The Irrational
2023 American crime drama TV series
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The Irrational is an American crime drama television series created by Arika Mittman. It is loosely based on the life of Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist and professor at Duke University, and his 2008 non-fiction book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.[1] The show features Jesse L. Martin in the role of Alec Mercer, a behavioral scientist who, like Ariely, lends his expertise to governments, law enforcement, and corporations to solve complex issues. Co-stars include Molly Kunz as Pheobe, Alec's grad student, and Maahra Hill as Special Agent Marisa Clark.
by Dan Ariely
- Jesse L. Martin
- Maahra Hill
- Travina Springer
- Molly Kunz
- Arash DeMaxi
| The Irrational | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Arika Mittman |
| Based on | Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely |
| Starring |
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| Composer | Danny Lux |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Jesse L. Martin |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 25, 2023 – March 25, 2025 |
Season one of The Irrational premiered on September 25, 2023, on NBC and season two began airing a year later, on October 8, 2024. With the series' premiere attracting over 3.8 million viewers, it received mixed reviews from critics and a 5.1/10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2]
In May 2025, the series was canceled after two seasons.[3] The final episode aired with a cliffhanger on March 25, 2025.
Premise
Professor Alec Mercer is a professor of behavioral psychology, whose interests, human irrationality in particular, reflect Ariely’s own work in behavioral economics. Like his prototype,[jargon] Mercer demonstrates how unconscious biases and emotional impulses influence decision-making, often in ways that defy logical reasoning. Throughout the show, Mercer applies his insights into human nature to help the police and the FBI solve high-stakes criminal cases, including murders, plane crashes, and kidnappings. It echoes Ariely’s real-life role as a consultant to governments and corporations, where he leverages his expertise in behavioral science to address complex societal challenges such as policy-making, health decisions, and fraud detection.[promotion?] Additionally, Mercer's personal backstory, including the life-changing injury that left him physically scarred, mirrors Ariely’s experience of suffering injuries after an explosion–an accident that aroused his interest in understanding the emotional and psychological dimensions of pain and human behavior.[4]
Cast and characters
Main
- Jesse L. Martin as Professor Alec Mercer, an expert in behavioral science
- Maahra Hill as Special Agent Marisa Clark, an FBI agent and Alec's ex-wife
- Arash DeMaxi as Rizwan Asadi, Alec's newest grad student
- Molly Kunz as Phoebe Duncan, Alec's grad student assistant
- Travina Springer as Kylie Mercer, Alec's younger sister and new FBI cyber analyst
Recurring
- Brian King as Special Agent Jace Richards (season 1), an FBI agent and Marisa's new boyfriend
- Karen David as Rose Dinshaw, a crisis management professional, and Alec's new girlfriend
- Ben Cotton as Wes Banning (season 1), a criminal convicted of the bombing that injured Alec
- Max Lloyd-Jones as Simon Wylton (season 2), a new grad student research assistant who replaces Phoebe, and the son of the Dean of Wylton Institute
- Geoff Stults as Shel Benson (season 2)
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2023–24)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | Rating/share (18-49) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | David Frankel | Arika Lisanne Mittman | September 25, 2023 | 3.81[6] | 0.34/3[6] |
| 2 | 2 | "Dead Woman Walking" | Jesse Warn | Arika Lisanne Mittman | October 2, 2023 | 3.98[7] | 0.29/3[7] |
| 3 | 3 | "The Barnum Effect" | John Terlesky | Mark Goffman | October 9, 2023 | 3.94[8] | 0.31/3[8] |
| 4 | 4 | "Zero Sum" | Janice Cooke | Robert Hewitt Wolfe | October 16, 2023 | 3.50[9] | 0.24/2[9] |
| 5 | 5 | "Lucky Charms" | Amanda Tapping | Lydia Teffera | October 23, 2023 | 3.73[10] | 0.29/3[10] |
| 6 | 6 | "Point and Shoot" | Ernest Dickerson | Teleplay by : Kirk Moore Story by : Kirk Moore & Jordan Rosenberg | October 30, 2023 | 3.54[11] | 0.27/3[11] |
| 7 | 7 | "The Real Deal" | Jesse Warn | Mira Z. Barnum | November 6, 2023 | 3.74[12] | 0.28/3[12] |
| 8 | 8 | "Scorched Earth" | Maja Vrvilo | Jordan Rosenberg | January 29, 2024 | 3.18[13] | 0.28/3[13] |
| 9 | 9 | "Cheating Life" | Carl Seaton | Jordan Rosenberg & Mira Z. Barnum | February 5, 2024 | 3.30[14] | 0.26/3[14] |
| 10 | 10 | "Bombshell" | Jesse Warn | Mark Goffman & Robert Hewitt Wolfe | February 12, 2024 | 2.60[15] | 0.19/2[15] |
| 11 | 11 | "Reciprocity" | Ernest Dickerson | Arika Lisanne Mittman | February 19, 2024 | 2.42[16] | 0.18/2[16] |
