The first season kicks off at the scene of murder by famed serial killer John. John has just killed his daughter and wife. The Bureau of investigation is finally after John.
For the most, "The Mentalist" plays like just another clue-sifting procedural, so forgettable that I had difficulty recalling the particulars of the central case 15 minutes after watching it.
We don't need another cop show, that's for sure -- especially on CBS. But if we're going to have one anyway, "The Mentalist" is definitely the way to go.
Unless the storytelling gets more interesting, you have to really like Baker to make "The Mentalist" more than something you pay casual attention to at best.