The Good Wife's Alan Cumming returned to CBS in the police procedural Instinct, in which he plays an author and psychology professor who also just so happens to be former CIA. Consulting with the NYPD on unusual cases, his character has been essential to the series. Now, Cumming has landed a new role that raises the question: is Instinct in danger on CBS?
Alan Cumming has reportedly been cast in the upcoming USA drama Briarpatch. The series will be based on the novel of the same name penned by Ross Thomas. Cumming will play a character by the name of Clyde Brattle, an arms dealer whose elegance and charm are only part of his personality. He's also quite murderous, and that side is likely what turned him into a fugitive fleeing a Senatorial investigation. He's on a mission to settle some scores and cause some chaos for investigator Allegra Dill.
Rosario Dawson of Netflix's Marvel series fame plays Allegra Dill, who is determined to solve the mystery of her sister's murder. The investigation forces her to delve into her own past as she spends time in her corrupt hometown in Texas. The search for the murderer will presumably lead her to cross paths with Alan Cumming's Clyde Brattle. Clyde sounds like a pretty meaty role, and the premise sounds like it has the potential for a lot of story. Does this mean Instinct is ending, and that has freed Cumming up for the new show?
Well, we can't rule out the end of Instinct, as it was hardly killing in the ratings in the first season, and its second season has yet to kick off. It's far from a sure thing for having a future on the Eye Network. Still, there are big reasons for fans not to panic about Instinct 100% getting the axe just because news broke that Alan Cumming landed a new job.
For one thing, the role of Clyde Brattle will be recurring rather than regular, so the job would presumably require less time than Alan Cumming's starring gig on CBS. TVLine reports an insider source stating that Cumming's work on Briarpatch would not conflict with a third season of Instinct, should CBS go in that direction. For another thing, it's possible that Instinct could kill off or downgrade his character. His death or reduced presence would of course be a huge blow to the show, but we can't rule it out.
Furthermore, Briarpatch will be an anthology drama, so Clyde Brattle does not have the potential to require a multi-season commitment from Alan Cumming. Now, if he had signed on for the role of The Doctor on Doctor Who, which was a possibility not once but twice, or his one-off Doctor Who role had turned into something more, there would have likely been a bigger problem.
Should fans panic that Instinct is ending just because Alan Cumming joined a new show? No. Should fans tune in on a weekly basis to try and get Instinct the ratings for CBS to keep it on the air for a third season? Definitely. Instinct Season 2 premieres Sunday, June 30 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
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It's entirely possible that Season 2 will deliver the kind of numbers CBS is looking for out of a summer show, and perhaps even grow from its Season 1 numbers. The first season debuted in midseason and aired from March (almost immediately causing some controversy) to early July 2018. There's traditionally less primetime competition in the summer months, so maybe Instinct could find a niche in the warmer months. We'll have to wait and see.
