- vote for The Mentalist,
"Favorite TV Crime Drama",
- vote for Simon Baker,
"Favorite Dramatic TV Actor",
- vote for Robin Tunney,
"Favorite Dramatic TV Actress",
- vote for Jane & Lisbon,
"Favorite On-Screen Chemistry".
Oct 31, 2013
TV Ratings: 'The Mentalist'
The Mentalist garnered a 1.3 up 8 percent from last week's series low 1.2 adults 18-49 rating.
Broadcast primetime ratings for Sunday, October 27, 2013:
SRC: tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/
Broadcast primetime ratings for Sunday, October 27, 2013:
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 Rating/Share | Viewers (Millions) |
| 7:00 | FOX | NFL Football (Redskins/Broncos) - Live | 7.8/23 | 22.78 |
| NBC | Football Night in America Part 1 - Live | 1.6/5 | 5.11 | |
| CBS | 60 Minutes | 1.5/4 | 10.31 | |
| ABC | America's Funniest Home Videos | 1.4/4 | 6.12 | |
| 7:30 | FOX | NFL Football/The OT - Live | 6.2/17 | 18.37 |
| NBC | Football Night in America Part 2 - Live | 2.5/7 | 6.96 | |
| 8:00 | FOX | World Series Game 4 (8-11PM) - Live | 4.4/11 | 15.39 |
| NBC | Football Night in America Part 3 - Live | 4.3/11 | 11.88 | |
| ABC | Once Upon A Time | 2.2/5 | 7.00 | |
| CBS | The Amazing Race | 1.7/4 | 8.23 | |
| 8:30 | NBC | Sunday Night Football: Packers/Vikings (8:30-11PM) -Live | 5.6/13 | 14.91 |
| 9:00 | ABC | Revenge | 1.5/3 | 5.65 |
| CBS | The Good Wife | 1.40 | 9.09 | |
| 10:00 | CBS | The Mentalist | 1.30 | 8.81 |
| ABC | Betrayal | 1.0/2 | 3.42 |
-
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2013 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
SRC: tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/
Oct 30, 2013
Tunney shocked at Red John reveal
The Mentalist's Robin Tunney has revealed she was "surprised" when she found out the true identity of Red John.
The unveiling of the serial killer - the nemesis of mentalist Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker) - is set to be revealed in the upcoming sixth season of the US show.
"I was surprised, and had I been Red John, I would have been equally surprised," she said.
Robin, who plays Senior Special Agent Teresa Lisbon on the show, admitted she was kept in the dark until the episode.
"I did not know at the beginning of the season. We're a bit ahead of you as far as filming goes, and yes, the audience will find out who Red John is," she continued, adding: "It's been exhausting. That's all I'll say."
The 41-year-old laughed off rumours that her character is the cold-blooded murderer.
"Some days when you're bored and you want to feel badly about the show, you read things about yourself on the internet. It never ends well, like a Shakespearean lesson," she said.
"I was reading on one of the sites that 'Maybe Lisbon is Red John', and someone else said: 'Don't be ridiculous. There's no way that Lisbon is Red John'. And I'm like: 'Wait a minute!' I took umbrage at the idea that it was a sexist thing - a woman can be a serial killer."
With the big reveal happening, Robin admitted she has signed up for one more series, saying: "We don't know; there's been a really interesting evolution. Simon and I are both signed up for seven years so we have one more year on our contracts."
SRC: independent.ie/
The unveiling of the serial killer - the nemesis of mentalist Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker) - is set to be revealed in the upcoming sixth season of the US show.
"I was surprised, and had I been Red John, I would have been equally surprised," she said.
Robin, who plays Senior Special Agent Teresa Lisbon on the show, admitted she was kept in the dark until the episode.
"I did not know at the beginning of the season. We're a bit ahead of you as far as filming goes, and yes, the audience will find out who Red John is," she continued, adding: "It's been exhausting. That's all I'll say."
The 41-year-old laughed off rumours that her character is the cold-blooded murderer.
"Some days when you're bored and you want to feel badly about the show, you read things about yourself on the internet. It never ends well, like a Shakespearean lesson," she said.
"I was reading on one of the sites that 'Maybe Lisbon is Red John', and someone else said: 'Don't be ridiculous. There's no way that Lisbon is Red John'. And I'm like: 'Wait a minute!' I took umbrage at the idea that it was a sexist thing - a woman can be a serial killer."
With the big reveal happening, Robin admitted she has signed up for one more series, saying: "We don't know; there's been a really interesting evolution. Simon and I are both signed up for seven years so we have one more year on our contracts."
SRC: independent.ie/
6x06 Jisbon's sunset photo ;]
Something for Jisbon shippers:
"You have no idea what you mean to me"
SRC: goodluckteresa.tumblr.com
"You have no idea what you mean to me"
SRC: goodluckteresa.tumblr.com
Oct 29, 2013
Post Mortem: The Mentalist EP Says New Clue 'Is a Big Deal' — But How Will Jane Possibly Use It?
