Instinct
It’s a sad day when I must disparage a new network show, especially one that breaks exciting new thematic ground. And yet integrity (or what passes for the it among T.V. reviewers) demands that I confess that the premier of CBS’ Instinct left me deeply, deeply disappointed.
Starring Alan Cumming and Bojana Novakovic, Instinct follows abnormal psychology professor and ex-CIA agent Dylan Reinhart (Cumming) as he is approached by NYPD detective Elizabeth Needham (Novakovic) to help solve a murder whose killer seems to be inspired by Reinhart’s book. Of course, the crabby, sarcastic Needham slowly opens up to the charismatic, brilliant Reinhart as they grow closer as partners and solve gruesome murder cases…
Yes, this should sound familiar. The NYT put it well; Instinct is trying to be Castle — and it’s failing. The only decent acting comes from Cumming (who musical fans might remember from Cabaret), but he’s not nearly at his best — unlike Martin Freeman’s excellent American accent in Fargo, Cumming’s frequently slips into an unnerving thick Scottish brogue. Novakovic delivers her too-frequent sassy quips with a bland gaze, and the chemistry between the pair is nonexistent. Lost’s Naveen Andrews is generic as an elite hacker, and Whoopi Goldberg’s short scene as Reinhart’s agent fails to impress. The show’s all-star cast supposedly can act, but, for unfathomable reasons, doesn’t.
To be fair, they’re not working with spun gold. Michael Rauch’s script is overwhelmingly dull. The apparently emotional scene where Reinhart reveals his CIA past to Needham — an important development — is so clumsily executed that, even as an amateur writer, it offends me. The script is so full of banal one-liners that it feels like we’re just killing time until the big reveal that really surprises nobody. Even excellent acting couldn’t save this plot.
The surprisingly bad technical execution is almost an afterthought; director Marc Webb (of 500 Days of Summer fame) uses frequent clichés, like an overhead crime scene shot repeated no less than thrice. The scene transitions are awkward, and the entire episode’s pacing feels as if we’re being rushed along a particularly seedy Amtrak train populated by the standard cast of procedural tropes -
Except that Dylan is married to another man. Here’s where this gets interesting: CBS claims Reinhart is the first gay lead on a primetime network drama, and they’re largely correct. To say this, however, is to lose sight of all the LGBTQ+ characters in shows outside this narrow descriptor that made such a move possible at all — the legacies of Will & Grace, Transparent, Orange is the New Black. Hardcore T.V. fans will remember that over a decade ago, The Wire had two immensely popular gay characters in Omar Little and Kima Greggs. Reinhart’s marriage is a step forward, but CBS’ claim to the moral high ground does not excuse the decades broadcast networks have spent refusing to depict homosexuality, and it certainly doesn’t excuse a show that otherwise refuses to innovate.
So, if you skipped ahead to my usual scathing conclusion, here it is — don’t watch Instinct. The show is a 60-minute trudge through a swamp of overused plot devices and played-out character interactions. It’s clear that the networks are looking for the next Castle and The Mentalist clone. But where those shows were innovative, Instinct seems to believe that Alan Cumming’s dazzlingly boyish grins will distract us from the burning schoolbus of a T.V. show behind him. Except, if you know what good procedurals look like (for future reference, they look like NYPD Blue), you’ll see right through it.
