TNT Begins Production on PERCEPTION, New Drama Series Starring Eric McCormack

TNT began production this week on itsnew original series Perception, starring Emmy(R) and Screen Actors Guild Award(R) winner Eric McCormack (Will & Grace, Who Is Clark Rockefeller). The series about an eccentric neuroscientist who helps solve complex criminal cases also stars Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That), ArJay Smith (The Day After Tomorrow) and Kelly Rowan (The O.C.). TNT has ordered 10 episodes of Perception, which will join the network's lineup in summer 2012.

In Perception, McCormack plays Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist and professor recruited to help the federal government crack difficult cases. His intimate knowledge of human behavior and masterful understanding of the mind give him an extraordinary ability to read people, but his eccentric view of the world and less-than-stellar social skills can often interfere with his work.

Cook co-stars as FBI agent Kate Moretti, Pierce's former student and the person responsible for recruiting him to work for the government. Smith plays Max Lewicki, the teaching assistant whose primary job is to keep Pierce in line and on task. Rowan is Natalie Vincent, Pierce's best friend and every bit his intellectual equal. In addition, award-winning actor LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation) will play a recurring role as Paul Haley, a dean at the university.

Perception, which comes to TNT from ABC Studios, was created by executive producer Kenneth Biller (Star Trek: Voyager, Smallville) and co-executive producer Mike Sussman (Star Trek: Enterprise), with McCormack serving as producer. Alan Poul (Six Feet Under) directed and served as executive producer for the pilot. David Eagleman, a professor at Baylor School of Medicine and author of the New York Times Top 10 bestseller Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, serves as a technical consultant on the series.

McCormack made his Broadway debut in the 2001 production of The Music Man. He is perhaps best known for playing Will Truman in the American sitcom Will & Grace, which premiered in September 1998. His performance earned him an Emmy Award in the category for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos