BuddyTV is looking at the 17 new shows the major networks will premiere this Fall to see which ones are worth getting excited about and which ones we have low expectations for.

Show Description: Simon Baker stars as Patrick Jane, a star detective for the California Bureau of Investigation.  He is known for his remarkable ability to solve crimes with his incredible insight, but also tends to mislead and get on the nerves of his co-workers and investigative team. 

When: Tuesdays at 9pm on CBS

Cast: Simon Baker, Amanda Righetti, Owain Yeoman, Robin Tunney, Shaun Toub, Tim Kang



Anticipation: Very, very low.  In the expansive world of crime procedurals, there are good ones, like Bones or even CSI, but there are definitely a lot of bad ones.  The Mentalist rivals CSI: Miami in the latter category.  The title character, Patrick Jane played by Simon Baker, gives Miami's Horatio Caine a run for his money when it comes to overacted monotone intensity.  The only difference is that Baker's Jane rarely seems to blink.

Similar Shows: Name a police procedural, and there you have it.  It's a formulaic series, but the word is that The Mentalist's formula is a little different than the norm: each episode keeps Jane's thoughts and motivations a secret until the end of the episode.  The best comparison might be the USA shows Monk and Psych, only as dramatic CBS crime procedurals.  Comparing it to last season, this is Life.


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(Image Courtesy of CBS)