"The Mentalist" Review: A Perfect Fit

Here’s the basic premise of “The Mentalist.” A former phony psychic now works with the California Bureau of Investigation, using his attention to detail to solve cases.

If you think that sounds like “Psych,” you’d be right. But the two shows couldn’t be more different. Whereas “Psych” plays it for laughs, “Mentalist” plays it completely serious—and that’s not a bad thing.

In fact, the show is a perfect addition to the CBS schedule…

Simon Baker (“The Guardian”) is Patrick Jane, who was a psychic medium connecting people to “the other side.” The police asked for his help with the investigation of a serial killer, Red John. But things went horribly wrong, ending his psychic career.

And when Red John possibly resurfaces, Patrick throws himself into the investigation, vexing his boss (Robin Tunney), the skeptical detectives (Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman) and the new girl (Amanda Righetti), who believes in psychic phenomena.

As in most procedural dramas, the main character is a little unrealistically good at his job. But in this case, some of that unrealism points to the possibility that maybe Patrick is a real psychic after all. And Baker is so charming, you’re willing to overlook a little unrealism…

The first 10 minutes, which introduce us to Patrick, are fantastic and it’s one of the best character introductions I’ve ever seen. And the entire hour gets solid support from guest stars Steven Culp, Gail O’Grady and the Emmy Award-winning Zeljko Ivanek. It’s one of the stronger pilots I’ve seen this year.

The problem for me is that it’s just not my kind of show. The CBS procedurals have never been my thing. That’s not to say they’re not good, they’re just not my thing…

But if they are your thing, you’ll love “The Mentalist.” It fits in perfectly with the CBS schedule and should be yet another hit for the #1 network…

“The Mentalist” premieres Tuesday, September 23rd at 9 p.m. on CBS…