Alan Cumming joins USA’s Briarpatch, not leaving Instinct
With that, let’s introduce the latest bit of casting news. According to a report coming in now via TVLine, Instinct and The Good Wife actor Alan Cumming has signed on to appear in Briarpatch, the upcoming USA anthology series that has Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail as one of its executive producers. The first season of the series is based on the Ross Thomas novel of the same name and has Rosario Dawson as the lead, a “determined investigator who returns to her corrupt Texas hometown after her sister is killed. Her search for the murderer eventually turns into a dangerous excavation of her own past.” As a TV reviewer, basically every single part of this is in our wheelhouse and we’re immediately excited to see how it’s presented.
As for what Cumming’s role on the project is going to be, he’ll recur as Clyde Brattle, described as “an elegant, charming, and murderous arms dealer. Currently a fugitive — and the target of a Senatorial investigation run by Dawson’s Allegra Dill — he arrives in town to wreak havoc and settle some old scores.” Cumming can do a wonderful job playing chaotic characters, largely because he possesses so much energy and he’s willing to take daring risks with some of his choices.
Now, let’s get back to the notion of Instinct. The CBS crime series premieres on CBS Sunday — they’ve certainly made us wait for it! Anytime you hear about an actor on one show appearing on another, especially when they’ve already got a lead role, it makes you wonder if their current show is in trouble. That isn’t the case here — recurring on a new show rarely means you’re leaving your old one. Cumming will continue on with Instinct in the event it gets a third season, which is far from a sure thing at the moment. we hope that viewers remember to check out the series — it is one of the best pure mystery shows out there — but the network isn’t doing it ANY favors by shoving it in the middle of the summer. At least it’s going to be on the same night as Big Brother, a show that can prove itself to be a rather great lead-in even though we’d assume that the two series have very different audiences.
Our feeling ultimately on Cumming’s Briarpatch casting is simply this: If Instinct does so happen to get a season 3, it’s hard to view this gig as anything other than positive. It allows him an almost-immediate opportunity to win over some new fans, and maybe these are people who will go check out his performance on the CBS series as Dylan (pictured above).
Want to get some more information now on the Instinct premiere?
Then be sure to head over to the link here! Meanwhile, let us know what you think about this casting, and some of what you’re hoping to see when Instinct season 2 launches. (Photo: CBS.)