Disney+ Police Procedural Series Is An All-Timer

The main character in The Mentalist is a man named Patrick Jane (Simon Baker). He used to pretend to be a psychic and is astute when it comes to observing his surroundings and understanding people. However, someone ends up taking offense at his “psychic abilities” and kills off his wife and child. 

Bent on revenge, the main character of The Mentalist ends up working with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team featuring Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), Kimball Cho (Tim Kang), Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), and Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) to help solve all sorts of crimes.

In a way, it’s similar to the show Psych. Both series are about a man faking being a psychic at some point in their life and who is very good at noticing details other people miss, with a bit of an influence from Sherlock Holmes.

While in Psych, the main character does it so he can work with the police, in The Mentalist, Patrick used to pretend to be a psychic and then went on to help the police later. 

They’re also different in their approach. Psych is primarily a comedy, with some interesting cases thrown into the mix. The Mentalist is a much more serious show, though on occasion there are comedic moments.

The Mentalist is a great option if you’re looking for a series that offers great characters and interesting episodic cases. It does technically have an overarching plot, but the resolve is somewhat weak and drawn out. 

Despite that, The Mentalist is very popular. On Rotten Tomatoes, the average audience score is 89 percent. On IMDb, the rating is 8.2 out of 10. The characters are done well and have a lot of depth that makes them interesting to watch, despite the flaws of the show. 

The characters are interesting and focused on helping people, but they also have flaws. Though Patrick is bent on revenge and wants to help solve crimes, he has moments where he’s very immature and selfish. 

I didn’t really expect to like The Mentalist when I first started watching it. I enjoy having background noise on while I’m working, and I thought this would be a great show for that. However, by the second episode, I realized I was far more interested than I expected. 

GFR SCORE

The witty banter, interesting crimes, and characters in The Mentalist swept me up into their story. Seeing the depth of Patrick, someone who pretends to be lighthearted and happy but is really constantly thinking about his dead wife and child was interesting and done well by the actor. 

I wouldn’t say The Mentalist is my favorite police procedural out there, as Psych and White Collar still hold the top spots, but it’s a great show with many memorable moments. 

If you want to watch The Mentalist for yourself, it’s available on Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and Max. With seven seasons, it’s sure to keep you invested for a long time.