The Mentalist/House

I watch too much TV. It's the best way to procrastinate. True there is nothing good on TV most of the time. But there is nothing like a good hour (or two several) of pure unadulterated American drama. Well actually there a many things even better than that, like British comedy and having friends in the real world, but we're not going into that. These days they're showing The Mentalist on Zee Cafe. Last I checked, House used to be aired on AXN. I don't get that channel anymore so can't say for sure whether it's still on or not. I know, my cable guy is useless. For the missed episodes there are the good folks on the interwebs. Okay, I might have a slight impulse control issue but I'm certainly not a TV junkie. Wipe that smirk right off your face. Really? Me? I hardly ever watch it on the TV anyway. So it doesn't really count. Does it? Don't answer that.

Coming back to the topic at hand, first off, I love both The Mentalist and House. I've been watching a lot more of the former than the later lately so it's fresher in my mind. The Mentalist, if I recall correctly, airs at the same time as Dexter on Star World, which again is brilliant. I sometimes wonder if it would ever be possible to have an indigenous show with the same production value as these worthies. I'm not saying We should copy them, but it would be refreshing to see home-grown big budget crime procedure drama that looked slick and was not directed at 12 year olds. *Cough* CID *cough*.

The points of similarity between M and H are more formulaic than uncanny. The brilliant mentalist/diagnostician with a painful past. And a team who they like to tease and torment but would kill for. In fact, a  new show called The Body of Proof also tries to peddle the same thing but doesn't work nearly half as well. Devil is in the details as they say.

American TV is no stranger to formulas. Cheers, Sienfeld, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, same idea. Only each show was calibrated according to its time. Think about it. Maybe I'll blog about that, and the deviations from the formula which still became hits, when the whim hits me. Or when I want to run away and hide from work again. For now M and H.

M stars Sighmon Simon Baker., the dishy a**hole from The Devil Wears Prada. Here though, he is a widower helping a government agency solve crime while trying to unmask the serial killer who killed his family. Such an annoyingly endearing smile, such sad sad eyes. Full marks to the stylist for the scruffy yet meticulous look. He wears a three piece suit! His shirts hardly ever ironed and he thrusts his hands in his jacket pockets exactly the way mommies tell all young boys never to. His hair is tousled and he gets crow's feet around his eyes when he smiles. Hugh Laurie has a similar look in H minus the smile. In his case it is more like a scowl. And his attire is also less formal. More like T-shirt and jacket. And oh, he has a cane. Coolest doctor ever. Except he's trying hard to be an egotistical jerk most of the times. Which was totally cool until a medical intern friend of mine revealed he saw House as his role-model. Such a doctor in real life would be a major pain in the a**. My sense of perspective has been utterly destroyed in this regard.

Just saw the time. I should really seek some help. Will probably come back to this at a less inconvenient hour.