Limitless is an American comedy-drama television series based on the 2011 film of the same name, which originally aired on CBS from September 22, 2015, to April 26, 2016. It stars Jake McDorman as Brian Finch, who discovers the power of a mysterious nootropic drug by the name of NZT-48. This drug unlocks the full potential of the human brain and gives its user enhanced mental faculties. It is a spin-off to the film of the same name, which in turn was based on the 2001 novel The Dark Fields, and takes place four years after the events of the movie. The series was ordered by CBS on May 8, 2015. On October 23, 2015, CBS picked up Limitless for a full season of 22 episodes. On May 18, 2016, CBS confirmed Limitless would not be part of the network's 2016–2017 lineup, and on May 25, 2016, CBS executive Craig Sweeny announced the series had been cancelled after one season.
Premise
Brian Finch, a 28-year-old burnout and struggling musician, is introduced to NZT-48, a miracle drug that gives him access to every neuron in his brain. For twelve hours after taking the pill, he becomes the smartest person in the world, able to perfectly recall every detail of his life and capable of prodigious leaps of intuition and reasoning. With the mysterious US Senator Eddie Morra providing him with an immunity shot to counteract NZT's deadly side effects, Brian uses his enhanced abilities to help FBI agentRebecca Harris. The FBI doesn't know about the shot and Brian has to struggle to keep both worlds separate.
On October 31, 2014, it was announced that actor Bradley Cooper had decided to develop a television series based on a movie, and had teamed with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to develop the concept. CBS Television Studios was shopping the show to the American broadcast networks. Craig Sweeny would write the series, while Cooper would serve as executive producer. CBS ordered a pilot on January 28, 2015. In addition to Cooper, Kurtzman, Orci, and Sweeney will serve as executive producers for the series, which is set 4 years after the original film. On February 3, 2015, it was announced that Marc Webb would direct the pilot.
Casting
On February 26, 2016, it was announced that Jake McDorman had joined the production as Brian Finch. Several additional cast members were announced in March 2016. Jennifer Carpenter plays FBI Special Agent Rebecca Harris. Hill Harper is FBI Special Agent Spelman Boyle. Finally, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was cast as FBI Special Agent in Charge Nasreen "Naz" Pouran, of Iranian origin commander of the Cross Jurisdictional Command team.
Limitless received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 57% approval rating with an average rating of 6.39/10 based on 47 reviews. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Even with a likable hero, Limitless cannot overcome its credulity-straining premise and shaky, hole-riddled narrative." On Metacritic, the series holds an average score of 57 out of 100 based on 30 critics.
