History Series / BrainDead2016

** Senator Chuck Hodges may be one to John [=McCain=]. He's a Republican and war hero who opposes torture, but unlike [=McCain=] isn't willing to vote against it.
** Claudia Monarch is a [[Series/TheRachelMaddowShow short-haired, suit-wearing liberal talk show host a la Rachel Maddow]]. Her conservative counterpart is likely [[Main/BlondeRepublicanSexKitten Megyn Kelly]].

* GenreBusting: The show's a Sci-Fi Horror Political Thriller {{Dramedy}}.

* HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee: Luke does this with the FBI director to stop Laurel from being tortured for information on alleged terrorism.
* TheHorseshoeEffect: Jules (an extreme right-winger) and Noah (an extreme leftist) actually get into a road rage incident over their opposing views, but are persuaded to ally later because they both agree on so much (never compromising, going to war in Syria, etc.).

Laurel Healy (Creator/MaryElizabethWinstead) comes from a family of politicians, but she couldn't care less about politics and is more interested in her career as an aspiring documentary filmmaker. But when funding for her newest one goes south, her father offers to pony up $200,000 to her on the condition that she takes a 6-month job in the office of her brother, Senator Luke Healy (Danny Pino).

Slowly, but surely finding out the truth, Laurel finds herself going to war against this extremely pesky AlienInvasion, with the fate of the US government and pretty much the rest of America hanging in the balance. Can she do it without literally losing her head, be it by hijacking or straight-up exploding?

'''[=BrainDead=]''' is a sci-fi horror Political Thriller Dramedy series airing on Creator/{{CBS}} from Robert and Michelle King, the creators of ''Series/TheGoodWife'' and executive produced by Creator/RidleyScott.

-->''Some people with space bugs in their heads experience stumbling, loss of balance, or loss of hearing in one ear. This is normal, since part of your brain needs to come out somewhere. Some people with space bugs report an aversion to sex and also alcohol, plus an interest in vegetables, vegetable juices and the curative properties of juicing in general.''

[[spoiler:-->'''Recap Song:''' Important note to self: remind me not to use Red's Tupperware.]]

* {{Leitmotif}}: "You Might Think" by Music/TheCars is basically the Space Bugs' theme. [[spoiler:There's a good reason for this. Slow the song down by 16x, and it matches the sound of background radiation from the Draco constellation - a fact that turns Rochelle onto believing the bugs are extraterrestrial.]]

** Another one occurs (atypically) at the ''beginning'' of the episode "The Power of Euphemism, etc." We see a bug exiting Red's ear, but it's [[spoiler: not tiny like an ant. It's the size of a wasp, which must mean ''the bugs are growing''.]]
** [[spoiler: Actually, the bugs are not getting bigger, its just that Red had a Queen bug living in his head.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Luke, Laurel's brother, while having vices, is actually a legitimately nice person who tries to get legislation through that will benefit as many people as possible. Key among these is when [[spoiler: he pulls a massive IndyPloy and undoes the government shutdown, throwing a serious [[SpannerInTheWorks wrench in the space bugs' plans]].]]

* DivideAndConquer: When they get him forcibly drunk [[InVinoVeritas so he'll be truthful]], a bug-infected man explains the bugs make people become more extreme in their views so they'll fight each other to a greater degree, and make it easier for them to conquer humanity.

** Claudia Monarch is a [[Series/TheRachelMaddowShow short-haired, suit-wearing liberal talk show host]]. Her conservative counterpart is likely [[Main/BlondeRepublicanSexKitten Megyn Kelly]].

* SideEffectsInclude: Some people with space bugs in their heads experience stumbling, loss of balance, or loss of hearing in one ear. This is normal, since part of your brain needs to come out somewhere. Some people with space bugs report an aversion to sex and also alcohol, plus an interest in vegetables, vegetable juices and the curative properties of juicing in general.

* PreviouslyOn: The series likes to use a [[SoundtrackDissonance disturbingly upbeat]] song to recap the events of the previous episode. What's more, these songs are written and sung by Music/JonathanCoulton, better known to video gamers as the man behind [[VideoGame/Portal1 "Still Alive"]] and [[VideoGame/Portal2 "Want You Gone"]].

* ShesGotLegs: Laurel. Gareth's put his hand on them once at a theater.

* She'sGotLegs: Laurel. Gareth's put his hand on them once at a theater.