Jesse L. Martin’s hit new series The Irrational is returning for its second season amid the 2024 TV schedule. The show centers on a world-renowned professor of behavioral psychology with a unique insight into human nature who solves high-stakes cases. So far, during its run, it's been compared to shows like The Mentalist and House. However, one of the crew members that works on Martin's show explained how the series is taking a different approach compared to those other dramas.
It didn't take long for The Irrational to score a Season 2 renewal from NBC last year, as it became a near-instant hit for the network. Due to the series really focusing on mental-based concepts and analysis, it’s understandable that it's seen its fair share of comparisons to other popular IPs. The show's cinematographer, Vincent De Paula, spoke to No Film School about how the team behind the procedural is seeking to set it apart from The Mentalist and House. There's one specific way it's doing that, which relates to aesthetic, and you can definitely see it throughout the first season:
The Irrational is oftentimes compared to other shows like The Mentalist or House but we are definitely trying to go for a cinematic approach as much as we can, playing with light, contrast, color and composition, while dealing with the usual pressures of shooting network episodic TV on a very tight schedule and budget!
The Irrational certainly does have a cinematic feel to it, and that's the result of a number of factors such as lighting and staging. Just a little tweak with the camera work can make all the difference as well, and it shows. Thematically, the show also manages to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. That was evident amid the first season's bombing storyline about a bombing. Now, per Vincent De Paula's comments, it sounds like fans can expect that kind of high-stakes storytelling amid Season 2:
We are currently halfway through filming season two, and in my opinion, our stories have become more ambitious than those in season one. This brings even more challenges to us in regards to filming them, but at the same time I really welcome those challenges, I never like it when it is too easy!
It seems it hasn’t been easy for the crew to make The Irrational as cinematic as possible due to the tight production schedule. The show was one of the few new titles to air during the fall 2023 TV schedule, because of the Hollywood strikes. It ultimately ended up getting 11 episodes for the first season when NBC extended the season by one episode. An episode count for Season 2 has not been announced but, hopefully, it will be a lot longer than its predecessor and that as a result, the production team has the opportunity to really experiment with the cinematography.
While TV show comparisons aren't uncommon, said programs do usually have traits that distinguish them from their peers. For The Irrational, it’s not hard to see that it's the cinematography and, with that cinematic quality, it joins a host of other network and cable shows that are shifting the paradigm from a production standpoint. I'm excited to see what happens on the show next and if any other real-life experiences will help inform storylines.
As of now, not too much has been revealed about The Irrational Season 2, but what is know is that the second season will premiere on on October 1. Anyone with a Peacock subscription can catch up on the series by streaming the first season now and, while you do so, take note of the beautiful cinematography.
