Limitless: Season 1 (2015)

Limitless has become one of my top 10 favorite TV shows. It combines the brilliance and panache of Lie to Me and The Blacklist with the personality and charm of Chuck and White Collar. The male lead is a raffish slacker who stumbles on a top-secret pill that gives him full access to every neuron in his brain. As a result, he can suddenly perform feats of memory and analysis that make him highly valuable to the FBI team that wants to control the designer drug. Jake McDorman totally carries this series as the indefatigable and cheerful Brian, leader (in his mind) of "The Bruntouchables," working out of his playfully decorated "Headquarters!" He establishes a rapport with his button-down FBI team, especially his handler Rebecca (Jennifer Carpenter, who is as good in this role as she was as Deb in Dexter) and team leader Nas (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Brian is also conflicted, since a shadowy figure holds a big carrot and stick over him, and the investigation becomes even more complex as it reveals a cabal of those who are taking the drug, building a black market for it, and plotting to take over governments all over the world. A love interest appears, and disappears, and so on and so forth. Limitless is a captivating and capable series, with a lot happening to make you care about every character during the one season this show was given. Enjoy! 5 stars. (8-19-2017)