There's an interesting range of views on display here. I have seen the first seven, then gave up on it. Simon Baker is charming and watchable, but I didn't find enough to keep me watching in terms of the writing. It's not a patch on Life, in my opinion.
It's popular in the States because it is on CBS whose viewers tend to never change channels where the shows fit within a narrow range - Criminal MinRAB, NCIS, CSI and its variants are all on that network.
One trick I really thought they missed was to make the Robin Tunney role credible. The character is too young for the job she has. It would have so much better suited to an older actress - an American Helen Mirran - which would have made for a much more interesting dynamic than the romantic pap that it will no doubt end up being.