Arika Lisanne Mittman, Executive Producer / Showrunner; Travina Springer, Jesse L. Martin, Maahra Hill in Pasadena, Calif. on July 14, 2024 for THE IRRATIONAL press event | ©2024 NBCUniversal / Photo by: Trae Patton/NBCUniversal)

THE IRRATIONAL, now in its second season Tuesday nights on NBC and streaming on Peacock, stars Jesse L. Martin as Dr. Alec Mercer. Although Alec’s main job is being a university professor, he often consults with law enforcement to help solve cases that require psychological expertise.

THE IRRATIONAL creator/showrunner/executive producer Arika Lisanne Mittman based the series on Dan Ariely’s 2008 nonfiction book PREDICTIBLY IRRATIONAL: THE HIDDEN FORCES THAT SHAPE OUR DECISIONS. Mittman has also served as a writer/producer on series including DEXTER, TYRANT, ELEMENTARY, PARADISE LOST, TIMELESS and LA BREA.

Two people near and dear to Alec are his younger sister Kylie Mercer, played by Travina Springer, who has recently joined the FBI, and his ex-wife Marisa Clark, played by Maahra Hill, already an accomplished FBI agent.

Hill previously starred as the title character in the series DELILAH. Springer’s credits include the Disney+/Marvel series MS. MARVEL and the film TO LIVE AND DIE AND LIVE.

After Mittman, Hill and Springer all participate in a Q&A panel for THE IRRATIONAL as part of NBC/Universal’s day at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, all three women make themselves available for a follow-up interview at the network’s party. This article combines their comments from both.

For starters, what kind of research did Mittman have to do in developing THE IRRATIONAL?

Mittman says it was a learning curve. “Psychology, behavioral science – those are definitely things that I did not have a background in before doing the show, but I’ve learned a lot about. Dan Ariely is a consultant on the show, and so I learned from him, I learned from other social scientists, we had other social scientists come and Zoom into the [writers’] room so that we get more research on it.”

THE IRRATIONAL Key Art – Season 2 | ©2025 NBCUniversal

Prior to this, Mittman acknowledges, “Most of my law enforcement knowledge comes from watching a lot of law enforcement-based TV shows.”

Was there anything that really surprised Mittman once she began delving into behavioral science?

“All of it surprises me when you start to think about it. It all makes sense, but when you learn about it, it all ultimately makes sense, but it was a surprising field that I didn’t know anything about. I do now,” she laughs.

Mittman feels “both of the relationships – the relationship between Kylie and Alec, and the relationship between Alec and Marisa, are at the heart of the show. Certainly, the brother/sister dynamic is at the heart of the show.”

When THE IRRATIONAL began, neither Springer nor Mittman knew that Kylie would join the FBI.

“When I created the series,” Mittman explains, “I wanted Kylie and Alec to be kind of yin and yang. Alec was organized and professional, and Kylie was this free spirit who was like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing whatever. Thirty-five going on twenty-five.’ That was my whole idea of Kylie. But then, we wanted more Kylie. Kylie was stuck in the apartment all the time, and it made it difficult to tell stories with her, because she wasn’t part of the FBI. And so, we came up with this idea in the writers’ room to put Kylie into the FBI for two reasons. One was a very functional, story-driven reason. Another was I felt like it really was a great character story for her, for somebody who had a complicated history with law enforcement and a distrust of law enforcement to be working with the FBI. It felt like it would be a great character story for her. It would also allow her to be involved in more stories.”

Springer says, “I was curious about how that choice was aligned with Kylie as a character, and I had a really great discussion with Arika about it, too. [There is a] really beautiful relationship between the actors and the writers on our show. When I understood where we were going with it, that we were also going to discuss how she was going to have to contend with her complicated relationship with law enforcement, and how that would manifest with the choices she makes as a consultant, I thought that was exciting and intriguing. I really liked the idea that my feelings were taken into consideration around the character and what the choices were, what felt authentic for Kylie, were taken into consideration.”

Maahra Hill as Marisa in THE IRRATIONAL Season 1 | ©2024 NBCUniversal / Sergei Bachlakov

Did Hill have any advice for Springer, since she was already portraying an FBI agent? “Absolutely,” Hill affirms. “There are some things that Kylie experiences that are obviously new to her because she is new to this field, that Marisa has experienced for a long period of time. Some of the things aren’t great, some of them are amazing, but she’s there with her to kind of navigate what it means for her to be a part of the FBI.”

Characters have been added in order to accommodate story elements. Mittman points out, “Actually, we added the character of Simon [Max Lloyd Jones] this season, who is the new research assistant. He has a neuro-psych background, which is something that we haven’t really explored that much [before] of the physical/neurological, and so, we’re using that character for that.”

