TNT Gives Green Light to PERCEPTION, New Drama Series Starring Emmy® Winner Eric McCormack

TNT Press Release
Release Date: 3/22/2011

TNT Gives Green Light to PERCEPTION, New Drama Series Starring Emmy® Winner Eric McCormack

TNT has given the green light to PERCEPTION, an original drama series starring Emmy® and Screen Actors Guild Award® winner Eric McCormack (Will & Grace, Who Is Clark Rockefeller?). TNT has ordered 10 episodes of the new series, which centers on a neuroscientist who works to solve complex criminal cases. Also starring are Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That), Arjay Smith (The Day After Tomorrow) and Kelly Rowan (The O.C.). PERCEPTION was created by executive producer Kenneth Biller (Star Trek: Voyager, Legend of the Seeker) and co-executive producer Mike Sussman (Star Trek: Voyager), with McCormack serving as producer. Alan Poul (Six Feet Under) directed and served as executive producer for the pilot. Produced by ABC Studios, PERCEPTION is expected to premiere on TNT in 2012.

In PERCEPTION, McCormack plays Dr. Geoffrey Pierce, an eccentric neuroscientist who uses his unique outlook and expertise to help the federal government crack difficult cases. Pierce’s intimate knowledge of human behavior and masterful understanding of the mind are matched by his equally odd and imaginative view of the world. Cook co-stars as FBI agent Kate Rossi, Pierce’s former student and the person responsible for recruiting him to work for the government. Smith plays Max Lewicki, Pierce’s teaching assistant who has spent nine years at college. Rowan is Natalie Vincent, Pierce’s best friend and every bit his intellectual equal.

“When we saw the pilot for PERCEPTION, it confirmed what we thought from the first pitch: It’s a perfect fit for TNT’s original series lineup,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “With its blend of intensity, emotion, humor, smart storytelling, sharp direction and a buzz-worthy performance from Eric McCormack, PERCEPTION is a hugely entertaining show we believe TNT viewers will love.”

McCormack earned an Emmy and five Golden Globe® nominations for his performance as Will Truman on the long-running hit comedy Will & Grace. He followed that success with memorable performances in the miniseries The Andromeda Strain, the films My One and Only and Alien Trespass and the television movie Best Thing Ever, as well as a recurring role on The New Adventures of Old Christine. Last year, he earned rave reviews for his role in the television movie Who Is Clark Rockefeller? A longtime stage actor, McCormack played five seasons at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. He made his Broadway debut in The Music Man in 2001 and returned to the New York stage in 2006 in Neil LaBute’s Some Girl(s).

Cook comes to PERCEPTION with an extensive resume that includes starring in the hit film She’s All That and a co-starring role on the series Las Vegas. She also co-starred in TNT’s Into the West and played a recurring character on Psych. Cook’s big-screen credits include Antitrust, Josie and the Pussycats and Get Carter.

Smith earned early stardom in the series Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher and The Journey of Allen Strange. His credits also include roles on The West Wing, 24, Malcolm in the Middle, Bones, Cold Case and NYPD Blue, as well TNT’s Saving Grace. Smith’s feature-film credits include the blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow and the comedy First Sunday.

Rowan is best known for her role as Kirsten Cohen in the popular drama series The O.C. She recently starred in and executive-produced such television movies as The Good Times are Killing Me and the award-winning In God’s Country. Rowan’s credits also include roles in the series Boomtown and Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster fantasy Hook.

About TNT
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 100.5 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; Hawthorne, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells (ER); as well as the upcoming Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle, and Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting in late 2011, The Mentalist; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

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