"The Mentalist" (9 p.m., Tuesdays, CBS)
It would be easy to enough dismiss this series about a man who used to make a living as a psychic, thanks to his razor-sharp mental acuity, as a rip-off of USA's screwball "Psych." But this dark series is definitely not a comedy, and is nowhere near as annoying. Simon Baker's ace portrayal of Patrick Jane, a cocky but spiritually wounded mentalist who helps the police solve murders, puts him in an ever-growing list of flawed heroes that includes Vincent D'Onofrio on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and Damian Lewis on "Life." It's up to you if you need to add another cop show of its type to your schedule. But Baker is always worth watching, even when the details Jane catches are obvious or ridiculous. And boy oh boy, does Patrick Jane have some back story.
Grade: B plus
TV Eye is written by N&O media critic and reporter 
Comments
Sorry to see this blog and
Mon, 09/29/2008 - 13:35 — golfersc244Sorry to see this blog and TV Eye report go via the recent layoffs. I enjoy TV insights via newspaper or blog. I assume this blog will no longer be updated?
Love it!
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 19:11 — Anonymous (not verified)I admit so many cop shows can get really annoying, but I love that this show is so much different. Instead of a cop shown as always toting a gun and watching out for action around the corner you get the cunning Patrick Jane who is very bright and extremely attractive. This is definately a show for the thinkers of the world. I can't wait for next weeks episode!