TV Tonight: The Mentalist

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:30:42 -0700

In a Fall TV season filled with unremarkable shows (and/or shows critics just got sent within the past couple of days), The Mentalist is . . . pretty good. It's not spectacular, and it doesn't break very far out of the mold of other CBS crime series, but it's a decent show that's made watchable by its leading man.

The "mentalist" of the title is Patrick Jane, played by Simon Baker, who's best known for his role in The Devil Wears Prada (and who is not Scott Speedman). Jane's a former faux TV psychic who now helps the California Bureau of Investigations solve crimes - when he's not being belligerent and unethical, that is. Jane may be a pain in everyone's rear, but he can also be serious about his job, particularly when working on cases that tie into a personal tragedy. Sound familiar? OK, it is: The Mentalist is basically what would happen if you crossed USA's Psych, NBC's Life, and Fox's House.

I'm not sure if The Mentalist will develop into anything more than that; it partly depends on whether the crime cases stay intriguing, and also partly on whether any of the supporting characters (including one played by Robin Tunney) get interesting. But for now, it's a solid show, and Baker's pretty charismatic and easy on the eyes. I wouldn't rearrange my TiVo for it, but if you have a hole on Tuesdays at 9 and want to check out something new, The Mentalist could be worth a shot. To watch a preview, read more.

Photo courtesy of CBS

Pilot Watch: The Mentalist

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:31:19 -0700

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? This Summer, as the networks release their pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air - especially this year, when the writers' strike severely gummed up the production of pilots - so consider these just some quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: The Mentalist, a new CBS drama that will be sandwiched between NCIS and Without a Trace on Tuesdays.

What's it about? The Mentalist focuses on, well, a mentalist: Thomas Jane, a former faux-psychic who with something of a dark past who now uses his observational skills to solve crimes for the California Bureau of Investigation.

Who's in it? Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Amanda Righetti, Owain Yeoman

The good: Baker is an appealing leading man, and not just because he's easy on the eyes (though that helps). His character is a jerk, but he's a jerk in the same way Dr. House is a jerk: Ultimately, he wants to do the right thing, and so it's easy to root for him even at his most abrasive. There's a good twist at the end, actually a bit reminiscent of NBC's Life pilot last season, and I also enjoyed the flashback to Jane's glory days as a TV psychic. Fans of crime procedurals will probably find a lot to like.

The bad: If you're not already a fan of the crime procedural, I'm not sure this one will win you over. There are a lot of "odd (fill-in-the-blank profession) with a tortured past" shows on the air right now, and The Mentalist will have to work pretty hard to set itself apart. I didn't get much out of any of the supporting characters, though that could be because the pilot was working so hard to set up Baker as a bankable star.

Will I watch? Perhaps. I wasn't bowled over, but I'm curious to know how the show integrates the story of Baker's past with his current cases.

To check out a preview, just read more.

Photo courtesy of CBS