Emmy-winner Eric McCormack returned to TV screens this week in Perception. He plays a brilliant, eccentric—and we mean really eccentric—neuroscientist who consults with the FBI on their thorniest cases. The TNT drama was well-received with a solid 5.60 million viewers for its first episode.
McCormack is currently on Broadway in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, but of course he’s best known for the long-running sitcom Will & Grace. His Daniel Pierce is quite a change of pace from the fan-favorite Will Truman.
Even though Perception is a procedural in the classic mode, “procedure is the last thing that Daniel is going to follow. He’s probably going to screw procedure up, more than anything,” McCormack says. “He’s not there to look at forensics or have anything to do with guns, and he doesn’t bust anybody. He’s simply looking at it from the point of view of a puzzle and, inevitably, because of his expertise, that creates some great twists and turns in this show.”
Starring opposite McCormack is Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That), who is excited by the opportunities available at TNT, known for advertiser-friendly, female-led procedurals like The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles.
“I love them as a network because they give fantastic roles to women. I like their shows because they’re smart. What drew me to this show were the characters. The crime solving is a product of their jobs, obviously, but their jobs don’t define them as people.”
Cook echoes McCormack in describing Perception as “not your typical procedural. As an actor, I’ve always been in awe of and completely terrified by the procedural. How much dialogue and jargon people have to say was completely an intimidating prospect for me…
“What I love about this show is that you can accidentally learn something without feeling like you’re having facts shoved down your throat. And, the stakes are in the right place. You can go to sleep after watching an episode of this show. It’s not going to keep you up at night.”
Given the endlessly glum state of affairs in the evening news, it’s no surprise TNT is having ratings success with a light mystery series populated by familiar, friendly faces. The network recently scored another bullseye with its Dallas reboot, which is packed with recognizable stars from the classic series as well as plenty of eye candy. CLICK HERE for the official TNT site of ‘Perception’
CLICK HERE for Collider’s interview with Eric McCormack.
CLICK HERE for Collider’s interview with Rachael Leigh Cook