It’s the Upfronts?: The Mentalist
Posted by Dan August 22nd, 2008 at 11:07am In General
Happy Friday everyone. You made it.
What are you doing? I’m probably going to go out and get my burrito on — and then play it by ear. I went out last night too, to a big gay party at a bar. None of the boys seemed to be interested, but several lesbians complimented me on my tie. True story.
Oh right. TV blog.
So there’s this show coming to CBS this fall called The Mentalist. It stars Simon Baker who you’ll probably recognize, but not realize where he’s from (the only thing I remember is that white-guy-falls-in-love-with-black-woman-and-causes-a-hubbub movie — whatever that was called). Anyway, he’s all handsome and whatnot. And then there’s Robin Tunney, who you might recognize as the suicidey, bald girl from Empire Records or the main girl from The Craft.
Anyway, the show is a procedural where the private investigator isn’t exactly psychic, but just has supa-acute powers of observation. It looks tolerable and forgettable, just like all of these types of shows.
There is this one crazy part in the preview, though, that I can’t believe made it through the entire way to the trailer. And was never cut at any point. During one of the PI’s astonishing revelations, he deduces that one of the corpses on the slab at the morgue is a gay man by noticing that he was wearing clear toenail polish. It’s an astonishingly brazen and casual remark made by, presumably, a resoundingly heterosexual character.
Is anyone else a little off-put by this? Not offended really. But if “seriously, CBS?” were an emotion, that’s what I’d be feeling.
10 Comments Add your own
1. Thomas | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
So it’s Psych, but not funny. Awesome.
2.
sara | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
For those of us who’ve watched waaaaay too much CSI, “Seriously, CBS?” is kind of a default reaction. They are weird about things. Lots of things.
This show looks like Psych, on USA, but without smiling.
3. Maggie | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
He was also the cad who got Anne Hathaway the Harry Potter book (WHATEVER, movies — totally impossible) in The Devil Wears Prada.
4. John W | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:44 am
Peculiar stereotyping aside, I thought this show has a lot of promise. I was most excited by it for its heavily skeptical stance. There was no room for even a suggestion of woo-woo bullshit, and it was heavily condemning of evil c**ts like Edwards who profit by preying on people’s fear and grief. For that I immediately rated it highly.
As Earth’s biggest fan of Psych, I have to note that the comparisons are unfortunate. Although of course, as any Psych viewer knows, Shawn’s flailing around and pretending to be psychic is pretty much an aside now, and his so-called powers of observation appear to be the ability to notice a matchbook on the floor. He is the incredible Seeing Man. Psych’s about calling people silly names and hiding pineapples in every episode. The Mentalist seems to actually be about the subject it says it’s about, more House than Psych. A crazily expert man being amazingly expert, which for reasons I don’t fully understand, I love in a TV show.
5.
sara | August 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Oh, so you’re the one watching Psych.
6. Vance | August 23rd, 2008 at 2:40 am
Oh snap Sara!
Sadly, I actually wanted to hate The Mentalist pilot and found myself slightly interested in it, despite about a thousand “seriously CBS?” moments in the show. It must have been the summer heat…
7. TV Blog Coalition: Aug 22&hellip | August 25th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
[...] Is Dan overreacting? He was a bit put-off by the teaser for CBS’s The Mentalist which employs some gay stereotypes. (TiFaux) [...]
8. This Week in TV Blog Bant&hellip | August 25th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
[...] Is Dan overreacting? He was a bit put-off by the teaser for CBS’s The Mentalist which employs some gay stereotypes. (TiFaux) [...]
9. TV Blog Coalition | Daemo&hellip | August 28th, 2008 at 3:37 am
[...] Is Dan overreacting? He was a bit put-off by the teaser for CBS’s The Mentalist which employs some gay stereotypes. (TiFaux) [...]
10. TV Blog Coalition - Augus&hellip | November 21st, 2008 at 6:09 pm
[...] Is Dan overreacting? He was a bit put-off by the teaser for CBS’s The Mentalist which employs some gay stereotypes. (TiFaux) [...]
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