BrainDead

BrainDead is an American television drama that aired on CBS from June 13 to September 11, 2016.

The series was officially cancelled on October 17, 2016, after one season.

Summary
The series centers on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., where alien bugs infect members of Congress.

Documentary filmmaker Laurel Healy agrees to take a job working for her brother, Democratic Senator Luke Healy, in order to secure funding for her next film. However, she comes across a conspiracy in which alien bugs have partially replaced the brains of several people, including members of Congress. Sometimes, the bugs cause their victims' heads to explode. The song "You Might Think" by The Cars is used frequently in the series as a leitmotif for characters who are infected by the aliens.

Singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton writes and performs the recap opening song for each episode.

Cast

 * Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Laurel Healy
 * Danny Pino as U.S. Senator Luke Healy
 * Tony Shalhoub as U.S. Senator Raymond "Red" Wheatus
 * Aaron Tveit as Gareth Ritter
 * Nikki M. James as Dr. Rochelle Daudier
 * Jan Maxwell as U.S. Senator Ella Pollack
 * Johnny Ray Gill as Gustav Triplett
 * Charlie Semine as FBI agent Anthony Onofrio

Reception
BrainDead has received generally favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 65% approval rating based on 46 critics. The site's critical consensus reads: "While admittedly uneven, BrainDead remains a charmingly idealistic sign of the political times". On Metacritic, the show holds a 61 out of 100 Metascore based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

On its cancellation, Robert King, the show's creator said, "It was a show that was trying to be as weird and anti-network as could be, and it was probably a mistake to do that on a network. But I loved that show."