Scripted series · TNT
Perception
Crime Scene Differently
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Eric McCormack
Dr. Daniel Pierce
39 eps
Rachael Leigh Cook
Kate Moretti
39 eps
Kelly Rowan
Natalie Vincent
39 eps
Arjay Smith
Max Lewicki
39 eps
LeVar Burton
Paul Haley
35 eps
Scott Wolf
Donnie Ryan
27 eps
Lindsay Pulsipher
Kendra Murphy
2 eps
Pippa Black
Wendy
2 eps
Andrew Lawrence
Henry Wilmyer / Micah Conley
1 eps
Kenny Ridwan
Ely Dunham
1 eps
Brad Beyer
Mordecai 'Three Finger' Brown
1 eps
Mark D. Espinoza
Victor
1 eps
Nate Hartley
Andre
1 eps
Robert Blanche
Dan Bukowski
1 eps
Marcus Giamatti
Joel (Conley's Agent)
1 eps
Margaret Easley
Patricia Wilmyer
1 eps
Joe Cortese
Paolo Genardi
1 eps
Nicole Bilderback
Carol Lao
1 eps
Christopher Meyer
Kenny Rivers
1 eps
David Paymer
Rueben Bauer
4 eps
DJ Qualls
Agent Rudy Fleckner
5 eps
John Rubinstein
Jack Crawford
3 eps
Josh Coxx
Agent Drexler
3 eps
Perrey Reeves
Miranda Stiles
3 eps
Rob Brownstein
Chancellor Kinney
2 eps
Jonathan Scarfe
Roger Probert
6 eps
Jamie Bamber
Michael Hathaway
3 eps
Brad Rowe
Agent Bobby Dalton
6 eps
Jo Anderson
Wendy Pierce
2 eps
Peter Coyote
James Alan Pierce
4 eps
Dan Lauria
Joe Moretti
5 eps
Paul Ganus
Assistant S.A.I.C. Tanner
2 eps
Lisa Banes
Irene Reardon
2 eps
Freddy Rodríguez
Wesley Sumter
2 eps
Jayne Atkinson
Helen Paulson
2 eps
Jimmy Bennett
Alex Willingham
2 eps
Matthew Glave
Senator Scott Ryland
2 eps
Bridget Regan
Victoria Ryland
2 eps
Nancy Youngblut
Judge Leslie Markway
2 eps
Chris Gartin
Father Pat
4 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Perception actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Perception reads strongest on Tension, Character Depth and Cliffhanger Intensity.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist and professor, is 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.
The run
Seasons
3 seasons · 39 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
201210 episodes
6.7IMDbErick McCormack stars as the eccentric neuroscience professor whose revealing visions help him uncover what lies beneath conscious emotion. Though recruited by the FBI for his masterful understanding of the human mind, Daniel's odd and offbeat view makes it difficult for him to get close to anyone. His former student, Agent Kate Moretti, is one of the few people willing to accept Daniel's peculiarities in exchange for his imaginative solutions. Two very different personalities join forces as they try to tackle the Bureau's most complex cases.
Best episode · S01E10 Light
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
201314 episodes
7.3IMDbBest episode · S02E11 Curveball
Season 3 · Complete
Season 3
201415 episodes
7.8IMDbBest episode · S03E10 Dirty
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S03E10
Dirty
When Donnie finds himself in a compromising situation, he calls Pierce for help. As the evidence begins to stack against Donnie, Pierce and Moretti struggle with their own fears and doubts, as they work to solve the case. During the chaos, Pierce must deal with his father after he assaults someone at the assisted living facility.
- Directed by LeVar Burton
- Written by Jonathan Abrahams
S03E08
Prologue
After a missing FBI agent turns up dead, Pierce is forced to face the one case he was never able to solve. When they discover that the killer is still out there, Pierce agrees to help Moretti, against the wishes of his therapist, Dr. Rosenthal, who believes it will only exacerbate Pierce’s condition.
- Directed by Alrick Riley
- Written by Michael Sussman
S03E07
Bolero
After Pierce witnesses a gallery owner die during a seizure caused by a video installation, he convinces Moretti that it was actually a murder. Their search for the killer puts them in the middle of a brazen art heist. As Pierce works on the case, he is forced to re-examine his relationship with Natalie.
- Directed by Alrick Riley
- Written by Tawnya Bhattacharya, Ali Laventhol
S03E09
Silence
Donnie and Moretti are caught in the crossfire when a sniper shoots up the lobby of the Federal Building. When Pierce determines that the shooter is afraid of Extreme Low Frequency radio waves, he and Moretti take a trip to the Quiet Zone in Virginia, where they think the shooter is hiding out. Meanwhile, an alluring woman named Shelby Buchanan courts Donnie to run for political office.
- Directed by LeVar Burton
- Written by Raf Green
S03E06
Inconceivable
When an infant is reported stolen, Moretti hunts down the kidnapper and makes a very bizarre discovery. As Pierce and Moretti investigate a related murder, they find that there might be another child out there who needs their help. Meanwhile, Donnie and Moretti discuss their future together when Donnie looks into buying a house in the suburbs.
- Directed by Jeff Woolnough
- Written by Nicki Paluga
S03E02
Painless
When a prosecutor mysteriously drops dead in the middle of a courtroom, Pierce and Moretti go on the hunt for a killer. Meanwhile, Moretti and Donnie make some decisions about their future.
- Directed by Eric McCormack
- Written by Jason Ning
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
- Photo unavailable
Kenneth Biller
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
Michael Sussman
Creator
- Photo unavailable
Jerry Shandy
Writer
Tawnya Bhattacharya
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Warren Hsu Leonard
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Jason Ning
Writer
Stephen Tolkin
Writer
Ali Laventhol
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Charley Dane
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Raf Green
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Nicki Paluga
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Sean Whitesell
Writer
Jonathan Abrahams
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Amanda Green
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Kenneth BillerProducer
- Eric McCormackProducer
- Alan PoulProducer
- Michael SussmanProducer
Writing
- Jerry ShandyWriter
- Tawnya BhattacharyaWriter
- Warren Hsu LeonardWriter
- Jason NingWriter
- Stephen TolkinWriter
- Ali LaventholWriter
Direction
- Greg BeemanDirector
- Andrew BernsteinDirector
- Kenneth BillerDirector
- Jeff WoolnoughDirector
- LeVar BurtonDirector
- Christopher MisianoDirector
Cinematography
- John B. AronsonDirector of Photography
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
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Never stop watching
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