[1] Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show follows former "psychic" Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), who is a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and his boss, senior agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney).

Five years before the events in the show's pilot episode, he appeared on television to claim that his paranormal abilities helped the police profile a serial killer named Red John.

His associates at the CBI include colleagues Wayne Rigsby, Grace Van Pelt, and Kimball Cho, and their boss, Teresa Lisbon, with whom Jane shares a combative friendship with romantic undertones that develop in later seasons.

Various directors and recurring civilians come across as the show unfolds, including: Bret Stiles, Gale Bertram, Virgil Minneli, Erica Flynn, Lorelei Martin, Kristina Frye, Madeleine Hightower, JJ Laroche, and Walter Mashburn.

On Rotten Tomatoes, season one has an overall rating of 60% from 25 critics, with the consensus saying, "The setup and episodic storytelling is far from original, but The Mentalist distinguishes itself from other procedurals mostly due to the talents of Simon Baker.

[20] Mary McNamara of The Los Angeles Times praised Baker as "virtually irresistible" and said, "...psychological sleight of hand can't fill an hour every week.

[22] The December 2, 2008, episode, "Flame Red", was the highest-rated television show of the week, marking the first time a program in its first season had achieved that distinction since Desperate Housewives four years earlier.

[23] The show drew comparisons to the USA Network comedy Psych, which also featured a lead character with heightened powers of observation being played off as psychic abilities, who works as an independent consultant for law enforcement in Santa Barbara, California.

It debuted two years before The Mentalist, and being a more humorous production, made frequent references to popular culture, including repeated allusions to the similarities with the later-premiering show.