History Series / TheSentinel

Not to be confused with the [[Film/TheSentinel 1977 film]] with Cristina Raines or 2006 movie starring Creator/MichaelDouglas and Creator/KieferSutherland.

-->-- '''Blair Sandburg''', ''The Sentinel''

* BlackBestFriend: A downplayed example with Ellison and Captain Banks. The show hints heavily that they've been close friends since before the first episode, enough that Banks realizes something's different about Ellison as soon as the second episode. He's even offended when Ellison goes on a fishing trip without him. However, he still takes a backseat to [[HeterosexualLifePartners Blair]].

** Jim's no slouch, either. Especially in the first season, it feels like Jim and Blair play RockPaperScissors offscreen to determine which one of them will get the girl.

* SuperSenses: The whole damn premise of the show.

* MotorMouth: Blair.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: For a psychic cop with an invisible spirit animal, Jim ''really'' doesn't like to hear about all the weird stuff Sandburg believes in.

Ellison, the sentinel, has five heightened senses and a genetic predisposition to protect his tribe. In this case, the city of Cascade. Blair is an anthropologist who specialises in ancient cultures, specifically the mythic tribal watchmen of old, and has a predisposition to attract every psycho to set foot in Cascade. Blair acts as Jim's guide, teaching to use his senses and act like a half way nice guy. Jim acts unofficially as Blair's 'blessed protector' by keeping Blair from getting killed by the various psychos he attracts.

!!This TVShow provides examples of:

* TheOtherRainForest: The show is set in the fictional city of Cascade, in Washington (presumably in the Cascade mountain range). Unsurprisingly, it rains a lot on the show.

* DistaffCounterpart: An episode with [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Jeri Ryan]] as a woman who also gains hyper-senses. Turned out she was also [[spoiler: an EvilCounterpart]]. Cassie Welles is a female version of Blair before he figured out that listening to Jim would keep him alive longer.

''The Sentinel'' aired in the mid- to late 1990s on {{UPN}}. A cross between a CopShow and SciFi, it followed the life of Detective Jim Ellison and his civilian partner, Blair Sandburg.

* TheOtherRainForest: The show is set in the fictional city of Cascade, in Washington State. Unsurprisingly, it rains a lot on the show.

* GirlOfTheWeek: Many, many episodes; usually each of the two guys get the girl every other week.

* MustStateIfYoureACop: Played with in the episode where Jim pretends to be a convict. His bunk mate says that he asks if he's a cop, and Jim clearly has every intention of lying, until the bunk mate reveals that he's hoping the answer is yes.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Jim and Blair live together from episode three through the finale.

* WorkingWithTheEx: Jim's ex-wife worked in the department with him during the first season. She got PutOnABus before long, though. Somewhat unusually for this trope, Jim and Carolyn got along well together, with their snarky comments toward each other sounding more like friendly ribbing than actual malice. They even went out to dinner on occasion, with no strings attached, having decided they were BetterAsFriends.

* TheOtherRainforest: It's set in Washington state.

* TheMole: In "Cypher" someone keeps leaking information about the case to the press. Simon suspects Blair and Blair suspects his girlfriend. It turns out to be the killer.

* AbusiveParents: Jim's father, William, wasn't ''physically'' abusive, but he was manipulative and tended to think Jim was "strange" because of his Sentinel abilities. Having to compete with one's brother for season tickets or an overseas vacation ''really'' doesn't help the family dynamic, and his constant harangues over Jim "seeing things" is why Jim [[LaserGuidedAmnesia suppressed]] his enhanced senses until he was an adult - and why he's so [[FlatEarthAtheist dismissive of Sandburg's countercultural lifestyle and research]].

* NotNowKiddo: While Blair isn't a kid, he is the youngest member of the main cast, and not a cop, so he tends to get this treatment. In one episode which takes place during a basketball game, Blair is trying to warn Simon that Jim is in trouble while Simon is busy issuing orders. Every time Blair tries to interrupt, Simon yells "Not now, Sandburg!" When Blair finally does manage to tell him, Simon blows up on Blair again, telling Blair to tell him right away next time. The look of exasperation on Blair's face is priceless.