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Perception starring Eric McCormack and Rachel Leigh Cook. — Perception starring Eric McCormack and Rachael Leigh Cook.

UPDATE: PERCEPTION has been renewed for season 3!!!

Turns out I like my men (on TV) quirky, cute, brilliant and nice at the core. A sense of humor won’t hurt, a traumatic background will up the stakes and I’ll be sold for some good crime-solving and decent acting.

With House, I settled for hospital drama since he approached cases with a CSI attitude and the brainstorming tactics of a creative professional, and I gave up on nice for a uniquely irritating yet intriguing personality. But with Lie to Me, I didn’t have to settle.

And I didn’t have to settle with Perception (starring Eric McCormack) either. To get a feel of how good Eric McCormack is, you should see Will and Grace, Trust Me and Perception episodes in a row. From the handsome gay lawyer with OCD tendencies (Will & Grace) to advertising golden boy (Trust Me) to schizophrenic neuropsychiatrist (Perception), Eric McCormack gave me the perfect rebound show. You know what they say…to get over one tv show, get under another. No, wait- that was for dating.

But hey, just like sometimes rebound relationships can offer something more given a little time, this TV show is drawing me in, and making me get over (a little) my indignation that Lie to Me was over in 3 little seasons.

Maybe I’m drawn to these shows because I am often not considered normal by a lot of people I meet. Most of the time I take it as a compliment, and most of the time they do mean it that way. And when you are a writer, that (manageable) quirkiness is a perk.

But sometimes the line between taking pride in not fitting in and the seldom frustration of not being able to fit in, choice vs. obligation, get blurry, and I find deep solace and extreme entertainment in characters (and stories) that not everyone relates to, is jealous of (yeah, you bet I wouldn’t mind being a top lie-detecting expert) or wants to have created such shows/characters oneself.

So I like Perception. And hey, it is good that there’re shows that remind us of each others’ premises. Some will work for you, some won’t. I fell in love with The Mentalist (the first 2 seasons), but Psych annoyed me. But I loved Lie to Me and I am currently busy enjoying Perception.

Oh, what the hell is Perception about, you ask?

As I mentioned earlier, Perception centers on the brilliant neuropsychiatrist college professor Daniel Pierce who’s a hit with students but not exactly well-perceived in the outside world when people face with his “differences”, and being a schizophrenic with hallucinations and weird set of habits to manage them.

But one of his fans include ex student/current FBI agent Kate (Rachel Leigh Cook), who asks for his help with her investigations. Now, they could be closer friends or maybe even more, but hey, Daniel has issues and he’s not exactly trying to bond with anyone- he is afraid of the possible consequences.

In each episode, we get a murder case with not-so-tired plots, Danielesque crime solving tactics, some lecture moments we wish we had in our school, some funny situations related to Daniel’s quirks/interactions/reactions and good 40+ minutes of fun.

You see, if you think Jane is so similar to Lightman or Daniel is like Lightman, you weren’t paying attention. Or maybe you really want a character obsessed with catching a serial killer who seems more and more implausible by the second (The Mentalist).

Or you are like me. You enjoy each show for what they have to offer, and the very obvious differences between characters and storylines.

Give Perception a shot if you enjoyed one or more of these shows: House, The Mentalist, Lie to Me.

P.S. Yes, I am aware of House is a medical drama. But hey, House has to be mentioned for his brilliance, tendency to break all rules and authority with obsession to solve cases and well…his own highly problematic personality. And bluntness.

Will and Grace starring Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally

Characters

Will Truman (Eric McCormack) is a handsome, young and gay lawyer with a nice apartment in New York City. He is also extremely organized and controlling. It is probably these two traits that ended his 7-year-relationship with Michael.

Grace Adler (Debra Messing) is a beautiful, young and heterosexual interior designer with her own little firm. She is the relaxed and messy one. Will and Grace have been best friends since college.

Jack (Sean Hayes) is one of Will’s oldest& best friends and he doesn’t like Grace that much. Jack thinks he is the star wherever he goes and whatever he does. Unfortunately his resume is pretty unimpressive and he usually lives off Will. He is the ultimate drama queen and as Will puts it, Jack is so gay that “even the dead know that he is gay”.

Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) is Grace’s assistant although she rarely seems to do much work at all. She is married to a very rich and very fat man (and yes, that will come up all the time) named Stan and she only works for Grace because…well, no one really knows why. She is also very fond of shopping, drinking and pill-popping as much as criticizing what Grace wears and does to her hair. She later makes a bizarre pair with Jack.

The show later introduces Rosario (Shelley Morrison) – Karen’s part-maid/part-servant and part- buddy.

Summary for the First 2 Episodes

When Grace’s live-in boyfriend asks her to marry him, Will is more than disappointed. He thinks Grace should be with someone much more passionate. Actually, Will and Grace are the real soul mates and if Will hadn’t been gay, they would probably have been happily married with kids by now. Will’s disapproval annoys Grace but she realizes that he is right.

So she moves in with him, which turns out to be a real challenge. Because an interior designer and a gay control freak doesn’t equal a match made in heaven for living together. But they love each other to bits and they find a way to survive.

The show went on for 8 seasons with countless hilarious episodes. I hadn’t really liked Jack and Karen at first but then they grew on me too and I became a regular viewer for this show. There have been many priceless moments, such as Grace’s burst water bra and Will’s futile efforts to keep the water in, Jack stalking and later hanging out with Kevin Bacon (Kevin Bacon guest-starred himself), Jack not believing the actual Cher was Cher and so forth…

This sitcom is probably Friends’ only rival in how many celebrities guest-starred on the show. The list includes Alec Baldwin, Andy Garcia, Madonna, Cher, Jennifer Lopez, Kevin Bacon, Michael Douglas, Julian McMahon, Harry Connick Jr. (Grace’s love interest), Matt Damon, Parker Posey, Minnie Driver, Blythe Danner (Gwyneth Paltrow’s real life mother guest-starred as Will’s mother), Woody Harrelson, Gregory Hines, Jeff Goldblum, John Cleese, Taye Diggs, Edward Burns and many more.

It may not suit your sense of humor but try to give it a shot for at least a couple of episodes. It is just too entertaining to miss.

Some Fun Will and Grace Quotes:

Grace: (on Karen’s babysitting potential) Look, Karen, I’m sorry, but taking care of children is a huge responsibility. It’s more “Tickle Me, Elmo” and less… “Let’s fill Elmo up with drugs and smuggle him across the border.

Grace: [on Will’s confession about being gay] That’s not a compliment! A compliment is “You’re sexy. You turn me on”! Not “One look at you and I know I’m queer”!

Grace: [on Will’s confession about being gay] How could I not have known? He was Boy George for Halloween, he has a diffuser on his hairdryer, and he’s prettier than me.

Karen: It’s not something you can just run away from like a hotel bill or a crying baby.

Jack: You’re caring and loving…
Will: You’re just saying that to make me feel better.
Jack: No I’m not. I mean, what would I get out of that?

On Perception and other TV Crime Drama Series with Genius Yet Problematic Characters

Will and Grace starring Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally