Best tv shows like The Mentalist
Last updated March 2024
Looking for tv shows similar to The Mentalist? Offer your familiarity to navigate others to tv series and films you've already watched that might appeal to them also. Support expanding the assembly of people recommending videos to one another. We encourage your participation!
Plot Summary:
Patrick Jane, a former celebrity psychic medium, uses his razor sharp skills of observation and expertise at "reading" people to solve serious crimes with the California Bureau of Investigation.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 197000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, intellectual, suspenseful, suspense, thrilling, realistic, surprise ending, philosophical, clever
Best tv shows and movies like The Mentalist (2008):
Similar in 82%
Without a Trace (2002)
Plot Summary:
Without a Trace was an American police procedural television drama series that originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series follows the ventures of a Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, captivating, realistic, detective, bleak, rough, crime drama, thrilling
Similar in 88%
Major Crimes (2012)
Plot Summary:
Major Crimes explores how the American justice system approaches the art of the deals as law enforcement officers and prosecutors work together to score a conviction. Los Angeles Police Captain Sharon Raydor heads up a special squad within the LAPD that deals with high-profile or particularly sensitive crimes.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, realistic, detective, tense
Similar in 80%
Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (2020)
Plot Summary:
Former NYPD detective and forensic genius Lincoln Rhyme was at the top of his game until a serious accident at the hands of a notorious serial killer forced him out of the field. When Amelia Sachs, an intuitive young officer who has a gift for profiling, finds herself hot on the killer's trail, Rhyme finds a partner for this new game of cat and mouse.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, detective, psychological
Similar in 78%
Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Plot Summary:
Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: exciting, detective, realistic, cliffhanger, action packed, stylized, serious, suspenseful, telenovela
Similar in 80%
FBI (2018)
Plot Summary:
The New York office of the FBI brings to bear all their talents, intellect and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep their city and the country safe.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, exciting, suspense, disturbing, captivating, detective, psychological thriller, psycho film
Similar in 77%
The Closer (2005)
Plot Summary:
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Jean Johnson transfers from Atlanta to LA to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogator eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, sincere, tense, serious, detective, suspense, inspirational, bloody, thrilling
Similar in 82%
Unforgettable (2011)
Plot Summary:
Former Syracuse, New York, police detective Carrie Wells has hyperthymesia, a rare medical condition that gives her the ability to visually remember everything. She reluctantly joins the New York City Police Department's Queens homicide unit after her former boyfriend and partner asks for help with solving a case. The move allows her to try to find out the one thing she has been unable to remember, which is what happened the day her sister was murdered.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, detective, thrilling, tense, realistic, exciting
Similar in 89%
Life (2007)
Plot Summary:
Complex, offbeat Detective Charlie Crews returns to the force after serving time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Crews’ new lease on life has provided him with a Zen-like outlook, peace of mind and no need for vengeance, an attitude which can be challenging to maintain when someone he cares about is threatened — or when he is investigating the mystery surrounding the murder he was falsely accused of.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, detective, tense, captivating, bleak, anime, smart, witty, suspenseful
Similar in 78%
Deception (2018)
Plot Summary:
Cameron Black is the world's greatest illusionist. At least, that's what people used to call him—before his greatest secret was exposed and his career destroyed. Even worse, Cameron has good reason to believe this was no accident.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 41 min
Plot tags: captivating, feel good, entertaining, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychological, detective
Similar in 76%
Psych (2006)
Plot Summary:
Thanks to his police officer father's efforts, Shawn Spencer spent his childhood developing a keen eye for detail (and a lasting dislike of his dad). Years later, Shawn's frequent tips to the police lead to him being falsely accused of a crime he solved. Now, Shawn has no choice but to use his abilities to perpetuate his cover story: psychic crime-solving powers, all the while dragging his best friend, his dad, and the police along for the ride.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 104000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: exciting, witty, detective, not serious, humorous, talky, realistic, intellectual, funny, offbeat
Similar in 83%
Numb3rs (2005)
Plot Summary:
Inspired by actual cases and experiences, Numb3rs depicts the confluence of police work and mathematics in solving crime as an FBI agent recruits his mathematical genius brother to help solve a wide range of challenging crimes in Los Angeles from a very different perspective.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, detective, intellectual, thrilling, realistic, psychological, thought provoking, enigmatic, captivating
Similar in 78%
The Blacklist (2013)
Plot Summary:
Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, surrenders in person at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He claims that he and the FBI have the same interests: bringing down dangerous criminals and terrorists. In the last two decades, he's made a list of criminals and terrorists that matter the most but the FBI cannot find because it does not know they exist. Reddington calls this "The Blacklist". Reddington will co-operate, but insists that he will speak only to Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 274000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, serious, captivating, clever, detective, disturbing, realistic, intellectual, political
Similar in 82%
Perception (2012)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist and professor, is recruited to help the federal government crack difficult cases. His intimate knowledge of human behavior and masterful understanding of the mind give him an extraordinary ability to read people, but his eccentric view of the world and less-than-stellar social skills can often interfere with his work.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: exciting, mind bending, offbeat, intellectual, serious, detective, psychological, entertaining, dramatic, crime drama
Similar in 84%
White Collar (2009)
Plot Summary:
Neal Caffrey, a con man, forger and thief, is captured after a three-year game of cat and mouse with the FBI. With only months left serving a four-year sentence, he escapes to look for Kate, his girlfriend. Peter Burke, the FBI agent who initially captured Caffrey, finds and returns him to prison. This time, Caffrey proposes a deal with the FBI, as part of a work-release program. After some hesitation, Burke agrees, and thus begins this unconventional arrangement where Caffrey helps Burke apprehend white collar criminals.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 139000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, light, serious, intellectual, entertaining, suspenseful, realistic, detective, thought provoking
