A polished, highly watchable procedural with a strong central hook, breezy case-of-the-week rhythm, and an unusually charming lead performance. It’s at its best when the show balances playful con artistry with the Red John arc and the team chemistry; later seasons are still easy to watch, though the formula becomes… Read more
The Mentalist
Where to watch: Buy
TV Show · Crime · Drama
Tue
Created by: Bruno Heller
Starring: Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang
Overview
Patrick Jane, a former celebrity psychic medium, uses his razor sharp skills of observation and expertise at "reading" people to solve serious crimes with the California Bureau of Investigation.
Created by
Bruno Heller
Cast
Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Rockmond Dunbar, Joe Adler, Josie Loren
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished, highly watchable procedural with a strong central hook, breezy case-of-the-week rhythm, and an unusually charming lead performance. It’s at its best when the show balances playful con artistry with the Red John arc and the team chemistry; later seasons are still easy to watch, though the formula becomes more familiar.
Best for
fans of smart procedural mysteries
viewers who like charismatic, lightly comic leads
people who want an easy binge with recurring mythology
audiences who enjoy team-based crime solving with a warm tone
Skip if
you want hard-boiled realism or bleak intensity
you dislike episodic network procedurals
you need tightly serialized plotting every week
you’re tired of long-running villain arcs
Overview
The Mentalist is one of the most durable versions of the modern network procedural: cleanly built, immediately legible, and carried by a lead who makes every episode feel a little slyer than it should. Simon Baker gives Patrick Jane a mix of vanity, grief, mischief, and warmth that keeps the show from becoming generic even when the cases are familiar. The premise is simple, but the execution is polished enough to make it easy to keep watching.
Worth noting
Its real strength is balance. The series can be breezy and funny without losing the crime-drama stakes, and the supporting cast gives the show enough steadiness to survive its more formulaic stretches. The Red John storyline adds a useful serial spine, though the show is often strongest when it doesn’t overreach and instead leans into Jane’s observational tricks and the team’s rapport.
Bottom line
Season-to-season, it remains consistently entertaining rather than radically evolving. The early and middle years are the sweet spot, with the mythology paying off best when it’s used sparingly. If you like your mysteries accessible, character-driven, and easy to binge, this is a strong pick.
Themes
crime solving, psychological observation, deception and con artistry, team dynamics, revenge and obsession, justice and procedure, serial killer mythology, grief and trauma