Cover Story this The write wit: Remixing police procedurals with ‘Instinct’

from The Brainerd Dispatch TV Week March 18th 2018

by Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal

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By K.A. Taylor TV Media

Police procedural dramas are a staple of North American television. Just mentioning the term, or the words “Law and Order,” immediately transports you to the world of whodunnit (and that catchy theme song). Obsessed and fascinated as we are by the motives behind the deadliest of crimes, the success of this kind of series may seem like a given, but the odds of a show being a hit greatly increase when it includes just the right kind of twist. On Sunday, March 18, CBS introduces the world to a clever, subversive police procedural, when “Instinct” premieres.

Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”) is a quirky, highly intellectual professor and author, currently teaching abnormal behavior while trying to compose his next bestseller. Reinhart’s inability to complete another stunning work of prose may be due to a lack of inspiration, as he’s no longer able to draw on years of experience from his former life working as a CIA operative. That is, however, until a visit from the NYPD to his classroom coaxes him back into the thrill of investigative work.

Det. Lizzie Needham (Bojana Novakovic, “Shameless”) informs Reinhart that his book has been implicated in a murder. The book, a bestseller on criminal theory, is being brought to life by a killer, with clues left behind taken directly

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from the pages of Reinhart’s work. Without any motives or additional leads, Needham reaches out to Reinhart for his help, knowing that his unique perspective as author — and former CIA operative — is her best hope at stopping this mysterious murderer.

To better prepare himself for the chase, Reinhart calls on some old friends for assistance from his previous life, including Julian Cousins (Naveen Andrews, “Sense8”). Utilizing his pool of resources, Reinhart begins to create a profile of the killer, with a mix of fascination and determination to see justice served.

The popularity of police procedurals started long before the invention of the television, with novels birthing this intriguing subset of detective fiction. While the literary origins find their roots in the mid-1800s, the genre’s popularity rapidly grew post-World War II, with many of the tales now unfolding on the big screen. Everything changed with “Dragnet,” a radio play that leaped onto the small screen and then upgraded to the big screen. The show garnered a massive following and firmly established the demand for the police procedural drama.

“Instinct” pulls from this transitory past, as the story began in the pages of a novel. The series is an adaptation of James Patterson’s novel “Murder Games,” with much of the series’ content staying true to Patterson’s own words. Fans of literary, small-screen and cinematic adaptations of police procedurals are no stranger to Patterson’s works, as he is a dominant force in the genre. Notable early hits for the author on the big screen include 1997’s “Kiss the Girls” and 2001’s “Along Came a Spider,” both of which are clear emblems of the police procedural genre.

So, where lies the twist? While most would expect that to be found in the killer’s reveal — which it may very well be — what makes this latest genre series stand out above the rest is the lead character, Reinhart, who, like his novel counterpart, is a married gay man. This move is set to be the first broad-range broadcast of an hour-long series that features a queer lead character, a progressive and timely move by the network. CBS is no stranger to paving the way for cultural and sexual diversity, though, after the recent success of CBS All Access’s “Star Trek: Discovery.”

This opportunity meant so much to Cumming, who admitted to the Hollywood Reporter that “it was one of the reasons [he] wanted to do the show.” The Scottish-American actor is a longtime LGBTQ2+ activist and advocate, openly bisexual and compassionately proud. The chance to portray Reinhart’s character, with all of his layers, was both “an incredible thing and a terrible thing” to Cumming. Given the current political fervor in America — “a time in America where gay people are being persecuted ... our rights are being removed,” as Cumming puts it — the actor saw that it was “all the more important to have a character with a healthy same-sex marriage on TV.”

While the politics are clearly present in the writing of “Instinct,” the series places greater emphasis on its execution of sarcastic wit. Reinhart is a master of words and clever one-liners, always one to note the most culturally and momentarily significant things with an ample dose of observational humor. This plays well alongside Needham’s professional drive, as she plays a strong, leading role in the investigation, not afraid to smile but constant in her devotion to the case. The two follow the tradition of unlikely pairings, though it is plain to see they have a chemistry and make a formidable team.

The new era of the police procedurals has arrived, amply stacked with drama, laughs and cultural relevance. With a stellar cast and intriguing premise, it’s easy to see why CBS was quick to transform this recent James Patterson novel into a fully realized, hour-long series. Find out if Reinhart and Needham have the skills needed to uncover this literary-loving killer when “Instinct” premieres Sunday, March 18, on CBS.

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