Fox introduced a new show, "Mental," on May 26. Chris Vance plays Dr. Jack Gallagher, the new Director of Psychiatry at Wharton Memorial Hospital. He doesn't play by the usual rules. One female doctor feels pushed out of a promotion with his arrival. The hospital administrator is a woman with whom he had a vacation affair. His mindset is the importance of the patients, possibly at the expense of the hospital. In the pilot, a delusional man is brought in by police after standing in the middle of the street stark naked. We see what he sees -- everyone in the hospital lobby is a monster, growing tails and ready to attack. Dr. Gallagher, just checking in for the first time, strips naked to show the guy he's not alone. Turns out the patient is a schizophrenic who's gone off his meds because they interfere with his artistic talent.
Reminiscent of "House," also on Fox, Dr. Gallagher is able to give all his time to this one case despite being new in the hospital. Funny, in the pilot he doesn't take a look at things like the department budget, and certainly doesn't endear himself to the other department heads. In fact, his idea is to invite patients into staff meetings -- while they're being discussed.
Chris Vance is a likeable Brit, seemingly carefree and unorthodox. The cast members surrounding him portray characters with their own quirks and agendas. Despite the idea that mental illness can be treated and mysterious symptomatic problems solved in one hour, "Mental" is enjoyable and teases the audience into peeling away the layers to find out what makes the doctors -- and the patients -- tick.
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