Some would argue that The Mentalist, if not a copycat, is at least a shout-out to Psych. They’ve even tossed each other a few nods, with the pineapple showing up a couple of times on The Mentalist and Shawn’s character on Psych mentioning watching The Mentalist. That’s all in good fun, and coming from a place of respect, it seems, as while Shawn and Jane may have some of the same strengths, the shows have an entirely different motivation and feel to them.
I’m wondering about Lie to Me though. Is the motivation of this possible copycat procedural really all that different from The Mentalist? Let’s break it down.
We’ve got two male leads, each with a past; we know Jane’s, although I am not sure why Cal Lightman is the way he is (I only watched the first two episodes then gave up). Jane’s past makes him put on that brave face with the humor and the antics we all love. Dr. Lightman seems to be more like a Dr. House without the humor.
I get that Lie to Me‘s gimmick is based on a true story and that Lightman’s skills are very real. But I’m not sure anyone can argue that this show is completely original. Do you think it is a coincidence that a show like Lie to Me turned up when The Mentalist was such a success? Granted, it may have been in the works, but it the timing is very suspicious to me. It reminds me of the flurry of medical dramas after ER‘s and Chicago Hope‘s successes, and all of the law dramas on the heels of L.A. Law.
So this leads me to the question: Which show do you prefer, The Mentalist or Lie to Me? Personally, I love The Mentalist, but Psych is my real favorite out of the three. Let’s hear from you!
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Feb 19, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
I cannot get into The Mentalist. What’s her name from Prison Break drives me nuts, for one reason, and that Thomas Jane wears brown shoes with his gray three piece suits, for a second. Yes, I realize those are ridiculous reasons. I’ve also never been very fond of Simon Baker.
Had absolutely no desire to even try Lie to Me, so clearly The Mentalist is in 2nd place in my humble head to one of my favorite shows on television….Psych!
Psych is so damned good, I just don’t have room for another show of that nature, even with the obvious differences. Which reminds me – the season finale of Psych is coming up and I am very unhappy about that. It amazes me how much I enjoy those crazy kids.
*POST AUTHOR*
The get-ups of Jane’s are very deliberate. I read an interview with Bruno Heller a while back and those are supposed to be the clothes he wore back when he was doing the John Edward thing, and they are now supposed to be rumpled and worn. It fits his personality and past — I like it!
I’m five years to young to enjoy all the 80s references on “Psych”. I don’t watch it anymore, it’s too silly, just like “Monk”.
Love “The Mentalist” and honestly Tim Roth had more depth in “Hulk” than he has in “Lie to Me”. Thumbs down, off with the head :-)
Tough choice between The Mentalist and Psych! I was going to say I love them for different reasons, but that’s not true! It’s all about the characters, and not at all about the cases, for both shows. I picked Psych out of loyalty simply because its been around longer, and possibly for having better quotes, but both are a lot of fun.
I really like all 3 shows, but in our house “Lie To Me” wins by a nose.
Like Franklin, I enjoy all of these shows, but for completely different reason. However, the common thread, the concept of the ‘hyper-observant’ has always intrigued me (Pick up the book ‘Blink’).
Psych has been fun from episode one, the pop-culture references are cute, and the bromance (god, how that word has begun to permeate our lives recently) between Shawn and Gus is good.
I’ve had a crush on Robin Lively dating back to the Craft (So Mod, I completely disagree), and the strength of the Mentalist is the whole team ( https://www.cliqueclack.com/tv/2009/02/12/kendall-cho-steals-the-mofo-show-yo/ ).
Lie to Me is definitely growing on me… Its great to see Kelli Williams back on TV, and her dynamic with Tim Roth is interesting to watch. Specifically, I’m digging the subplot that that is her marriage and his wanting to help, but not until she will acknowledge what they all know.
These are all on my second tier of shows I like, and I don’t think I could pick between the three of them.
I haven’t watched the mentallist or psych so I can’t say anything bad about them. I have watched the 5 episodes of lie to me that aired and I like it and you learn a lot about body languages and facial expressions. You have to see more than 2 episode in order to judge a tv show. I will write back after I had watched a few episodes of the mentallist and psych.