Hill likes to watch both herself and her acting colleagues. “I love to watch the show, because on the page, it’s different than watching it play out and seeing what everyone does with it, and seeing the story come to life. I am an actor that is very critical of oneself. I feel like it’s the best say to learn, to watch what I did, and say, ‘Oh, I could have done that better,’ or ‘That really worked.’ So, I use it as a learning experience, but I also love to just enjoy the whole story put together, because there are so many people that are part of the team. There’s post-production that happens, and so we don’t know exactly what the music is going to sound like. So it’s like a double-edged sword of critiquing myself – you see it on the page, and then you see, ‘Oh, that’s what they did with it.’ Because we don’t even cross paths with everyone who’s cast because we’re not in that [subplot] sometimes.”

Springer agrees. “Yeah, it’s fun to watch it, and then I’ll learn maybe things that changed in the room and in the moment that weren’t exactly on the page. Also, I got to watch one of the episodes from the first season with my family, which was really fun. They were just so excited to watch it. I’m like, ‘I know what’s going to happen, I know who the [guilty] person is,’ which was interesting, but I didn’t spoil. It’s sometimes hard for me to watch myself, but it’s fun when you can watch it with people who are just audience members, and you see them enjoy it watching it for the first time, because it’s a different experience for them.”

Mittman also likes giving viewers resolutions sooner rather than later, including revealing who was responsible for the explosion that left Alec with lifelong physical and emotional scars. “I find it’s really satisfying for an audience to wonder, but to also get those answers. I never wanted that storyline to be something that spanned five years. I wanted it to have a satisfying ending to Season 1, and to upon up the second season for new questions, new mysteries, and new stories.”

Travina Springer as Kylie in THE IRRATIONAL Season 1 | ©2024 NBCUniversal / Brendan Meadows

Does Mittman think that Season 2 ups the action quotient on THE IRRATIONAL?

“Not specifically, but one of the things I love about doing this show is that we’re like a different movie every week, and so there are episodes that lean more into action, but certainly not all of them. There are lots of typical whodunit kind of mystery cases. I should say, I call our show a why-done-it, rather than a whodunit, because of all of the psychology involved.”

Both Kylie and Marisa often (seldom successfully) try to talk Alec out of doing something perilous by pointing out how he’s giving in to his own irrational side. Hill notes, “Jesse loves when we do that. I’d like to start there. He just loves how we hold his feet to the fire. I think it’s out of a place of concern and love for him, because his empathy for characters at times will put him in dangerous situations. As the women in his life, we love him and want to make sure that he’s covered and protected. Sometimes empathy will lead you into a place where maybe you’re not thinking all the way, you’re feeling so much. We feel for him and the situations that he finds himself in, and we want to make sure that he’s taking care of himself. From the character’s point of view, I think that sounds like an ex-wife to me.”

Springer believes there’s a similar bond between sister and brother. “I think with our sibling dynamic, it’s probably something that Kylie is used to. I’ve known him all of my life and I’m used to my brother taking risks and doing things that are entirely irrational. The other thing is that we have this shared experience, the trauma from the bombing. I was there while he was healing, so I think that also informs my concern for him and the choices that he makes to solve cases and to help others. I’m always thinking about what’s best for him, not only his health but his well-being, inside and out.”

Mittman adds, “When Alec talks about irrationality, he always says, ‘We. We do this.’ He doesn’t say, ‘People do this,’ or ‘You do this.’ He doesn’t separate himself from everyone else.”

With star Martin’s musical theatre background, any chance we will hear Alec singing? Mittman laughs. “Maybe, maybe. We can hope sometimes.” Perhaps Mittman already knew something only recently revealed to the public, which is that the March 18 episode has Alec and his girlfriend Rose (Karen David) going undercover at a community theatre production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS.

THE IRRATIONAL Key Art – Season 1 | ©2024 NBCUniversal

Has THE IRRATIONAL changed at all from what Mittman originally wanted to do with it, and if so, how?

“I’m very lucky,” Mittman responds. “I feel like it’s very much the vision of what I wanted to do with it. I wanted to explore how we can make a procedural show that is steeped in psychology, and steeped in behavioral science. And we’ve been able to do that. It’s really been a gift.”

And what would Mittman most like people to know about Season 2 of THE IRRATIONAL?

“That they can expect more exciting and different episodic stories, as well as really nice arcs for the characters.”

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Article: Exclusive Interview: THE IRRATIONAL series creator Arika Lisanne Mittman and actresses Maahra Hill & Travina Springer  on Season 2

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