Is seriously amazing, riveting television.
I just watched episode 2, from Tuesday. It's awesome. I don't even like crime procedurals -- there isn't another crime procedural on TV that I watch -- but it's just so compelling. I don't know what it is, but I think it's that Simon Baker is making this character so smart, so interesting, so watchable. There's so much beneath the surface of this guy that I would watch him do anything, crime-solving or not. Yes, the show is like Psych but without the humor, like all the reviews say. But you could just as easily say it's like Psych but with gravitas, with drama, with heft. Psych is great, I love Psych. But if the two shows were competing on my Tivo, I'd watch The Mentalist first, every time. It was my favorite pilot of the new season (and I've seen -- and if I haven't seen, I've definitely read -- pretty much all of them), and after two episodes, it's very very quickly becoming a must-watch show for me.
I also watched tonight's DirectTV season premiere of Friday Night Lights, which was a solid return to what worked in Season 1, without the insane and stupid plot lines of Season 2. Only thing: the timeline is so screwed up as far as who was in what year of high school when, and it makes the whole thing lose some of its magic. Is Tim Riggins a senior for the 3rd year in a row? Tyra? Lyla? It doesn't make any sense. But besides that, totally watchable television.
Gary Unmarried? Not watchable. Worst Week? Weird, uncomfortable, painful, cringe-worthy, but I don't get why all of that would add up to something appealing. How I Met Your Mother? Not the strongest episode on Monday, but decent. Big Bang Theory, Boston Legal, Raising The Bar, Lipstick Jungle, Dirty Sexy Money, and Private Practice? All on the Tivo, and whether they ever get watched remains up in the air. Vice Presidential Debate tomorrow? Definitely must-see TV. Rosh Hashana? Good holiday. Writing I'm doing? Going surprisingly well, especially given that it's clear from this post that I'm watching way, way, way too much TV. That won't continue, because Gary and Worst Week are losing their season passes, and anything else I'm not compelled to watch from this week's Tivo isn't getting that chance next week, because I can't have 6 episodes of Big Bang Theory staring me in the face whenever it is that I really will need to get something done.
On Simon Baker/The Mentalist - gravitas, heft, watchable,smart -yeah, yeah, yeah - throw in SB's mind-numbing hotness and now we've got ourselves must-see TV.
Posted by: Jen | October 02, 2008 at 05:50 PM