TNT Renews Eric McCormack Drama Series PERCEPTION

TNT has ordered a second season of PERCEPTION, the hit Monday night drama starring Emmy(R) and Screen Actors Guild Award(R) winner Eric McCormack (Broadway's 'The Best Man', Will & Grace, Who Is Clark Rockefeller?). Perception comes to TNT from ABC Studios and currently ranks second behind TNT's Major Crimes among basic cable's top new scripted series for the year-to-date. The network has ordered 13 episodes for season two, which is slated to air in 2013.

"Perception has captured the imagination of TNT's audience of armchair detectives with wonderfully intricate cases, emotionally charged situations and, of course, a terrific cast led by Eric McCormack," said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "Daniel Pierce is a truly unique and fascinating addition to television's pantheon of crime solvers. We look forward to seeing where Perception takes us next."

TNT's Perception, which airs Mondays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), centers on Dr. Daniel Pierce (McCormack), an eccentric neuroscience professor with paranoid schizophrenia who is recruited by the FBI to help solve complex cases. Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That) stars as FBI agent Kate Moretti, Pierce's former student who asks him to consult on her cases. The cast also includes ArJay Smith (The Day After Tomorrow) as Max Lewicki, Pierce's teaching assistant, and Kelly Rowan (The O.C.) as Natalie Vincent, Daniel's best friend and every bit his intellectual equal. In addition, award-winning actor LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation) plays Paul Haley, a dean at the university and Pierce's friend.

Perception was created by executive producer Ken Biller (Star Trek: Voyager, Smallville) and co-executive producer Mike Sussman (Star Trek: Enterprise). In addition to starring in the series, McCormack serves as producer.

In its first season, Perception is averaging 7 million viewers (Live + 7), with 1.8 million adults 18-49 and 2.3 million adults 25-54. The July 9 series premiere of Perception ranks third behind the Aug. 13 premiere of Major Crimes and the June 13 premiere of TNT's Dallas on the list of this year's top series debuts on cable. The season finale of Perception is set for mid-September.

Eric McCormack made his Broadway debut in the title role of The Music Man, headlined the American premiere of Neil LaBute’s Some Girl(s) and this spring returned to New York to star opposite James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury in Gore Vidal's The Best Man. McCormack’s film work includes My One and Only, opposite Rene Zellweger; and The Sisters. His upcoming films include Barricade and Knife Fight, opposite Rob Lowe.

On television, McCormack has starred in countless series, miniseries and movies over the last 20 years including The Andromeda Strain, TNT’s Trust Me, the title role in Who Is Clark Rockefeller? and two seasons as Col. Clay Mosby on Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years. But it was his eight seasons as Will Truman on NBC’s Emmy-winning sitcom Will & Grace that earned him a Screen Actor’s Guild Award, five Golden Globe nominations and the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Connect with Perception

Website: http://tntdrama.com/series/perception/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PerceptionTNT/ | #PerceptionTNT

About ABC Studios

ABC Studios, part of ABC Entertainment Group, develops and produces compelling programming for both broadcast network and cable television as well as digital platforms. ABC Studios has delivered some of the most successful, talked-about and evolutionary series on television such as Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Criminal Minds, Army Wives, Once Upon a Time, Scandal and Revenge.

About TNT

TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Seen in 99 million households, TNT is home to such original drama series as Rizzoli & Isles, Falling Skies, Dallas, Perception, Major Crimes, Franklin & Bash, Leverage, Southland and the upcoming Monday Mornings. The network also features dramatic unscripted originals like this summer's The Great Escape and the upcoming Boston Blue (Working Title) and 72 Hours (Working Title). In addition, TNT is the cable home to popular dramas like The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order and Castle, which starts this year; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R); blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Photo courtesy of TNT