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If you like "Life" you'll like "The Mentalist"--no spoilers review
This TV show, in its first season, is, like "Life," a police procedural with lots of flavor--in this case, a former phony psychic who, years ago, talking insultingly about a serial killer on his psychic TV show.

The killer was watching the show, apparently, took offense, and proceeded to murder the guy's entire family.

After much soul searching, our hero quit his pseudoprofession and now works with a police agency doing for crimes what Gregory House does for his hospital--solving the cases no one else can solve. He uses his ability to read people and situations that stood him in good stead during his stint as a phony psychic.

Of course, like the cop in "Life" his merry, mischievous exterior conceals an iron core of permanent, near-psychotic rage. The Mentalist works with the police agency he works for in order to find the serial killer to killed his family, and he has told his boss there, in merry seriousness, that if/when he finds the guy, he will...

Simon steals the show... and my heart
I am just a teenager, and generally not interested in the stuff my parents love to watch (currently they're obsessed with "24"), but one evening I decided to settle down with them and check out what they were watching, and it happened to be, "The Mentalist." It was love at first sight.

The Australian-born star, my heartthrob Simon Baker, stars as the coy and undeniably hot guy with brilliant mentalist abilities who "just pays attention," Patrick Jane. After criticizing a serial killer on a TV show (sorry Simon, but how dumb can you be???), Jane returns home to find his family slaughtered by the very killer, Red John, to get revenge on him for his earlier actions on TV. Shocked and heart-broken to the core, Patrick decides to change his ways and use his abilities for better purposes, seeking out the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI)and offering his help on serious crime cases. The season continues as it sheds some light on Jane's past and as he grows closer to his...

Casefiles of a Different Drummer
The Mentalist: The Complete First Season

Christie and Conan Doyle can be blamed for the flawed genius crime fighter with that unique quality with Sherlock Holmes, Ms Marple and Poirot. There have been later takes on this theme such as Nero Wolfe. More recently its been Monk, Columbo, Mrs Fletcher (Murder She Wrote), Profiler and Medium.

This isnt serious crime investigation and thankfully its not meant to be. Enough with the real life police/hospital dramas that are usually quite frankly an overglorification of a generally unattractive, nasty and messy business (believe me I work in the crime area).

Shows like those beforementioned and of course The Mentalist are pure entertainment and totally detached from reality and that's why I like them. What makes these shows so successful is a quirky character with a unique special quality, an actor able to translate the role well to the...

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