HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'Instinct' season 2: Release date, plot, cast and everything you need to know about CBS' police drama based on James Patterson's book

Critics were not kind to the show but that did not deter millions of viewers who rooted for the second season of Alan Cummings police procedural drama

With a rather poor rating of 58 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.5/10 on IMDb, fans of police procedural drama 'Instinct' were overjoyed when CBS renewed the show for a second run. 

Developed by Michael Rauch, the show is based on the 2017 novel, 'Murder Games', by brilliant thriller novelist James Patterson. The show may not have fared well with critics, but fans loved Alan Cummings' outstanding performance as a leading gay character who retired as a detective, began work as a professor and then returns to detective work.  Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming season of 'Instinct'.

Release date

CBS renewed the police procedural drama television series on May 2018, and the second season is set to premiere on June 16, 2019.

Plot

Based on the James Patterson novel, 'Instinct' revolves around the story of a former CIA operative, Dr. Dylan Reinhart, who is lured back to his old life when the NYPD needs his help to stop a serial killer. The murderer seems to be using Dr. Dylan Reinhart's book as inspiration for murders so New York police detective Elizabeth Needham teams up with the detective to stop the killer.

Happily married to Andy, Dr. Dylan is shown to be enjoying his life as a successful author and professor, who teaches psychopathic behavior. But when NYPD detective Lizzie approaches him with a bizarre case, his life takes a huge turn. She tells him about a serial killer who is using his first book as a guide to carry out perfect murders. As he teams up in the curious case, he is back to the old grind and there's no turning back.

Cast

'Instinct' stars Alan Cumming as Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a professor, and former CIA officer who pairs up with NYPD detective to stop a serial killer. Cumming is no stranger to CBS. The 54-year-old actor has spent seven seasons as campaign manager-turned-chief of staff Eli Gold on 'The Good Wife'. Two years after 'The Good Wife' ended, Cumming returned to CBS with the 13-episode first season of 'Instinct'.

Bojana Novakovic stars as Elizabeth "Lizzie" Needham, an NYPD detective who teams up with Dylan. Her partner and fiancé was killed in the line of duty a year prior, and she had since then refused to have a partner before meeting Dylan. We have earlier seen the Serbian-Australian actress in films including 'Devil' and 'The Little Death'. She also appeared in the U.S. version of television series 'Shameless' as Bianca.

Daniel Ings, best known for starring as Luke Curran in the comedy series 'Lovesick', plays Andrew "Andy" Wilson, Dylan's husband, who is a lawyer-turned-bar owner. 

Naveen Andrews plays Julian Cousins, a contact of Dylan's from his days at the CIA who now works as a freelancer. Andrews was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2006 for his role in 'Lost', and a Primetime Emmy Award in 2005 for the same role. He received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2006.

Then there is Sharon Leal as Jasmine Gooden, Lizzie's lieutenant, and friend. Leal starred in 'Dreamgirls', 'This Christmas'. 'Why Did I Get Married?'. 'Why Did I Get Married Too?', 'Legacy' and 'Boston Public'.

Director/Writer

Based on the book 'Murder Games' by James Patterson, 'Instinct' has translated to TV with an average hit. James Patterson, on the other hand, became the first person to sell one million e-books and his books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. In 2016, Patterson topped Forbes's list of highest-paid authors for the third consecutive year, with an income of $95 million and his total income over a decade is estimated at $700 million.

Trailers

The trailer for part 2 is not out yet. Watch this space for updates. For now, enjoy season 1's trailer:

Where to watch

Season 2 of 'Instinct' will premiere on Sunday, June 16, 2019, at 9 pm on CBS. 

Season 1 recap 

In season 1, Dylan teams up with Lizzie and solves many crime mysteries including that of the "angel of death", who kills patients at hospitals, and the attempted murder of an author and suicide bombers. In the process, Lizzie learns about the death of her fiancé, who was killed while undercover. The finale concluded with Andy and Dylan adopting a child, while Lizzie's promotion isn't looking good.

If you liked this, you'll love these 

'Law and Order', 'Unforgettable', 'Castle', 'Shades of Blue', 'Madam Secretary'