Is 'Lie to Me' better than 'The Mentalist'?

"The Mentalist" creator Bruno Heller wrote a character who's haunted with regret and hugely cynical, yet consummately cheerful and finding the humor in every situation. This shouldn't work. It's contradictory -- a character who is happy and haunted? How does an actor play that? Yet Simon Baker pulled it off, so the show works.

The rest of "The Mentalist" is like something from a touring CBS theater company -- so generically procedural, you expect to see "property of CBS" stamped on every wall. Upcoming midseason drama "Lie to Me" is from Fox, yet feels like it's similarly following the Tiffany network's crime procedural playbook. And why not? Ratings wise, crime shows still work.

Still, you need an X-factor for any show to pop. Something new in addition to something borrowed. In the "Lie" pilot, it's not Tim Roth's lie detection expert Cal Lightman, who seems confident and amiable enough, but somewhat fuzzy around the edges. No, here the hook is the show's "science."

Baker's Patrick Jane is practically a magician, one Fox insider noted, pulling suspect rabbits out of his vest pockets. Lightman uses more tangible methods of deduction. Viewers literally get a lecture on facial "micro-expressions" in the first few minutes of the pilot. The science/art behind the show is interesting, more universally applied and get-able than one might think. Examples of lie detection pepper the pilot and should hook some viewers. It's the "CSI" of facial ticks.

At the same time, "Lie" is pretty, well, on the nose. Every physical movement of a suspect is broken down and hands our intrepid investigators another clue. We're told of a bomb plot and murdered teacher. But the action unfolds largely as a series of academic exercises to demonstrate lie detection in protected environments. We don't get a sense of what drives Roth, or a sense of urgency about solving the crime.

So: Decent pilot, with room for growth.

Notes: We don't need to open with a gory death like "CSI," but viewers should feel a bit more invested in either Lightman or the crimes (preferably both). ... A backstory for Lightman is hinted here and we could use some motivation -- what drives this guy? What does he feel about the practice of lying? What's his relationship with the police, exactly? Can he hide his lying? How does his ability shape his worldview? ... Roth has an assistant who engages in "radical honesty" by always telling the truth -- a gimmick of a character, but it works. ... There's a scene in the pilot with Roth arguing with a guy who steals his parking space. This whole scene should be put into a stand-alone trailer. It's a relatable situation, a little funny and demonstrates his skill.

Comments

[smokeybear]

I liked the first episode. The show felt much more grounded than other cop shows. Had the teen suspect actually committed suicide it would have sealed the deal. Instead it was just a gag like when P. Jane tricks people into believing him causing them to unfold.

[Elric]

To be honest I enjoy both programs, but I much prefer The Mentalist. Yes Lie To Me is based on science, but it is sooo intent on proving that fact and feeding out ALL the reasoning that it can at times be rather tedious. Baker's character is based on someone who has experience faking the phsycic field by finely tuned intuition and a quickness at reading people (facial exprecion, tiks and body language) as well as situational clues. Given the number of fake psycics out there who make a very good living with just those skills, his character isn't all that unrealistic. To be honest, it is the most fun to watch... and isn't that part of the concept behind "entertainment"??