Not to be confused with CBS’ hottest new drama, FOX’s MENTAL looks to take the crown of sassiest new show of the season. Premiering May 26th and airing as a summer series, the show will
MENTAL Preview:
MENTAL Synopsis:
When DR. JACK GALLAGHER (Chris Vance, “Prison Break”), a dynamic and radically unorthodox psychiatrist, is named Director of Mental Health Services at a Los Angeles hospital, his unconventional style leads some of his new colleagues to believe he may be as unstable as his patients.
MENTAL is a medical drama that explores the complexities of the human mind as never before. To Jack, each case is a puzzle to be solved. Confronted with each patient’s crisis, including unknown, misunderstood, and even misdiagnosed conditions, Jack must plunge inside the mind of his patients long enough to uncover what might be the key to their long-term recovery, often times working against the clock and his patients’ wishes. Ever the rebel, Jack insists on getting to the root of his patients’ illnesses by exploring first who they are as human beings, but as he fights to help his patients quickly, he must often work within only a legal 72-hour hold to determine a diagnosis.
Jack must reconcile his effective, yet highly unconventional practices with his conservative boss, hospital administrator NORA SKOFF (Annabella Sciorra, “The Sopranos”), who puts her own reputation on the line by hiring him. Unfortunately, his colleagues remain resistant to his treatment methods, including dedicated psychiatrist DR. VERONICA HAYDEN-JONES (Jacqueline McKenzie, “The 4400”), who was passed over for Jack’s position, and DR. CARL BELLE (Derek Webster, “CSI: Miami”), a master politician with a polished exterior who is dedicated to Jack’s downfall.
As seen through the eyes of doctors and patients who, as Jack points out, have more in common than they’re willing to admit, the series also features a team of doctors and hospital staff who work closely together to delve into the mysteries, oddities and wonders of the human brain, including first-year resident DR. ARTURO SUAREZ (Nicholas Gonzalez, “Brothers and Sisters”), young and cocky, but good at his job, he actually gets a charge out of Jack’s techniques; DR. CHLOE ARTIS (Marisa Ramirez, “The Young and the Restless”), drop-dead gorgeous with an attitude and very strong opinions, she’s passing time in a residency she feels is beneath her until Jack opens her mind to the inspirational benefits of psychiatry; and MALCOLM DARIUS WASHINGTON (Edwin Hodge, “Invasion”), a nurse who pulled himself out of the impoverished neighborhood he grew up in to pursue his medical career.
Produced by Fox Television Studios and Fox International Channels, MENTAL is executive-produced by Deborah Joy LeVine (“Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “The Division”) and her brother and writing/producing partner, Dan Levine.
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July 12th, 2009 at 1:44 am
I love the show. However, being a mental health consumer, I’m not too thrilled about the way MENTAL portrays mental health consumers. I feel that the show stigmatizes the mentally ill and we have enough stigmas in the world. I have mixed feeling about the show. It’s definitely entertaining. I think having a mental health related series is a brilliant idea but not the way it’s crafted in the show. I work for Project Return Peer Support Network an affiliate of Mental Health America. I’m also the author of “Bipolar Girl: My Psychotic Self.” Everyone that works at Project Return has a mental health condition and as strange as you may think it is, we work great as a team and are stable most of the time. I think that if you do a reality show and put a bunch of fairly stable mentally ill people who are productive in one house and just see what happens, it would be a better show. That’s only my opinion. Personally, I’m not completely offended by the show but I know it will offend other people. I’m very opening minded. That is all I have to say.
Sincerely,
Maricela Estrada
mestrada2006@yahoo.com