The Blacklist ran for 10 seasons and is a very unique crime drama, but there is a show that premiered in 2008 that’s perfect for fans of the popular series. The Blacklist had a clever premise that made it easy for it to work as a procedural, but the show’s primary protagonist, James Spader’s Raymond Reddington, is what really made it work.
TV shows like The Blacklist are difficult to come by as very few characters compare to Spader’s Reddington. With the plethora of police procedural dramas, it’s not easy from a crime show to stand out and have the longevity that The Blacklist had. The series was consistently good throughout its 10 seasons, although it did struggle to hit the same heights toward the end. But when it comes to procedurals with some sort of a gimmick, The Mentalist might be closest show to The Blacklist.
The Mentalist’s Protagonist And Premise Are Very Similar To The Blacklist
The Mentalist Has A Protagonist With Remarkable Skills
Starring Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, The Mentalist had a very fun premise the same way The Blacklist did. The series focuses on Jane, a consultant at the California Bureau of Investigations who uses his great observational skills to help the detectives solve cases. The most notable connection between The Mentalist and The Blacklist is that both shows have unconventional protagonists who lend their skills to the organizations they choose to work with.
Like Reddington, Jane is not an ordinary character. He has an intriguing past that led him to the position he found himself in, which is eerily similar to The Blacklist’s primary protagonist. Both characters have a disregard for the rules that the agents in their respective organizations have to follow, which often results in contentious situations. Additionally, Jane and Reddington aren’t in the crime-fighting business because of their need to do good. They are motivated by personal agendas.
How The Mentalist’s Patrick Jane Is Different From The Blacklist’s Raymond Reddington
Patrick Jane And Raymond Reddington Are Motivated By Different Things
While Reddington and Jane are similar in a lot of ways, they are also pretty different characters. Granted, they are motivated by personal gain, but there is a distinction in their reasons for doing what they do. Five years before Jane became a consultant with the California Bureau of Investigations, he angered a notorious serial killer after he taunted him on television, which resulted in Red John killing his family. From then on, Jane became determined to catch the murderer.
Compared to James Spader’s Reddington, Jane is a pretty straightforward character, albeit with remarkable skills that led him to conning people. Reddington, on the other hand, used to be a dangerous criminal who evaded arrest for several years until he decided to turn himself in. The criminal mastermind had connections all over the world that helped him in his job at the FBI. Instead of being motivated to catch a mass murderer for revenge, Reddington’s first request was to work with a rookie criminal profiler.
There Are A Lot Of Procedurals With A Gimmick, But The Mentalist Is Worth Watching
The Mentalist Still Holds Up 17 Years After It Was Released
Given how many crime dramas there have always been, shows had to find a way to stand out and be memorable. For example, in Psych, its main character pretended to be a psychic, while the popular crime drama Monk saw its titular character struggle with OCD while being the world’s greatest detective. A lot of shows failed when trying to follow this formula, but The Mentalist is an example of a series that lived up to its premise.
Despite its formulaic approach to storytelling, The Mentalist’s episodic mysteries are mostly great, which can also be said about The Blacklist.
Simon Baker’s Jane is an intriguing lead character whose sense of humor keeps you engaged. The Mentalist is a well-written series that keeps you guessing and is still worth watching. Despite its formulaic approach to storytelling, The Mentalist’s episodic mysteries are mostly great, which can also be said about The Blacklist.
