Intelligence
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Formulaic sci-fi cop drama racks up the bodies.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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What's the Story?
Gabriel Vaughn (Josh Holloway) is more than just an INTELLIGENCE officer: He has been implanted with a microchip that allows him to access any information on the global information grid. With this Terminator-like power, he's immeasurably valuable to every country in the world. He has to be protected, and the director of the super-secret government cybersecurity program Clockwork, Lillian Strand (Marg Helgenberger), hands that job over to tough (but hot!) Secret Service agent Riley Neal (Meghan Ory). But protecting Vaughn isn't going to be easy. The hot-headed agent has a reckless disregard for authority and a chip on his shoulder over the purported criminal activities of his now-missing wife, Amelia. Can Neal keep both Vaughn and the Clockwork program safe?
Is It Any Good?
Ever since Lost fizzled out, television execs have been looking for a show that would spark similar magic. So the pitch for Intelligence must have made perfect sense: Here you have a show that not only has an intriguing sci-fi premise, you have one of the stars of Lost back on television!
If only the creators of Intelligence could have rustled up a script that's up to the strength of its promise. Holloway is still all dimpled charm, but the plot of the show is so trope-ish (and so silly) that it's hard to watch.
Why are all the bad guys people of color? Why is an immensely valuable government asset protected by only one Secret Service agent, who looks to be a twentysomething Maxim model? Why do government agents shoot first and ask questions later? Why is it amazing to have a government agent whose brain is basically just as powerful as your average smartphone? Perhaps huge Holloway fans, or those gifted in suspension of disbelief, will want to watch Intelligence to answer all these questions. However, we can't recommend it for family viewing: It's both too violent and too ridiculous.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why so many sci-fi shows are in law enforcement settings. What does our love of such dramas reveal about us? Why are we so interested in crime and so eager to see dramas about situations most of us will never experience? Does adding a futuristic aspect to a crime drama make it more relevant or interesting?
Compare Intelligence to other sci-fi cop shows, such as Dollhouse or Almost Human. How are these shows like Intelligence? How are they different?
Does the idea of implanting in a human brain a chip that allows a person to access the Internet sound realistic to you? Why, or why not? If not, can you still enjoy Intelligence?
TV Details
- Premiere date: January 7, 2014
- Cast: Josh Holloway, Marg Helgenberger
- Network: CBS
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: September 3, 2022
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