Season 2 (2024–25)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [17] | Directed by | Written by [18] | Original release date [17] | U.S. viewers (millions) | Rating/share (18-49) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | "Collateral Damage" | John Terlesky | Arika Lisanne Mittman | October 8, 2024 | 3.09[19] | 0.31/4[19] |
| 13 | 2 | "A Kick in the Teeth" | Ernest Dickerson | Lydia Teffera | October 15, 2024 | 2.63[20] | 0.26/3[20] |
| 14 | 3 | "Bad Blood" | Jeff W. Byrd | Mark Goffman & Robert Hewitt Wolfe & Jojo S. Wright | October 22, 2024 | 2.41[21] | 0.19/3[21] |
| 15 | 4 | "Formal Ties" | Jesse Warn | Katie Wech | October 29, 2024 | 2.29[22] | 0.19/2[22] |
| 16 | 5 | "Anatomy of a Fall" | Darnell Martin | Mira Z. Barnum | November 12, 2024 | 2.19[23] | 0.17/2[23] |
| 17 | 6 | "The Wrong Side of Maybe" | Holly Dale | Jordan Rosenberg | November 26, 2024 | 2.41[24] | 0.19/3[24] |
| 18 | 7 | "Stan by Me" | Sarah Wayne Callies | Kirk Moore | December 3, 2024 | 2.39[25] | 0.17/3[25] |
| 19 | 8 | "Lost Souls" | John F. Showalter | Robert Hewitt Wolfe | January 7, 2025 | 2.16[26] | 0.18/3[26] |
| 20 | 9 | "Another Man's Treasure" | Doug Aarniokoski | Tommar Wilson | January 14, 2025 | 2.09[27] | 0.16/2[27] |
| 21 | 10 | "Now You Don't" | Jesse Warn | Aadrita Mukerji | January 21, 2025 | 1.90[28] | 0.10/1[28] |
| 22 | 11 | "Ghost Ship" | Jesse Warn | Kirk Moore & Lydia Teffera | January 28, 2025 | 1.64[29] | 0.12/2[29] |
| 23 | 12 | "Straight from the Heart" | Rebecca Moline | Jojo S. Wright | February 4, 2025 | 1.67[30] | 0.15/2[30] |
| 24 | 13 | "Murder She Rode" | Jon Huertas | Lydia Teffera & Katie Wech | February 11, 2025 | 1.81[31] | 0.14/2[31] |
| 25 | 14 | "The Milgram Experiment" | Jesse Warn | Kirk Moore & Mira Z. Barnum | February 18, 2025 | 1.78[32] | 0.15/2[32] |
| 26 | 15 | "Conversation Games" | Cherie Nowlan | Robert Hewitt Wolfe & Jordan Rosenberg | February 25, 2025 | 1.65[33] | 0.16/2[33] |
| 27 | 16 | "The Overview Effect" | Anna Mastro | Mark Goffman | March 11, 2025 | 1.60[34] | 0.12/2[34] |
| 28 | 17 | "Suddenly Alec" | Ernest Dickerson | Aadrita Mukerji & Tommar Wilson | March 18, 2025 | 1.67[35] | 0.13/2[35] |
| 29 | 18 | "The Exchange" | Dawn Wilkinson | Arika Lisanne Mittman | March 25, 2025 | 2.26[36] | 0.17/3[36] |
Production
Development
In November 2021, NBC announced it had given a put pilot commitment to The Irrational, and Arika Mittman stepped in as the show's writer and executive producer.[1] So did Mark Goffman, Samuel Baum, David Frankel, and Dan Ariely.[1] In February 2022, The Irrational received a pilot order. In April 2022, it was announced Jesse L. Martin had been cast as the show's lead character, Alec Mercer, and would also serve as a producer for the pilot. It was also announced that the series would be written by Arika Mittman, with Dan Ariely serving as consultant.[37] In September 2022, NBC commissioned a mini-room to produce a couple of backup scripts to go with the well-received pilot.[38] In October 2022, NBC extended its options on the cast, which were due to expire in October, to that December.[39] In December 2022, NBC picked up The Irrational pilot and gave it a series order. It was revealed at this time that David Frankel was the director and would also be serving as an executive producer along with Mittman, Mark Goffman and Samuel Baum.[40] On November 17, 2023, NBC ordered an extra episode for the series, bringing the first-season order to a total of 11 episodes.[41] On November 29, 2023, NBC renewed the series for a second season.[42] On May 9, 2025, NBC canceled the series after two seasons.[3]
Casting
In May 2022, it was announced that Maahra Hill would join the cast in a lead role opposite Martin.[43] In June 2022, Travina Springer, Molly Kunz, and Arash DeMaxi were added to the cast. In June 2023, Brian King joined the cast in a recurring role.[44]
Season 2 featured the same actors, along with Ariely himself, who joined the cast as a psychiatric patient.
Filming
Filming of the pilot took place from late May to early June 2022 in Vancouver, Canada,[43] standing in for Washington, D.C. and the adjoining Virginia area.[45] After seven episodes were filmed, production stopped due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.[46] Filming for the second season began on March 11, 2024 and concluded on November 2, 2024.[47]
Release
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 47% with an average rating of 5.1/10, based on 17 critic reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Irrational could've used a lot more originality to live up to its promise, although Martin's shrewd presence makes even the utterly conventional pretty watchable."[51] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 55 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[52]
Ratings
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | 18–49 rank | Avg. 18–49 rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||||
| 1 | Monday 10:00 p.m. | 11 | September 25, 2023 | 3.81[6] | February 19, 2024 | 2.42[16] | 2023–24 | 30 | 5.94 | 55 | 0.48 |
| 2 | Tuesday 10:00 p.m. | 18 | October 8, 2024 | 3.09[19] | March 25, 2025 | 2.26[36] | 2024–25 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |