Staring: Jake McDorman, Jennifer Carpenter, Hill Harper, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Ron Rifkin, Bradley Cooper
Is it weird that I actually enjoyed the Limitless pilot more than the movie? Thank God that McDorman’s awful TV show last season got axed and he was cast in Limitless. He’s really good. He’s always been good. I’ve liked him ever since he was on Greek. He has charisma for days, much like Bradley Cooper. Limitless is the perfect vehicle for him to turn into a star.
And he’s got a lot of help. Jennifer Carpenter, who was so amazing in Dexter, is here in Limitless. This is actually a step down for her. Stepping into Limitless, into a CBS procedural, is definitely going to be more boring than her character arc on Dexter, but at least she’s still getting work. Also, it was a nice surprise to see Hill Harper and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. I can’t actually remember the last thing I saw either in. I remember Mastrantonio had a small arc on Grimm a few years ago… but it’s still surprising to see her here.
Maybe Limitless is exactly the shot in the arm that the procedural genre needed. As far as a pilot goes, it makes me want to watch the next episode, so that’s something.
They do a terrific job of showing Brian’s (McDorman) thought process and visions. It’s almost like he has an out of body experience. I hope they keep that up in future episodes, and don’t just “assume” he’s smart enough to figure everything out. That would be boring after a while. Actually, that would be The Mentalist.
I don’t usually enjoy CBS dramas, but Limitless looks to be part of a new generation of show for them. It feels like it could be on any network. Good job.
FINAL GRADE: A-
