I love “The Mentalist”.

I never thought I’d say that in a million years when I heard the premise. I do, though. Simon Baker is an amazing actor, and so perfect in this role that it makes me want to seek out “The Guardian”, his previous series on the network.

This week the ratings have come in and “The Mentalist” edged out over NCIS with 18.8 million viewers – and the show is #1. That’s great to see -because what this show does, it take a tired formula (the procedural drama) and twist it in such a wonderful way that the entire thing seems fresh and new.

I was trying to figure out how to explain this show to someone the other day, and it finally hit me. It’s like “Law and Order” if one of the detectives was “Doctor Who”.

Each week I love this show more than I did the week before – and if you’re not watching…you’re missing something special.

(s01e04) Ladies in Red

This series continues to impress with weekly procedural stories that are both engaging and creative. This week a secretive banker is killed and there are a variety of potential suspects, including his wife, mistress, and a couple of dance club owners. Each suspect had their time to shine as the potential killer, and the writing of the episode did a good job of convincing you at different points that each of them was – in fact – the murderer.

Having said that, this was the most predictable of the shows thus far, and I had the killer (or killers) pegged before the first commercial break.

Even with that knowledge, though, the episode remained engaging and well worth taking the time to watch. Simon Baker is captivating in this role, and is constantly able to grab my attention away from my iPhone, my computer, or my kitchen in a way that most shows just aren’t doing these days.

It’s hard to for me to review these procedural shows, though. Many times its the same thing every week. That’s been the case with “The Mentalist” thus far. The major ongoing plot from the pilot has not been reintroduced yet – and I’m much more interested in that than I am in any “case of the week”. I find these shows hard to review though, because as long as they aren’t terrible or exceptional one week – there is very little different to say beyond recapping the show.

Still – this show remains one that I’m glad I’ve been watching, and that I will continue to enjoy throughout the season. If you’re not tuning into this – you should be.

I’m very happy to see that my favorite show of the season thus far, “The Mentalist” is getting a full season pick up from CBS.

We won’t be getting a new episode this week because of the Vice Presidential debates, but the story of Patrick Jane will continue next week in its regular time slot.

The show is currently averaging 15.4 million viewers per episode…which is pretty astounding when you consider that its a first season show, and that there are as many as 22 other police procedural shows on television right now.

(s01e02) Red Hair and Silver Tape

According to CBS “The Mentalist” is the #1 new show on television – and I sincerely hope that’s correct – because this show is just plain great.

Tonight’s episode gave us another mystery to solve (which is kind of an ongoing thing with these crime shows) involving red headed young women. From the mystery solving aspect of the show – this one was great. There were plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing.

What makes this show work so well, however, is Simon Baker. He takes even the simplest of lines and makes it seem completely charming and thoughtful. There is a scene with him and a boy who’s sister has been killed (the second scene with them – the one where he’s eating ice cream) that is both scary, funny, and touching at the same time.

This series is brilliantly written, well shot, and cast to perfection. Yup – I just realized – I’m gushing over the thing. I don’t want to over sell it (even though I probably already have), but this is the best new show on television. If you can pick one crime show to watch out of ALL the crime show choices you have – I highly suggest you put this one at the top of your list.

(se01e01) Pilot

“The Mentalist” is a show I almost skipped. The title did not (and does not) make me think that the show is going to be anything spectacular. In fact, the only reason I recorded it to watch tonight was because it was a new show, and I thought good or bad it would make an ok review for the site. So, about 15 minutes into the show’s airing, I turned on the DVR and started watching – not expecting much. What I found was a show that is engaging, well written, and very, very interesting.

Before I go any further let me say that “The Mentalist” – as a concept – is a complete mish-mash of several popular shows – most of which are on USA Network. You could almost call it a serious version of “Psych” with just a little “Monk” thrown in for shiggles. Pepper on a little CSI-inspired plotting and style – and you have “The Mentalist” in a nutshell.

It’s the execution of this show that makes it work. Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker) is a very interesting character that oozes the “cool” of a George Clooney or Val Kilmer (from 10 years ago). His sense of humor can literally make you laugh at a guy getting shot – which is interesting to say the least.

The show looks like it follow the procedural formula with an ongoing story line about a serial killer named “Red John” who has greatly affected Jane’s life. From the formulaic perspective the show is nothing that you haven’t seen before – but there are a few twists and surprises throughout the episode that are both amusing and clever.

All in all – I have to say that “The Mentalist” is the best new show of the season thus far. We still have a lot of premieres to go – so that could certainly change…but this show is worth checking out.