The Mentalist

Synopsis

The series follows Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based in Sacramento, California. Although not an officer of the law, he uses his skills from his former career as a successful, yet admittedly fraudulent, psychic medium to help a team of CBI agents solve murders. The real reason for Patrick Jane's involvement with law enforcement is to track down the serial killer known as Red John, who was responsible for the brutal murders of his wife, Angela Ruskin Jane, and his daughter, Charlotte Anne Jane.

Before the murders, Jane had a lucrative career as a con man, successfully posing as a psychic medium and enjoyed near-celebrity status. Five years before the events in the show's pilot episode, he appeared on television to claim that his paranormal abilities helped the police profile a serial killer named Red John. Red John, angered by the perceived slight, murdered Jane's wife and his young daughter in revenge.

Jane subsequently abandoned his career and teamed with the CBI, using his skills to help them solve various crimes. His main focus is on the cases involving Red John or Red John copycats. He admits to faking the supernatural aspects of his skills, often asserting that "there's no such thing as psychics", yet he has finely honed skills in cold reading, hypnosis, and picking pockets, as well as powerful observational skill and a deep insight into the human psyche and behavior.

His associates at the CBI include their boss, Teresa Lisbon, and colleagues Wayne Rigsby who is married to Grace Van Pelt, and Kimball Cho. Various directors and recurring civilians come across as the show unfolds, including Sam Bosco and Gale Bertram, and Kristina Frye and Walter Mashburn.

As the show progresses, the focus shifts from general cases through Seasons 1 to 3, to solely catching Red John, through Seasons 4 & 5. At the midpoint of Season 6, the Red John case is solved, the FBI steps in, closing the CBI, and the show adopts a new track for two seasons, along with a few new characters.

Production and distribution

The show often set episodes based on fictional locales with names like Salinger Mill and Rancho Rosa. Like the majority of American television shows, The Mentalist was mostly filmed within the studio zone in Los Angeles County, but occasionally filmed a few scenes on location in Sacramento. The structure used to represent the CBI headquarters in Sacramento is the back of the Pico House in downtown Los Angeles. On October 15, 2008, CBS ordered the first season of The Mentalist and the show has subsequently been renewed annually since 2010 both in the domestic market and overseas.

TNT began syndicating The Mentalist in the fall of 2011. In the interregnum period between the end of Late Show with David Letterman and Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the summer of 2015, The Mentalist was carried weeknights on CBS in full as part of the network's temporary late night lineup.

In November 2013, it was confirmed that Amanda Righetti (Van Pelt) and Owain Yeoman (Rigsby) would be leaving after season six concluded.

In the season 7 episode "Orange Blossom Ice Cream", scenes set in Beirut were filmed in Los Angeles and supplemented by freelance footage of Beirut by Michael Timney.

Critical reception

The first season of The Mentalist received mostly positive reviews, with critics being divided on the procedural format but praising the performance of Simon Baker. On Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 had an overall rating of 59% from 17 critics, and 76% from audiences, with the consensus saying "The setup and episodic storytelling is far from original, but The Mentalist distinguishes itself from other procedurals mostly due to the talents of Simon Baker." On Metacritic, season one has a score of 65/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Robert Bianco of USA Today felt the pilot episode lacked in originality but praised Baker, saying "The Mentalist may be a copy, but it's a well-done copy sparked by an actor who has come into his own as a TV star." Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe said "the CBS show has very little dramatic heft or distinction, but it's wily and brisk enough to engage you for an hour." Gilbert also praised the chemistry between Baker and Tunney, but criticized the crime cases, feeling they were predictable and at times uninteresting. Mary McNamara of The Los Angeles Times praised Baker as "virtually irresistible" and said "...psychological sleight of hand can't fill an hour every week. For that you need complicated, interesting crimes and complicated, interesting characters solving them. The Mentalist seems prepared to deliver just that."

The pilot episode had an audience of 15.6 million viewers in its first airing, and 7.8 million in a re-airing three days later. The December 2, 2008 episode, "Flame Red", was the highest-rated television show of the week, marking the first time a program in its first season had achieved that distinction since Desperate Housewives four years earlier.

Awards and nominations