Thursday, April 12, 2018

SORTING "INSTINCT"



"What if you could travel to parallel worlds?
The same year, the same Earth, only different dimensions."
Quinn Mallory
'Sliders'


Every so often, I feel like I'm playing the Sorting Hat of Toobworld, determining which TV dimension should host a new series, TV movie, or even a commercial.  And with the "second season" having kicked off, we've got a new show to sort out....

'INSTINCT'
From Wikipedia:
Openly gay author, university professor and former CIA paramilitary officer Dr. Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming) is lured back to his old life by New York police detective Elizabeth Needham (Bojana Novakovic) when she needs his help to stop a serial killer who is using Reinhart’s book as inspiration for murders.

From the IMDb:
Former CIA operative is lured back to his old life when the NYPD needs his help to stop a serial killer. Dr. Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming) is a gifted author and university professor living a quiet life teaching psychopathic behavior to packed classes of adoring students. But when top NYPD detective Lizzie Needham (Bojana Novakovic) appeals to him to help her catch a serial murderer who is using Dylan's first book as a tutorial, Dylan is compelled by the case, comes out of retirement and taps into his old skill set. Though Dylan and Lizzie initially clash, when it comes to catching killers, they realize they will make an ideal team if they both trust their instincts. Based on the James Patterson book.

Just about everything about this series feels right for it to exist in the world of Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld.  Nothing about New York in this show differs from the New York seen in other current TV series set in the Big Apple, like 'Empire', 'Blindspot', 'Suits', and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'... except for the Mayor.


Right from the 'Pilot', we were introduced to the Mayor of New York City, whom we only know as having the last name of "Meyers".  Mayor Meyers looks to be a woman of Indian descent (Her last name could be her married name.) as is the actress who plays her, Sarita Choudhury.  As of now, we don't know what her political affiliation is.

It has been said in the past that the mayor of New York is the second hardest job in the United States.  That could be why I feel the person holding the office in the main Toobworld should be the same person who actually serves in the job in the Real World, just as it is with the President of the United States.  This is to keep a sense of cohesiveness so that more shows can remain in the same dimension.  Because as we always see with the POTUS, many TV shows, especially sitcoms, will refer to the current President by name.  So those shows which have Presidents of the United States who are fictional have to be relegated to other dimensions.  

This same rule holds for the Pope and Queen Elizabeth, probably Putin as well.  But when it comes to senators, other world leaders, Congressmen, and other mayors - even those of Los Angeles and Chicago - it's a fluid case-by-case decision.  It has to be - otherwise, I'd be throwing out too many good shows from the premier TV dimension, like 'The Good Wife', and 'Major Crimes'.  I have to go on my own instincts with this - I couldn't tell you off-hand who the current mayor of Los Angeles is or who the governor was at the beginning of the run for 'The Good Wife'.

And because the City factors into world news events which could have an impact on NY-based TV shows, I feel that the same rule should hold true for the New York City mayors.  We've seen in the past that the Real World mayors have shown up in TV shows set in New York City. 
  • Michael Bloomberg played himself  in episodes of '30 Rock', 'The Good Wife', and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
  • Rudy Giuliani appeared in 'Seinfeld', 'Mad About You', and 'Cosby' and was mentioned on 'SportsNight'
  • David Dinkins visited 'Sesame Street' and was mentioned on 'Girls'
  • Bill De Blasio has shown up in the web series* 'Horace and Pete' and 'The Good Wife'.  But he also has been been mentioned as being the NYC Mayor in 'Constantine', 'Intelligence', and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.  
Speaking of the 'Law & Order' franchise, all of them have appeared or been mentioned on either the parent show or one of its many spin-offs.

So... getting back to Mayor Meyers....

We may learn more about her in coming episodes of 'Instinct', which may have some bearing on which TV dimension the series is relocated.  And another factor?  I think Dr. Dylan Reinhart is the kind of guy who might make a snarky comment about Trump.  So if that happens, 'Instinct' would be set in an alternate dimension but one which still shares the same orange-tinted POTUS as Toobworld and the Real World.  (Four episodes in and it still hasn't happened.  We'll see.)

Therefore, as things stand now, I'm "sorting" 'Instinct' into House West Wing -#  I mean, I'm placing this show into the same dimension in which the following shows reside:

  • 'The West Wing'
  • 'Mr. Sterling'
  • 'Smallville'
  • 'Minority Report'
There may be a few more which I've added, but I can't remember them now.  I should do a better job keeping records!

But like I said, there's always the possibility that it would have to be moved again if Trump is ever mentioned on the show.  Or if there is a different monarch than Queen Elizabeth (for the time being.)  She was mentioned in at least one episode of 'The West Wing', so she remains a common real world figure.  (The second incarnation of 'The Human Target' had a different Queen Elizabeth and royal family, so that had to go off into some other dimension.)  But there would be no problem for the 'West Wing' Toobworld to have a fictional pope or Russian premier.

Welcome to the greater TV Universe, Mayor Meyers, no matter which dimension you wind up in.....

BCnU!

* Toobworld Central won't fight the future.  Web series - as long as they are not reboots like the new adventures of 'Star Trek' - have been accepted as part of the mosaic of Earth Prime-Time.


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