Mental

From the opening moments we're led to believe that Mental will be House in a psychiatric setting and that's pretty much it. Naturally the series opens with a shocking moment - don't they all? - meant to show you just how far our protagonist is willing to go to prove he's not your typical shrink.

Chris Vance (Prison Break) plays Dr. Jack Gallagher, the new, brash, young head of the psych ward at an LA hospital, a rebel who shakes things up by clashing with the status quo and knocking heads with the powers that be, a highly unorthodox crusader crashing head on with the outdated notions of patient care that shackle the creative - oh hell, you get the idea.

Tony Soprano's psycho car dealer girlfriend Annabella Sciorra is back for another series try, this time she's on the right side of sanity as a hospital administrator who stands staunchly on the wrong side of the new director's far-out methods.

The entire cast is a hodgepodge of vaguely familiar faces, Nicholas Gonzalez (The O.C.), Derek Webster (K-Ville), and Jacqueline McKenzie (The 4400) handle their roles with solid competence. No complaints here.

Some scenes just write themselves like the "how dare you interfere with my course of treatment" speech that inevitably comes when Doctor Jack throws a poolside party for the loonies on his first day (I'm not making value judgments on the mentally ill here, these patients are seriously nuts). In fact, most of the scenes putter along on auto-pilot with a been-there-done-that assuredness.

Whether audiences will flock to ER without the blunt force trauma is anyone's guess but the situations here are no less compelling. In fact, I'll take Mental over any hospital drama I've seen other than maybe House which it blatantly mimics. That said, I've never been a fan of the genre mainly because the ironic character associations and miraculous recoveries that inevitably come about ring hollow to me.

In short, nothing ground-breaking here but a pleasant enough diversion depending on what level of meds you're on.

Mental debuts Tuesday, May 26th at 9:00pm EST on FOX.

Here's a preview:

The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi Which Way Home Shouting Fire: Stories From the Edge of Free Speech Jesse James Is A Dead Man Important Things With Demetri Martin Lie To Me 24 - Season 7 Taxicab Confessions: New York 3	By The People: The Election of Barack Obama The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant Youth Knows No Pain Nine Lives of Marion Barry Boy Interrupted Teddy: In His Own Words Prom Night in Mississippi Teddy: In His Own Words Mental Reno 911 Seaon 6 Death on a Factory Farm Dollhouse Hell's Kitchen Season 5 Cat Dancers
2008 - 2009 - TV Show Reviews
Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Chocolate City Sarah Silverman Program House - Season 5 Bones - Season 4 Real Vice Cops Uncut Kung Fu Killer The Gong Show Reality Bites Back Ganja Queen Hard Times at Douglass High Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired Carlos Mencia - Performance Enhanced Unhitched DEA	A Colbert Christmas 24: Redemption Sunday Night Animation Domination Do Not Disturb Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Season 2 Prison Break Season 4 Fringe Kitchen Nightmares 2008 S.I.S. Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal Thank You Mr. President - Helen Thomas At The White House Big Ideas Factory The Academy: LASD Class #368 John Oliver: Terrifying Times

New TV Show Reviews

Reviewed by Billy Ingram, as seen on VH1, Trio and Bravo. Author - TVparty: Television's Untold Tales

Auto huren makes it possible to compare all car rental companies all over the world!

Compare the top sellers of Instagram followers on Buy instagram followers reviews!

An overwiew of guides and gutscheincode with the best tips and tricks to save money! on Ebookers.

Local Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / TV Goodbyes / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

Classic TV on the Internet!