Is "The Mentalist" a Take on Sherlock?

[Banshee]

So, Undead Medic and I were watching "The Mentalist" last night, and we started discussing the similarities between the character of Patrick Jane and Sherlock, particulalry with Sherlock as played by Cumberbatch.

 

Things like the fact that he arrives at a crime scene, takes one look at it and entirely debunks the theory of whoever has been there for a while, because he spots things that everybody misses and pieces them together. Or the fact that he is a consultant with the CBI, when Sherlock defines himself as a consulting detective. Or the fact that they are both really good at pretending and disguising. Or the fact that they can both manipulate people into doing what they need them to, with very little effort (at least Sherlock can get John and Molly to do what he needs them to...). They are both loners.

 

So... Am I seeing Sherlock everywhere, or has anybody else noticed this?

[aely]

Now you make me want to go and look up *another* show. Bad Banshee!

[Banshee]

Now you make me want to go and look up *another* show. Bad Banshee!

 

Good Banshee! I'm giving you more potential viewing material!

Well, if you like sarcastic characters in a suit that have a love for making everybody else in the room feel stupid, you might enjoy it

[Erika]

I've been considering checking out The Mentalist for a while... now I definitely will. It looks interesting!

[aely]

I don't have TIME for another show - unless a mad man with a blue box shows up - I'm not even able to watch half of what I record in the same month as it's recorded even now.

[Banshee]

I don't have TIME for another show - unless a mad man with a blue box shows up - I'm not even able to watch half of what I record in the same month as it's recorded even now.

 

Yeah, I know the feeling. We need to make "sorry, boss, I need to catch up with my TV shows" a reasonable reason to not go to work every so often...

[Lirael]

I never noticed the comparisons, lol. Personally, I always thought Mentalist was a serious take on Psych...and now I'm thinking of the similarities between Psych and Sherlock...

 

-main character acts as a consultant for the police

-solves cases by noticing what noone else does

-has a best friend that goes with him in all his cases

-said best friend works as pharmaceuticals salesman

 

And I'm pretty sure there's more...

[Banshee]

LOL Should we start a "how many shows on TV right now are a take on Sherlock" thread?

[Punch me in the face]

Sarcastic characters in a suit, oh dear me~

[Lirael]

Lmao, yes!

 

And if someone does, I think this picture should be on the first post:

 

(done by reapersun on tumblr)

 

 

 

 

 

[Banshee]

Sarcastic characters in a suit, oh dear me~

 

Did I mention the waistcoats?

[Punch me in the face]

Did I mention the waistcoats?

 

Waistcoats!

[Banshee]

Waistcoats!

 

Patrick Jane is often seen in a three piece suit minus the jacket, with a slightly rumpled shirt and no tie. I shall admit that I appreciate the attire...

[believeinsherlock]

This sounds good...I've never actually heard of the show...What channel is it on? (I'm in the UK)

[Banshee]

This sounds good...I've never actually heard of the show...What channel is it on? (I'm in the UK)

 

At the moment it is on Channel 5 on Fridays at 9pm. Either 5USA or 5* are also running repeats of previous seasons at various times (as they do...)

[InGenHarborMaster]

Oh definitely! The Mentalist's main character, Jane, has some startleling similarities to that of Mr. Holmes. The way they can both look at a crime scence and a person an d know where they have been, at least a round about location or area, is quite amazing. They both are loners but one, Jane, has a reasoning behind that, his scarring experience with his wife and chcild being murdered, while we are not sure why Sherlock acts this way. Saying that, though we can deduce that he was very intelligent as a child and as some of us know when you are smart in school people tend to look down on you unless you play some sort of sport or are popular, Sherlock also has a pompus way about him and he loves having an audience to show off his abilities, Jane is not into the whole show off your talents as much as my dear Holmes.