Similar in 88%
Rizzoli & Isles (2010)
Plot Summary:
Perhaps their strikingly different personalities make the relationship between detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles so effective. Jane, the only female cop in Boston's homicide division, is tough, relentless and rarely lets her guard down, while the impeccably dressed Maura displays a sometimes icy temperament — she is, after all, more comfortable among the dead than the living. Together, the best friends have forged a quirky and supportive relationship; they drop the protective shield in each other's company, and combine their expertise to solve Boston's most complex cases.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, tense, realistic, detective, serious, crime drama, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
Monk (2002)
Plot Summary:
Adrian Monk was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional means to solve the department's most baffling cases. But after the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of his wife Trudy, he developed an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now working as a private consultant, Monk continues to investigate cases in the most unconventional ways.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: witty, humorous, offbeat, detective, realistic, semi serious, intellectual, sitcom, slapstick, hilarious
Similar in 81%
Castle (2009)
Plot Summary:
After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 172000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: witty, realistic, detective, entertaining, crime drama, sensitive, thrilling, suspenseful, semi serious, humorous
Similar in 89%
Elementary (2012)
Plot Summary:
A modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 117000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: witty, detective, talky, intellectual, suspenseful, serious, thought provoking, entertaining, sad, crime drama
Similar in 83%
NCIS (2003)
Plot Summary:
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has a shred of evidence connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 159000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, exciting, serious, detective, crime drama, suspense, semi serious, tense, cliffhanger, thrilling
Similar in 76%
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
Plot Summary:
The series follows Las Vegas criminalists working for the Las Vegas Police Department as they use physical evidence to solve grisly murders in this unusually graphic drama, which has inspired a host of other cop-show "procedurals". The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter and character-driven drama. The network later added spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, which have both been cancelled after ten and nine seasons respectively.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 88000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, detective, psychological, suspenseful, rough, realistic, suspense, dramatic, exciting, funny
Similar in 76%
Bones (2005)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 172000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: witty, suspenseful, intellectual, detective, realistic, semi serious, bloody, sitcom, hood, crime drama
Similar in 83%
Hannibal (2013)
Plot Summary:
Both a gift and a curse, Graham has the extraordinary ability to think like his prey—he sees what they see, feels what they feel. But while Graham is pursuing an especially troubling, cannibalistic murderer, Special Agent Jack Crawford teams him with a highly respected psychiatrist – a man with a taste for the criminal minded – Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 271000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 1680 min
Plot tags: psychological, scary, tense, suspenseful, atmospheric, serious, stylized, rough, psychological thriller, detective
Similar in 89%
Prodigal Son (2019)
Plot Summary:
The son of a notorious serial killer becomes an acclaimed criminal psychologist who uses his unique insight into how killers think to help the NYPD.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: psychological, psychological thriller, suspense, disturbing, detective, exciting, surprise ending, thrilling, clever, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
Person of Interest (2011)
Plot Summary:
Person of Interest follows former CIA paramilitary operative, John Reese, who is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by initiating their own type of justice. With the special training that Reese has had in Covert Operations and Finch's genius software inventing mind, the two are a perfect match for the job that they have to complete. With the help of surveillance equipment, they work "outside the law" and get the right criminal behind bars. .
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 186000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, serious, clever, detective, cyber, heroic, surprise ending, atmospheric, mysterious
Similar in 80%
Criminal Minds (2005)
Plot Summary:
An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 214000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, serious, rough, detective, intellectual, thrilling, psychological thriller, bloody, dramatic
Similar in 77%
Lie to Me (2009)
Plot Summary:
The world's leading deception researcher, Dr. Cal Lightman, studies facial expression, body language and tone of voice to determine when a person is lying and why, which helps law enforcement and government agencies uncover the truth. But his skills also make it easier for him to deceive others.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 126000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: clever, psychological, serious, detective, suspenseful, realistic, thrilling, surprise ending, philosophical, intellectual
Similar in 84%
Forever (2014)
Plot Summary:
Doctor Henry Morgan, New York City’s star medical examiner, has a secret. He doesn't just study the dead to solve criminal cases, he does it to solve the mystery that has eluded him for 200 years—the answer to his own inexplicable immortality. This long life has given Henry remarkable observation skills which impresses his new partner, Detective Jo Martinez. Each week, a new case and their budding friendship will reveal layers of Henry’s long and colorful past. Only his best friend and confidant, Abe knows Henry’s secret.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, captivating, tense, serious, suspenseful, detective, exciting, sad, anime, smart
Similar in 86%
Sherlock (2010)
Plot Summary:
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
IMDB Rating: 9.1
IMDB Votes: 977000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: clever, detective, witty, captivating, serious, exciting, mind bending, psychological, intellectual, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
House (2004)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 497000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 7788 min
Plot tags: medical drama, cynical, clever, emotional, witty, psychological, biting, captivating, serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
Dexter (2006)
Plot Summary:
Dexter is an American television drama series. The series centers on Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for 'Miami Metro Police Department' who also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 753000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 5076 min
Plot tags: captivating, clever, serious, stylized, tense, atmospheric, disturbing, bloody, suspenseful, offbeat