Photo: Jeff Neumann
CBS’s Limitless, is a fast-paced drama about Brian Finch, who discovers the brain-boosting power of the mysterious drug NZT and is coerced by the FBI into using his extraordinary cognitive abilities to solve complex cases for them. Today at the Television Critics Association (TCA) summer press tour, the show’s cast and producers explained the new series. In the pilot, Jake McDorman’s character, Finch, receives a shot and receives a pill once per day. “12 hour of his day he’ll be enhanced, for 12 hours he’ll be regular Brian Finch,” the show’s producers reveal.
“This isn’t Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” says McDorman. His character retains his elevated and normal memories and the actor revealed that while his character is on NZT, he has t follow a set of rules (Which he shared below) and “When you’re off the drug, you get to paint the character any way you want,” he says.
NZT Rules: Your posture improves. You make more eye contact. Every gesture is deliberate.
Former Dexter actress Jennifer Carpenter, who was 8 1/2 month pregnant when the pilot was shot, revealed that the hardest part of suspending disbelief was not pretending she was pregnant. She and the producers joked about framing her growing body behind her costars, or positioning her behind light posts.
Bradley Cooper, who starred in the 2011 movie, is an Executive Producer of both the film and the series and helped cast the characters in his world and met with McDorman about the role. Cooper will also reprise his character Eddie Morra in an unannounced number of episodes.
When he has the opportunity at unlimited mental potential, he starts thinking about how he can use his “abilities” to help others, specifically his beloved his father. So Brian Finch is relatively altruistic, vis-à-vis the movie, where Eddie’s use of neuro enhancers was relatively selfish.
Mastrantonio plays their boss at the FBI. “I’m the overlord,” she jokes, “but I’m not there to rap knuckles.”
Hill Harper plays Special Agent Boyle. He shared his backstory — which he created for his character and is subject to change as the show’s writers and producers see fit. “I’m an ex-Navy SEAL, played receiver in college (as Harper did), he loves the flag, he loves the shield and he wants to protect both.” Hill is grateful to represent FBI agents who are incredibly talented and could be doing something else and making a lot more money, but serve their country out of love for it.
Limitless > CBS >Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT beginning Sept. 22
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