The cases on THE GUARDIAN are always interesting, sometimes very disturbing or depressing. But the second half of the season has really gone soap opera with all this angst about the love lives, drug habits, jealousies of the lawyers. I think it's what ultimately killed the show. There's just TOO much going on in these episodes: two to three cases per show plus all these personal things among the lawyers.
And Simon Baker's character is SO tortured. No wonder THE MENTALIST is such a big hit; he's got a terrible, haunting backstory, but his personality is effervescent, playful, appealing unlike the dour figure at the head of THE GUARDIAN.