Instinct

6.8
201840m

Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a gifted author, university professor and former CIA operative is lured back to his old life by tenacious top NYPD Detective Lizzie Needham. Though Dylan and Lizzie initially clash, when it comes to catching killers, they make an ideal team.

Production

Logo for Secret Hideout
Logo for CBS Studios

Seasons

13 Episodes • Premiered 2018

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 1: Pilot

1. Pilot

6.1

Former CIA operative Dr. Dylan Reinhart is lured back to his old life when NYPD Detective Lizzie Needham needs his help to stop a serial killer.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 2: Wild Game

2. Wild Game

6.8

Dylan, having returned to teaching after helping the NYPD catch a serial killer, is called upon again to aid Detective Needham on a complex case involving the murder of a venture capitalist.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 3: Secrets and Lies

3. Secrets and Lies

8.0

The murder of a young man who recently left his family’s religious community leads Dylan and Lizzie to a series of possible suspects, including a short-tempered photographer and a mysterious girl with amnesia. Also, Lizzie’s younger sister, Katie, unexpectedly drops by for a visit.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 4: I Heart New York

4. I Heart New York

7.2

Dr. Dylan Reinhart and Det. Lizzie Needham are reassigned to a murder case in Central Park when their investigation into a chemical attack on the subway is taken over by an FBI team led by Dylan’s estranged father, Roger. However, Dylan can’t shake the feeling that the cases are related.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 5: Heartless

5. Heartless

7.0

Dylan and Lizzie investigate the murder of a Jane Doe, but when they realize that the victim was killed by mistake, they must identify the killer’s motive and intended target before she suffers the same fate.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 6: Flat Line

6. Flat Line

6.6

Dylan and Julian go undercover in a hospital when they suspect an “angel of death” is killing people with non-life-threatening ailments. Also, Lizzie asks Andy for his legal expertise when a personal trainer sues her for accidentally injuring him.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 7: Owned

7. Owned

6.0

Dylan and Lizzie are under pressure to deliver results when they investigate the death of Jasmine’s friend, the owner of a professional basketball team who died when her car went off a bridge

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 8: Long Shot

8. Long Shot

When a woman is shot outside a community center, Dylan and Lizzie are challenged by the mayor to solve the case in less than 24 hours to quell pressure from the media and special interest groups.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 9: Bad Actors

9. Bad Actors

Two members of an acting troupe are killed using sophisticated poisons; Andy worries that Dylan isn't fitting in, so he encourages Dylan to attend a barbecue being thrown by Detective Fucci.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 10: Bye Bye Birdie

10. Bye Bye Birdie

When Celia Baxter, a successful author, is almost killed in her home, Dylan and Lizzie’s suspect list includes several people who may have held a grudge as she rose in stature in the publishing world. Also, Lizzie gets closer to learning the truth about the death of her fiancé, who was killed while undercover.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 11: Blast From the Past

11. Blast From the Past

9.0

Dylan and Lizzie are unable to identify a motive or connection when several average people blow themselves up using suicide bombs. Also, Julian, concerned that Dylan could be exposing himself to past enemies, enlists Lizzie to talk him out of hiring Ashely, a publicist.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 12: Live

12. Live

Dylan and Lizzie investigate the murder of a film student whose death was broadcast for the world to see. Also, Andy and Dylan realize that parenting is tougher than they thought when they agree to look after Madison, a friend’s 12-year-old daughter.

Still image for Instinct season 1 episode 13: Tribal

13. Tribal

Dylan and Lizzie investigate the murder of Joan’s protégé, Kristy, uncovering long-buried secrets worth killing over. Also, Dylan and Andy apply to adopt a child, and Lizzie’s reliance on Julian’s illicitly obtained information puts a promotion in jeopardy, on the first season finale.

Cast

Photo of Alan Cumming

Alan Cumming

Dylan Reinhart

Photo of Bojana Novaković

Bojana Novaković

Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Needham

Photo of Naveen Andrews

Naveen Andrews

Julian Cousins

Photo of Sharon Leal

Sharon Leal

Jasmine Gooden

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Reviews

N

Peter McGinn

8/10

I started watching this show for three reasons. I have liked Alan Cumming ever since he played unlikeable roles in Circle of Friends and Emma. Then I saw him in The Good Wife, which reminded me that I liked his work. Plus we subscribed to CBS All Access to watch a few shows, so why not watch this also?

I don’t tend to read many reviews before deciding to watch something, unless I see a LOT of one-star reviews. That usually means either there are several people of color in the movie, or else because gay/lesbian characters are treated in a realistic and positive manner. The latter was the case in this show. A loving but ordinary gay couple must have made some viewers’ ears bleed.

I appreciate police shows that have both long term cases and ones that are solved in one episode. I think the chemistry is pretty good throughout the cast, and particularly was impressed that the hard boiled cop, the one who usually spouts insults at unorthodox characters like a gay couple, was a mixture of gritty investigating but tolerance for the two male leads. I actually saw it as rather groundbreaking.

I will say that I thought the Dylan character was a little too smart sometimes, but as suppose it is quicker to solve the cases within one episode. Also, the dialogue felt a little too sappy sometimes, but those moments passed quickly. It reminded me of Midsomer Murders, which also, despite featuring imaginative and grotesque murders, are fairly suitable for the whole family.

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