This crime drama centers on Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), a well-known former television psychic who, after being exposed as a fraud, uses his very real abilities as a mentalist to help the California Bureau of Investigation solve crimes. As a mentalist, Jane uses his highly developed skills of observation, deduction and manipulation to aid the Serious Crimes unit. He's charismatic, if a bit odd - an edgy, modern Sherlock Holmes whose controversial methods often cross the line, but, ultimately prove him right. The Mentalist is an American crime procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS.
It is revealed that Jane used to be a con man with a lucrative career pretending to be a psychic medium and enjoyed near-celebrity status. He appeared on television to claim that his paranormal abilities helped the police profile a dangerous serial killer named Red John. This angered Red John, who then murdered Jane's wife and daughter in revenge. Consequently, Jane abandoned his career as a psychic with the singular pursuit of bringing Red John to justice, by teaming up with the CBI to help them solve various crimes, some including those involving Red John. He openly admits that he feigned the supernatural aspects of his skills, often explaining that "there's no such things as psychics"; however, he has genuine talents in cold reading, hypnotism, powerful skills of observation and a deep insight into the human psyche and human behavior. These skills come in handy in every episode, and his unorthodox and bizarre techniques to solve crimes often clash with the agents he helps, because they often involve elaborate ruses and mind games to trick the culprit into revealing himself. Ultimately, his input to the team's work is almost always instrumental in closing the case.
The real-life CBI no longer exists under that name; it merged with another agency in 2007 (before the show premiered) to become the "California Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence."
Official Site: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_mentalist/
Learn More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mentalist
Australian TV Guide: http://www.yourtv.com.au/
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