 

With saying all of that The Mentalist is a very good show and is definitely recommended by me

[SherLOCKED221]

A show simalar to both Sherlock (but more like) the Mentalist is called "Psych", is more comedic and the mentalist pretends he psychic just like the main in this series. Very funny. I belive one of my favorite things is the scenes when he has a 'vison'. He pretends to freak out and he flops about the room screaming. A great watch.

Check it out.

 

Sorry for adding another show to your list...*laughs*

[Brainy]

Personally, I don't like The Mentalist very much.. In both series viewers won't be able to find the solution to the problem when watching the episode for the first time. However, when watching Sherlock everything seems logical in the end. When watching the Mentalist I often think 'ok, so that's the solution.. but it doesn't make any sense'.

 

In Sherlock you can add up all the bits and pieces (maybe having to watch some scenes again to fully understand), and in the end you will always say 'yes, this makes perfectly sense'.

 

The Mentalist often comes to conclusions which don't make sense to me. Many times there aren't any hints that lead you to the culprit and in the end someone totally out of context is the murderer.

At least that's my impression which is why I wouldn't like to compare The Mentalist with Sherlock.

[SherLOCKED221]

Good point.

As I said although "Psych" is similar to the "Mentalist" it has a different approach.

Sean adds things up in his head and although everyone else in the show has no idea what in his head WE (as the audience) know.

Through objects glowing etc. WE all know the truth inside Sean's head (Although Sean is usally on the wrong track until the very end!)

[Megzcess]

I can see some of the similarities between the two, but I enjoy Sherlock a lot better. The Mentalist is a lot more outgoing that Sherlock is. Sherlock has a different sense of humor and has very obviously never been interested in love, but with the mentalist im not as convinced. They have good differences though. If they weren't different I wouldn't enjoy them both as much.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Hello, Megzcess, and welcome to Sherlock Forum!

 

 

I can see some of the similarities between the two, but I enjoy Sherlock a lot better. .... They have good differences though. If they weren't different I wouldn't enjoy them both as much.

That's a good point. Even if I considered Sherlock to be the perfect television show (and it does come close!), I most certainly would not want all of the other shows on tv to be exactly like it -- where's the fun in that?

[SherLOCKED221]

Well Carol, what show do you consider (at the moment) to be the PERFECT TV show?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Thank goodness, I've never seen one! I mean, if I ever watched an absolutely perfect show, why would I ever want to watch anything else, when it was bound to be inferior?

 

I will admit, though, that when I watched Jeremy Brett at Sherlock Holmes, I thought, "Well, nobody ever needs to bother doing that again!" To me, Brett simply was Sherlock Holmes. That's why I think it's good that Sherlock doesn't even try to be a literal dramatization of Conan Doyle's stories (because that's already been done), but rather puts the same characters into a similar or analogous (but not identical) modern setting, and lets the story unfold from there. It's a series of "what if" stories -- what if Sherlock Holmes and John Watson hadn't been born until the 1970's?

[SherLOCKED221]

I guess that's true.

However I tend not to search for perfection, nor do I ever want to stop watching, because it is the imperfections of a show that make them different and interesting.

Perfect is boring.

Flaws are interesting.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... it is the imperfections of a show that make them different and interesting.

Perfect is boring.

Flaws are interesting.

 

Oh so true! Of course, there are "good imperfections" and there are "bad imperfections" -- in particular, I don't enjoy shows where no one seems to care about doing a good job.

 

Everyone worries that their face isn't perfect. But do you know what the perfect face is? I read once that someone had used computer morphing to mix various combinations of faces together, then asked people which results were the most attractive. They consistently chose the one where they had essentially morphed together all the faces in the world. In other words, the "perfect" face is average! I'd rather look at a distinctive face any day.

 

My husband and I were watching a DVD the other day, and he called my attention to a particular actress, saying that we had seen her in another movie a few years ago. Her face didn't look at all familiar, so I asked him which part she had played. I was astounded and appalled when he told me -- she'd had the most wonderful face in that earlier movie, beautiful and exotic and memorable. But apparently she had decided to "improve" her looks by surgical means, and now she was literally just another pretty face.