TV Review: 'The Mentalist'

Can we get something out of the way up-front about CBS' The Mentalist? It isn't really all that much like USA's Psych.

Yes, The Mentalist, which premieres on Tuesday (Sept. 23) on CBS, focuses on a former fraudulent psychic (played by Simon Baker) who now uses his powers of observation to help fight crime. But in terms of characters, tone, structure and execution, The Mentalist has almost nothing at all in common with Psych, so when you hear that person making the "I liked this show more when it was called Psych" joke, kindly roll your eyes at them.

While Psych is a quirky character-driven comedy, in keeping with the USA brand, The Mentalist is an entirely humorless procedural, which means that it's very much in CBS' wheelhouse.

Baker's Patrick Jane consults for the California Bureau of Investigations, working with a team of agents (including Robin Tunney, Amanda Righetti, Tim Kang and Owain Yeoman) who appreciate his success with clearing big cases, but worry that he's a bit of a loose cannon. Jane doesn't play by the rules, but what good TV investigator does?

How does Jane solve his crimes? Well, mostly he seems to squint a lot. Written by Bruno Heller (Rome) and directed by David Nutter (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), the pilot for The Mentalist may set a TV record for most insert shots, quick cut-aways as Jane looks into the minutiae of the world around him, picking up clues that mere mortals wouldn't notice. Of course, the producers are hoping that once the clues have been presented in isolation, viewers will be able to pick up on the hints, because they've promised that if you follow closely, you'll be able to solve the crimes along with Jane. So really, The Mentalist is a lot like Clue: The Series, but not Clue: The Movie.

Does that sound fun to you? Because otherwise, The Mentalist is a very by-the-numbers affair, which probably means that it will be more successful than some of the more ambitious dramas CBS fooled around with last year. CBS learned a lesson from Moonlight, Jericho, Cane and Viva Laughlin, a lesson that appears to have been "Stick with what you know." So The Mentalist is somber, quick-paced and easy to keep up with. It looks as if each episode will be a stand-alone case, though the background presence of a serial killer named Red John and a tragedy from Jane's past may add an occasional serialized touch.

Baker is a known commodity for CBS, achieving moderate success with the conventional The Guardian and swift failure with the more complicated Smith. He's confident and capable and even this straight male critic has to acknowledge that he's got nice, expressive eyes, which helps with all of the squinting close-ups. As we saw on Smith and in The Devil Wears Prada, Baker's actually totally capable of delivering comedy in addition to intensity and The Mentalist would be well-served to make Jane less tortured and more snarky, even if that won't help with those Psych comparisons.

Although it's Baker's star vehicle, he's backed by several supporting players who could carry some of the weight, particularly Tunney and Yeoman. I've been a big fan of Righetti from The O.C. and even North Shore, but casting her as the uptight new member of the team is a bit of a waste.

In addition to the regular ensemble, The Mentalist has to be one of the best cast pilots in recent memory, or else the most wasteful. The pilot has one-off roles for Steven Culp, Gail O'Grady, Jeffrey Nordling, Tim Guinee and newly minted Emmy winner Zeljko Ivanek, all of whom will be instantly recognizable to regular TV viewers. If producers continue this profligate casting, they'll run out of character actors by the end of the first season.

CBS is convinced that Simon Baker is a star, though viewers may not have caught on just yet. His appeal is obviously central to the potential success of The Mentalist. For viewers who remain unconvinced, here's hoping The Mentalist develops a bit more of an individual voice and perhaps tries to vary its tone. Otherwise, it may just blend into CBS' procedural pack, which probably wouldn't concern the network honchos at all.