"The Irrational"

This isn't fresh, or new, in terms of plot.  You have a quirky guy with a tragic past who solves crimes in an untraditional manner.  But it's not bad, mostly due to the fact that the quirky guy is played by Jesse L. Martin.  He is an actor I would watch read a phonebook.  He can do a million things with a look or a word, and injects thoughtfulness and humor into much of his work.  Moving away from the detective who just notices all the little details all the time, the crimes here are often solved with some behaviorist theory.  It makes it kind of fun to "learn" something about human behavior each week, although it can also make the show a little stilted or predictable.  The overused "troubled past" motif is also a bit tired, and not being handled particularly well in the writing.  Another criticism is that Mr. Martin is kind of a huge talent -- the supporting cast doesn't feel wholly up to meeting him at his level.  That's okay, it's kind of his show.  All that being said, this is actually my favorite of the whole three new shows which have actually debuted in the past two months, so I'll take what I can get.  And yes, like everything else NBC is putting out there these days, it is filmed in Canada (and not in DC, where it supposedly takes place).