The Mentalist
Genre	Police procedural Comedy-drama
Created by	Bruno Heller
Directed by	Chris Long David Nutter
Starring	Simon Baker Robin Tunney Tim Kang Owain Yeoman Amanda Righetti
Opening theme	"Theme from The Mentalist"
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	116 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Bruno Heller David Nutter Simon Baker
Producer(s)	Charles Goldstein
Location(s)	California
Running time	40–44minutes
Production company(s)	Primrose Hill Productions Warner Bros. Television
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	September 23, 2008 (2008-09-23) – present
External links
Website

The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series that debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS.^[1] The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also its executive producer. The show follows former "psychic" Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), who is a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), using the highly developed observational skills he previously employed to "read" people's minds. The show's fifth season premiered on September 30, 2012.^[2] On March 27, 2013, CBS renewed the series for a sixth season.^[3]

Synopsis[edit]

The Mentalist follows Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based in Sacramento, California. Although not an officer of the law, he uses skills from his former career as a successful yet admittedly fraudulent psychic medium to help a team of CBI agents solve various crimes. The ultimate goal of Patrick Jane in his cooperation with the CBI is to track down the killer known as "Red John," who was responsible for the brutal murders of his wife and daughter.

Jane formerly had a lucrative career as a con man, successfully posing as a psychic medium and enjoying near-celebrity status. Five years before the events in the show's pilot episode, he appeared on television to claim that his paranormal abilities helped the police profile a serial killer named Red John. Red John, angered by the perceived slight, murdered Jane's wife and young daughter in revenge.

Jane subsequently abandoned his job as a psychic and teamed with the CBI, using his skills to help them solve various crimes. His main focus is on the cases involving Red John or Red John copycats. He admits to faking the supernatural aspects of his skills, often asserting that "there's no such thing as psychics," yet he has finely honed skills in cold reading, hypnosis, and pickpocketing, as well as powerful observational skill and a deep insight into the human psyche and behavior.

Production and distribution[edit]

The show often sets episodes in fictional locales with names like Salinger Mill and Rancho Rosa. Like the majority of American television shows, The Mentalist is mostly filmed within the studio zone in Los Angeles County, but occasionally films a few scenes on location in Sacramento. The structure used to represent the CBI headquarters in Sacramento is the back of the Pico House in downtown Los Angeles. On October 15, 2008, CBS ordered the first season of The Mentalist^[4] and the show has subsequently been renewed annually since 2010 both in the domestic market and overseas.^[5][6][7]

TNT began syndicating The Mentalist in the fall of 2011.^[8]

Cast and characters[edit]

Episode list[edit]

DVD releases[edit]

Warner Home Video has released the first four seasons on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4.^[9][10][11]

Reception[edit]

The pilot episode had an audience of 15.6 million viewers in its first airing, and 7.8 million in a re-airing three days later.^[20] The December 2, 2008 episode, "Flame Red", was the highest-rated television show of the week, marking the first time a program in its first season had achieved that distinction since Desperate Housewives four years earlier.^[21]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Director of Center for Inquiry West & IIG West, James Underdown presents Editor Jimm Gadd with award August 21, 2010

• On January 7, 2009, the show won the award for "Favorite New TV Drama" at the 35th People's Choice Awards.^[22]
• Simon Baker received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 2009 Emmy Awards.^[23]
• The series was nominated for The International TV Dagger at the 2009 Crime Thriller Awards, an awards ceremony presented by the British Crime Writers' Association.^[24]
• Simon Baker received a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama at the 67th Golden Globe Awards.
• Simon Baker received a nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards.^[25]
• On August 21, 2010, The Mentalist was honored with an award for its scientific and critical thinking content, from The IIG during its 10th Anniversary Gala. The award was accepted by Editor Jimm Gadd.^[26]

U.S. ratings[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Mentalist

• Official website
• The Mentalist at the Internet Movie Database
• The Mentalist at TV.com
• The Mentalist Cast Full Listings