What if you could take a “nutritional supplement” that would allow you to remember everything you’ve ever learned? A small, see-through pill that would allow you to remember events, like existing in your mother’s womb that would be impossible to do otherwise. Would you take it? These are the question that Brian Finch (Jake McDorman) has to answer for himself in the new CBS action series, Limitless.

Based on 2011 feature film with the same name and premise, Finch is given a sample of the drug NZT from a friend of his and his life will never be the same. While riding on the high of the pill, Finch is able to do more than any human can, but when it wears off, it’s the worst hangover ever. Soon, Finch learns that by taking the drug, he becomes part of a unique club of sorts – a club where the other members taking the same drug are being killed off. Add this situation to the stress of learning that his father Dennis (Ron Rifkin) will die if he isn’t given a new kidney stat and that fact that the FBI is looking for him and you will find one troubled man. Fortunately for him, he has found a friend in FBI agent Rebecca Harris (Jennifer Carpenter) and Senator Edward Morra (Bradley Cooper, reprising his role from the film).

Limitless is a fast-paced action show that is as intelligent as it is artistic. It has a playful way of story-telling with Finch literally talking to himself, clever narration and some fun editing choices. Finch’s character is a good guy who has never really made anything out of himself before discovering NZT and is soon faced with new possibilities to make up for lost time. The cast is great. McDorman starred in last year’s failed sitcom for ABC, Manhattan Love Story. While the show was bad, he proved that he could be likeable and almost looks like he could play Cooper’s younger brother. Carpenter, bound to become McDorman’s love interest in the series, played the role of Debra Morgan in the Showtime series, Dexter. The cast also includes the great Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as SAC Nasreen “Naz” Pouran and Blair Brown as Finch’s mother, Marie.

As with any similar show, you have to wonder how long the network will be able to run with this concept, but it they can it should have a long shelf life.

Limitless airs on Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. on CBS.