As everyone is still busy traveling, cleaning, or generally recovering this week, we are doing another “rerun” week here on #watchwed. This week, we repost our least popular post.

Oddly, mine is a fantastic show that I rated highly. Sadly, I didn’t give the post the attention it deserved (the original didn’t even have pictures!) as I was traveling when it was written.

So, here it goes again.

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When it comes to hit dramas, the idea of a super observant crime solver is not a new one. Law and Order: CI, Monk, and Psych all have a primary character that seems to have a super sense when it comes to piecing together clues to solve a crime.

The Mentalist tells that same tale through Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), the titular character, a former con man who now consults with the California Bureau of Investigation. Jane found great success in his con days as a psychic medium, so why would he now be living a life solving crime instead of committing them?

While a psychic, Jane appeared on a TV show and made mention of his psychic skills making it possible for the police to profile a serial killer known as Red John. Not appreciating his statements, Red John kills Jane’s wife and daughter. Wanting to avenge the death of his family, Jane using his skills of observation and understanding of human behavior to help the CBI catch criminals, specifically Red John.

Senior Special Agent Teresa Lisbon leads the team Patrick consults for, assisted by Special Agents Cho (Tim Kang), Grigsby (Owain Yeoman), and Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti). Each agent has a distinctly different approach. Of the three, Van Pelt is the “greenest” agent, who occasionally butts heads with Jane over her belief in religion and her moral ideas.

The story lines are well put together, and watching Jane solve crime in unconventional ways, particularly when those ways put him at odds with his colleagues keeps the show interesting.

Unlike last week’s crime solving selection, Castle, this show has a darker, more serious tone. There is humor at times, but the primary character’s seeming lack of empathy and his mission to avenge the death of his family offers up a colder, more personal tale.

While the premise for the show is strikingly similar to Psych (fake psychic, consulting for the police) it is executed in such a way that you won’t find yourself drawing comparisons between the two. Even if the characters in Psych have made the comparison.

This show is deserving of a GTV, a well paced story with interesting characters, whose back stories are only gradually revealed. It keeps you coming back to find out more about everyone’s motivation, not just the titular character.

[Somehow I managed to get through the original post without mentioning the beauty of Simon Baker. Also, I would like to look like Amanda Righetti. Just sayin.}

Are you a fan of The Mentalist? Or at least Simon Baker? Who is your favorite character?  Is there a crime show you love more or less?

Now head over to Tiffany’s blog and see what she is re-running this week.

Next week, (2012!) we’ll revisit our reviews of the two new fairy tale shows, Grimm and Once Upon a Time. Are they still simmering or are they sizzling?

Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future.

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
GMacTV (Gourmet MacNCheese TV): A combination of fine wine and comfort food
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
TBPTV (Twice Baked Potato TV): Part gourmet and delicious, while absolutely horrible for our cholesterol
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech