Smarter than your average crime procedural.
The myth that we only use 10 percent of our brains is pretty worn out at this point, but 2011’s Limitless was a fun and entertaining movie to come out of that myth, especially because Bradley Cooper’s character Eddie Morra was so relatable and charismatic. Now, CBS has brought Limitless to TV, and they’ve made the interesting choice to keep it in the same continuity as the feature film. Not only does Cooper reprise his role in the premiere (and will recur in future episodes), but he’s also an executive producer, alongside Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe, Sleepy Hollow), as well as the film’s director, Neil Burger.
Set four years after the events of the movie, the series follows Brian Finch (Greek’s Jake McDorman, who previously worked with Cooper in American Sniper), who discovers a mysterious brain-boosting pill called NZT that allows him to do extraordinary things. Of course, these new abilities come at a cost, and soon Brian finds himself caught in the middle of a dangerous drug conspiracy. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Rebecca Harris (Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter) is hot on Brian’s tail, but she suspects he may not be the criminal everyone suspects he is. It isn’t long before all this catches the attention of Eddie, who is now a successful senator and throws Brian a lifeline.
Despite taking place in the same continuity as the movie, Brian’s journey is almost an exact reboot of Eddie’s, which is kind of weird. Like Eddie, Brian has hit a road block in his life, but instead of being an aspiring author he’s an aspiring musician. He also gets his first NZT break from an old friend who quickly becomes a corpse, leaving Brian to figure out what’s going on. Both characters even look and act the same: cocky, charming, reckless — and Brian narrates the show with humorous commentary. Luckily, McDorman pulls it off for the most part, and he makes a good leading man in Cooper’s stead. However, for those who have seen the movie, this first episode will likely feel repetitive.
The style of the series is also the same. Not only does it maintain the movie’s wry sense of humor, but it also uses similar text graphics and imagery to show how Brian thinks and acts. For example, when Brian is off the pill, the video is cool and desaturated; but when he’s on the pill, the color palette shifts to warmer yellows, oranges and reds. But unlike the Brian/Eddie similarities, these touches are actually welcome, since they make the TV show feel like they’re taking place in the same universe as the movie.
To the premiere’s credit, there are some differences between the TV show and the film. For example, Brian’s father (Alias’s Ron Rifkin) plays a key role in Brian’s life and gives Brian a reason to do what he’s doing. There’s also Rebecca, who has her own ties to NZT. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s superior, Nasreen Awad (Scarface’s Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), points out they still don’t know who actually created NZT, which seems like a good starting point for the season’s overarching storyline.
The good news is, you don’t really have to see the movie to understand the TV show since the pilot covers all the need-to-know information. That said, fans of the flick will probably appreciate the return of Cooper’s Eddie, who readily explains to Brian just how he’s continued taking NZT every morning for the last four years without any side effects. This, in turn, gives Brian an advantage over other schmoes taking NZT, and makes him a valuable asset to the FBI — hence, the series’ setup.
Looking past the false notion that we only use 10 percent of our brains, the world of Limitless shows a lot of potential for the small screen, particularly with the movie’s star and director involved. While the first episode goes through a lot of the same motions as the film — including a suspiciously familiar protagonist — the setup in the first episode is still very entertaining and even answers some questions left hanging at the end of the movie.
Limitless premieres Tuesday, September 22nd on CBS.
