Instinct Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot

Dr. Dylan Reinhart is the epitome of all things accomplished, with an Ivy League degree, best-selling book, and tenure at a celebrated New York university to his name. But it's when he's taken by surprise by Detective Lizzie Needham that we come to learn of this brilliant man's little-known background: he was once a CIA operative.

Lizzie shows up at Dylan's door for help on a case that has her stumped. The NYPD has been referred a string of interconnected murders that all hinge on a book Dylan wrote years ago, entitled "Freaks." The killer takes pieces of it as their modus operandi, and as Dylan shares the details with Lizzie, she realizes that the murderer is following a blueprint outlined in his book — the blueprint for Dylan's own secret thoughts.

Intrigued by this bizarre turn of events, Lizzie starts following Dylan around as he gives lectures on neurology, hoping to catch a glimpse into his genius mind. Meanwhile, Dylan receives a cryptic message on his phone, which sets off a chain of events through which we learn that he hasn't been entirely honest with Lizzie about his CIA past. As the two work together to catch the murderer, they also face a dilemma when Dylan gets an offer of a lifetime from the FBI to help them catch a terrorist.