Arika Lisanne Mittman (Creator), Dan Ariely (Book)

CAST
Jesse L. Martin
Maahra Hill
Travina Springer
Molly Kunz
Arash DeMaxi
Karen David

Review

I went into Season 2 of The Irrational curious to see where the show would go now that the big mystery from Season 1, the church bombing that left Alec Mercer scarred, had been solved. Turns out, with that storyline out of the way, the show leaned even more into the procedural format… and I actually kind of liked it?

This season, we got deeper character moments that added a lot to the experience. Alec’s relationship with his scars got some attention; him considering laser treatment for his scars was a nice, subtle nod to his ongoing trauma, and it was handled with surprising thoughtfulness. We also learned more about Marisa and her past (that adoption twist came out of nowhere), and even Phoebe got some personal spotlight. Yet Rizwan is still third-wheeling.

The season opened strong with Alec’s girlfriend Rose (Karen David) being kidnapped, and in true Irrational fashion, Mercer volunteers himself as bait in a classic “let me get abducted to save her” move. Wild? Yes. Entertaining? Also yeah.

What I’ve always appreciated about this show is how behavioral psychology isn’t just background noise; it’s baked into the narrative. The experiments feel purposeful, and watching how they tie into the cases is easily the best part of the series. But sometimes the way these cases land on Alec’s desk is… a little too convenient. Like, okay, another friend-of-a-friend just happens to need help with a highly specific murder investigation? Sure. Also, the series not having a bigger mystery or through line, like in season one, is not helping.

There are definitely moments where Season 2 leans a little too hard into soap-opera territory. I mean, Marisa’s long-lost son, who is now a lawyer, feels like a plot twist borrowed from a daytime drama. But the actor is a nice addition from Murder in a Small Town and Superman & Lois. And Kylie landing a consulting gig with the FBI kind of overnight, just because she knows Alec and Marisa? Suspension of disbelief is required in large doses sometimes.

Max Lloyd-Jones joined the cast this season as Simon, and honestly, I really liked the dynamic between him and Phoebe. Their chemistry brought something light and fresh to the team.

That said, I get why the show was cancelled. It didn’t really have a strong procedural foundation; cases just kind of appeared, and that randomness was charming at first, but over time, it started to feel a little too convenient and disconnected. At the end of the season, they were having Rose set up an agency that maybe would have solved that problem.

So yes, the show “jumped the shark” a bit this season, but it still had its fun, thoughtful moments. I’ll miss seeing Alec Mercer and his band of psychologically-savvy nerds solve the unsolvable, but maybe that’s what reruns are for.

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