My name is Alec Mercer, and I was brought in because I know people and why they do inexplicable things.
New BC-filmed NBC series The Irrational is performing well this Fall, albeit with not much competition due to back-to-back strikes which shut down production of broadcast’s biggest shows like NCIS and FBI.
The investigative series. starring a charming Jesse L. Martin as the “Behavioural Science Guy”, is the Fall’s third biggest entertainment program to date in total viewers (after 7-day playback) — behind its NBC lead-in The Voice and CBS’s Survivor.
Alec Mercer (Jesse L Martin). a world-renowned professor of behavioral science, lends his expertise to an array of high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations with his unique and unexpected approach to understanding human behavior.
On tonight’s episode — the last completed episode before the production shutdown — Alec’s first date with crisis management expert Rose Dinshaw (Karen David) turns into a 24-hour investigation.
How did The Irrational avoid a production shut down?
Filming of The Irrational in Vancouver started early in the Spring to get ahead of the Writers Guild of America strike on May 2nd and continued with so-called “locked scripts” until the SAG-AFTRA guild joined the writers in a Double Strike on July 14th. Season One of The Irrational has seven completed episodes so far, with three left to shoot when the SAG strike is settled.
The Irrational Season One:
Vancouver filming dates March 21 2023 – Production paused on July 14th due to SAG strike.
Episodes: 10 (7 completed, 3 left to film).
Showrunner: Arika Lisanne Mittman (La Brea).
Cast: Jesse L. Martin, Maahra Hill, Travina Springer, Molly Kunz, Arash DeMaxi.
People are irrational, but predictably so,. One error of judgment leads to another. — Alec Mercer.
Producers: Arika Mittman, Sam Baum and Mark Goffman.
Adapted from Dan Ariely’s book Predictably Irrational..
Filming in Vancouver:
Hennings Building on University of British Columbia campus.
Vancouver Art Gallery in downtown Vancouver.
Jesse L. Martin at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Jesse L. Martin walking through set.
