A Quick Thought on The Mentalist

I love The Mentalist: I think it's funny and interesting and easy TV watching. One thing though: In the three episodes I've seen, the culprit has appeared in the opening scene. I get that this is par for the course with a procedural, but it would be nice if they changed it up so that wasn't the case. It would be nice. I will say though that I enjoy the way they reveal the culprit because it's usually pretty great, mostly because Simon Baker does a good job of playing the know-it-all. I think this may be my favorite new show of the season (probably because it requires the least effort on my part--all of this TV watching is exhausting, but this one makes it feel easy).

7 Reasons Why I Like The Mentalist

1) I like the idea of a character who is smarter than everybody else.

2) Simon Baker is a good actor and can totally carry this show.

3) The writers and actors balance the humor and drama well.

4) I like that Patrick Jane (the main character) is trying to make up for his past mistakes (I won't say what it is, but it's sad).

5) The supporting cast is good--Robin Tunney and Amanda Righetti especially.

6) It's a procedural I actually want to watch every week (so far).

7) It uses good character actors for the mystery of the week (although at this point if you cast Zeljko Ivanek in any procedural know that the audience will always know he is the villain).

Quick Look: The Mentalist

Today is August 20th, which means we're roughly one month away from premiere week, and time to start taking a look the new and returning shows. Tonight, I'd like to start with my big bet for the new season, The Mentalist on CBS. Now, I'm going to perfectly honest upfront: I'm basing my opinion on the 30-second spot CBS has running and the minute and a half preview available on the CBS website, so I'm just going on my gut instinct here, but since my TV instincts are good, I'm pretty confident that I'm going to like this show, and that most other people will as well. Here's why:

1) Simon Baker is cool. He's a good actor, the ladies love him, and his character seems like the perfect mix of genius and jackass to be the guy that all the girls want and the guys want to be.

2) A bevy of beauties. Robin Tunney (formerly of Prison Break) and Amanda Righetti (formerly of a number of Fox shows) are hot, so they'll satisfy the male eye-candy requirement.

3) It's a procedural. Not only is this a tried and true format for CBS, but also allows the show to repeat well, which will be important in cementing its fan base.

The show faces some stiff competition in the form of the Dancing with the Stars results show, but I wouldn't be surprised if interest in that show finally starts to wane. The Metalist will also have to contend with the new J.J. Abrams sci-fi-ish drama Fringe on Fox, but I'm betting The Mentalist gets more viewers simply because of its self-contained format (Abrams' shows are esoteric and highly-serialized to say the least).


Take a look below and let me know if you are as excited as I am:

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