# BrainDead (2016)

> A fresh-faced Hill staffer discovers the government has stopped working because alien spawn are eating the brains of Congressmen and their aides.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/57106

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, science fiction
- Created by: Michelle King, Robert King
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Danny Pino, Aaron Tveit, Tony Shalhoub, Nikki M. James, Johnny Ray Gill, Charlie Semine, Jan Maxwell
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4877736/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: deadpan, satirical, absurd, cynical, breezy

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers finding it surprisingly funny and praising its satirical absurdity despite a somewhat overcomplicated premise.

## Synopsis

BrainDead (2016) is a American network sci-fi political comedy series created by Michelle King and Robert King for CBS. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Laurel Healy, a fresh-faced newcomer who lands her first job on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and quickly learns that the government has stopped functioning. Danny Pino plays her brother Luke Healy, while Aaron Tveit, Tony Shalhoub as Senator Red Wheatus, and Nikki M. James round out the principal cast. The engine of the show is a satirical premise: alien spawn have arrived on Earth and are eating the brains of a growing number of lawmakers and staffers, and Laurel must navigate a city already gridlocked by partisan dysfunction while trying to make sense of the infestation. Each episode mixes office-level political maneuvering with absurd genre escalation, giving the show a deadpan, cynical register that treats Washington's dysfunction as both farce and warning. The thirteen-episode single season runs as a serialized story with running threads about the invasion and the Hill's reactions. Fans of Veep, Scandal and Men in Black will find resonance in its blend of political bite, workplace comedy and sci-fi absurdity, and its tone of cheerful cynicism about power.

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