recently departed House – poorly. Cheers -
I watched — until the scene with the “human lie detector” laughing at George W. Bush. That was enough for me. I won’t watch any more. I’ve also given up on Leno and Letterman.
I sure hope The Closer spinoff is good…