The Irrational, starring Jesse L. Martin, returns for a second season as part of TV's fall 2024 line-up. The new series follows a brilliant professor of behavioral psychology who uses his insight into human nature to solve complex cases. The talked about show is often compared to hits like The Mentalist and House.
Coming after a quick renewal from NBC last year, it's no surprise that comparisons to other famous shows are bound to follow The Irrational's focus on mental analysis. No Film School interviewed Vincent De Paula, the show's cinematographer, about the work the team has done to ensure it does not end up like other popular shows. He said,
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“The Irrational is oftentimes compared to other shows like The Mentalist or House but we are definitely trying to go for a cinematic approach as much as we can, playing with light, contrast, color, and composition, while dealing with the usual pressures of shooting network episodic TV on a very tight schedule and budget!”
Knowing about the shows: The Irrational and The Mentalist
The Irrational: The Irrational is a crime show in which the main character is not a cop but a specialist called in to help solve difficult, absurd cases. In this case, Jesse L. Martin plays Alec Mercer, a professor of behavioral psychology who the police use to get inside the heads of the most complex criminals.
Being very procedural, the police usually have the suspect pinned down by the end of the investigation until Alec arrives to question everything. The whole thing ends with a last-minute twist, revealing that the suspect they have found is not the real culprit. For the first three episodes, the twists are almost predictable, but will certainly never leave a memorable impression on the viewer.
The Mentalist: The Mentalist is an American procedural drama television series. Patrick Jane is a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation or CBI. This man's fake psychic past helps him understand people's thought patterns and behaviors by using good observation skills. He works for senior agent Teresa Lisbon, played by Robin Tunney.
Drawing out similarities and differences between the Irrational and The Mentalist
Similarities:
Both programs have heroes who use their understanding of human behavior to solve cases. In the case of The Mentalist, Patrick Jane uses observation and psychological strategies. For Alec Mercer is based purely on psychological theory.
Both protagonists of the show are experts on their teams, providing them with specialist knowledge, but are not members of law enforcement agencies. Their outsider status allows them to question the way things have been done in the past, and sometimes to come up with innovative investigation techniques.
Differences:
Thus, Patrick Jane in The Mentalist is an ex-convict who helps track down his family's murderer, a serial killer: this gives all his actions a touch of the personal and so often vengeful; another main character in the show is the distinguished professor who teaches at the Department of Behavioural Science, motivated by his broad expertise in psychology and his will to tackle real-life problems rather than personal vendettas.
The Mentalist is very light and comedic, especially between Patrick and his team. The Irrational is a bit more serious and procedural in its approach, with more focus on behavioral psychology and less comedy and banter.
Season 2 of the show once released will be available to stream on NBC.
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