CBS's 'Catch-Up Marathon' offers all of last season for 7 shows
Four are dramas: 'The Mentalist,' 'Elementary,' 'The Good Wife' and 'Hawaii 5-0.'
CBS, the stingiest broadcast network when it comes to posting shows online, has made the entire last season of seven shows available to view for free.
It's billed as the "Catch-Up Marathon," but is a bit of a mixed bag.
The lineup includes four dramas -- The Mentalist, Elementary, The Good Wife and Hawaii 5-0 -- which makes sense, because of continuing storylines.
Not so helpful is the offering of three reality shows -- Survivor, Undercover Boss and The Amazing Race -- since previous seasons have little bearing on new ones.
Mentalist fans might be most appreciative, because trickster sleuth Patrick Jane is zeroing in on the serial killer who murdered Jane's wife and daughter, and the promise is that Red John's identity will finally be revealed in the coming season, which begins at 10 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 29.
Also, CBS made following the series very difficult without watching it live or recording it. For years, you couldn't find it at CBS.com or Hulu, and still can't stream a single season on Netflix. TNT, though, has shown reruns and makes a handful of episodes available at a time online, on demand or through its mobile app.
Although the Catch-Up Marathon includes 21 Mentalist episodes, you won't find the season finale, "Red John's Rules," which will air at 10 p.m. Sunday. Maybe it'll be added afterward.
Least appreciative might be the frustrated folks trying to catch up with some other series, like Person of Interest. Good luck finding a single full episode of that pro-tech-ive agency suspenser, whose wild and confusing final episodes could certainly bear re-viewing before its season premiere, at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24. So you'll just have to watch at 10 tonight and next Tuesday to catch last season's final two shows.
ABC, NBC, Fox and the CW don't seem to have similar full-season offers, though the final episodes of many series have been airing in advance of season premieres, then becoming available online or on demand.
For more, see CBS's Catch-Up Marathon page, or go to CBS.com.
Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.