MORE than a decade after he left Law & Order, Jesse L. Martin is returning to NBC with new procedural The Irrational.
However, rather than retread old ground by having Martin play a cop, his new character Alec Mercer is a professor who has a much more complex dynamic with law enforcement in this series.
Martin completed a nine season run as Joe West on The Flash earlier in 2023.
So, with a new character and a new show, let’s see who is joining Martin on The Irrational.
Jesse L Martin as Professor Alec Mercer
Character: Professor Alec Baker is a world-renowned expert in behavioural psychology. While he doesn’t work in law enforcement (“it pays crap”, in Alec’s own words), he is often called by law enforcement agencies to provide his expertise. This essentially sets up the show’s premise.
Alec also has his own trauma; years prior to the show’s present day, he was badly burned in a church arson attack, leaving permanent facial scarring. The arsonist’s parole hearing plays a major role in the pilot episode.
Actor: Jesse L. Martin is a veteran actor, perhaps best known for his TV runs as Detective Ed Green on Law and Order, as well as Captain Joe West on The Flash.
Also a singer, Martin starred in the original Broadway cast of Rent, playing Tom Collins.
Maahra Hill as Marisa
Character: An FBI agent, Marisa is also Alec’s soon-to-be ex-wife. The two first met in the aftermath of Alec’s accident, as Marisa was sent to investigate.
The exact reason for their separation has to be revealed.
Actor: Prior to The Irrational, Maahra Hill’s previous credits include episodes of Black-ish, How To Get Away With Murder and Speechless.
Arash DeMaxi as Rizwan
Character: Rizwan is an enthusiastic psychology grad student, who becomes an apprentice of sorts to Alec Mercer. He plays a bigger role than his counterpart Phoebe in the pilot, but the full extent of his involvement is yet to be seen.
Actor: Arash DeMaxi’s previous credits include episodes of The Blacklist, The Equalizer and Chicago Med.
Molly Kunz as Phoebe
Character: Phoebe is Alec Mercer’s grad student assistant, who seems to have known for a while. She plays a relatively small role in the pilot, so we will have to see how her character develops in subsequent episodes.
Actor: Molly Kunz had appeared in episodes of The Resident, Chicago Fire and Colony before landing her role on The Irrational.
Travina Springer as Kylie
Character: Kylie is Alec Mercer’s younger sister and now roommate following his separation from Marisa. She is also a skilled hacker, which is bound to come in handy as The Irrational continues.
Actor: Springer previously had a recurring role on Ms Marvel and lent her voice to 2020’s We Bare Bears: The Movie.
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