Make no mistake, the new clue revealed at the end of this Sunday’s The Mentalist was an ink-redible development with regards to the hunt for Red John.
As this week’s hour of the CBS drama came to a close, Jane learned from a pretty private eye (guest star Beth Riesgraf) who was hired by — and ultimately stabbed by — Red John that her employer has a tattoo of three dots on his shoulder.
And lest you question that reveal as perhaps a piece of misdirection, executive producer Eoghan Mahony, who wrote the episode “The Red Tattoo,” assures TVLine, “That is a legit clue, and it is a big deal. Now Jane’s got his leverage.”
Yes, but short of inviting the remaining suspects into a Turkish bath, how will Jane possibly get eyes on each of their bared shoulders? “That is the next step: Now that you know that information, how do you use it in a useful way?” says Mahony. For that answer, “You’re just going to have to watch the next episode,” he teases, “but you’re going to enjoy it a lot. Jane’s going to tell the team what he’s found, and they’re going to ask exactly that: How do we figure out [who has the tattoo]? But luckily you’ve got Patrick Jane to find the best way to make that work.”
Also of note in this week’s episode: Just as it was suggested that possi-John Sheriff McAllister is afraid of heights (but isn’t) and pigeons (he possibly is), we now know that Ray Haffner gets squirrely around spiders. But whether any of these disclosures synch up with the fact that RJ has a phobia remains to be seen.
Explaining the decision to scatter these bits of intel across recent weeks, Mahony reminds, “Whoever Red John is, we know that he is an incredibly brilliant mind. He’s a psychopath but a brilliant one, so he’s not to going to be easy to find. So how can we, using what tiny crumbs of information we have, force him out into the open? We saw that McAllister might have a fear of heights but clearly he doesn’t. And if you throw a bird into my face I’m probably going to scream, so is that reaction a phobia or just a reaction to having a bird fly in your face? That’s the challenge Jane and the team are faced with.”
Regardless of Jane’s specific next move, it will involve all of the remaining suspects, as Michael Gaston, Malcolm McDowell, Drew Powell, Reed Diamond and Xander Berkeley are set to appear in next Sunday’s episode (playing Gale Bertram, Bret Stiles, Reede Smith, Ray Haffner and Sheriff McAllister).
That episode, titled “Fire & Brimstone” and penned by Ken Woodruff, “moves the story forward in a way that going to be both surprising and will keep you on the edge of your seat,” Mahony promises. “It’s a good one.”
SRC: tvline.com
As this week’s hour of the CBS drama came to a close, Jane learned from a pretty private eye (guest star Beth Riesgraf) who was hired by — and ultimately stabbed by — Red John that her employer has a tattoo of three dots on his shoulder.
And lest you question that reveal as perhaps a piece of misdirection, executive producer Eoghan Mahony, who wrote the episode “The Red Tattoo,” assures TVLine, “That is a legit clue, and it is a big deal. Now Jane’s got his leverage.”
Yes, but short of inviting the remaining suspects into a Turkish bath, how will Jane possibly get eyes on each of their bared shoulders? “That is the next step: Now that you know that information, how do you use it in a useful way?” says Mahony. For that answer, “You’re just going to have to watch the next episode,” he teases, “but you’re going to enjoy it a lot. Jane’s going to tell the team what he’s found, and they’re going to ask exactly that: How do we figure out [who has the tattoo]? But luckily you’ve got Patrick Jane to find the best way to make that work.”
Also of note in this week’s episode: Just as it was suggested that possi-John Sheriff McAllister is afraid of heights (but isn’t) and pigeons (he possibly is), we now know that Ray Haffner gets squirrely around spiders. But whether any of these disclosures synch up with the fact that RJ has a phobia remains to be seen.
Explaining the decision to scatter these bits of intel across recent weeks, Mahony reminds, “Whoever Red John is, we know that he is an incredibly brilliant mind. He’s a psychopath but a brilliant one, so he’s not to going to be easy to find. So how can we, using what tiny crumbs of information we have, force him out into the open? We saw that McAllister might have a fear of heights but clearly he doesn’t. And if you throw a bird into my face I’m probably going to scream, so is that reaction a phobia or just a reaction to having a bird fly in your face? That’s the challenge Jane and the team are faced with.”
Regardless of Jane’s specific next move, it will involve all of the remaining suspects, as Michael Gaston, Malcolm McDowell, Drew Powell, Reed Diamond and Xander Berkeley are set to appear in next Sunday’s episode (playing Gale Bertram, Bret Stiles, Reede Smith, Ray Haffner and Sheriff McAllister).
That episode, titled “Fire & Brimstone” and penned by Ken Woodruff, “moves the story forward in a way that going to be both surprising and will keep you on the edge of your seat,” Mahony promises. “It’s a good one.”
SRC: tvline.com
6x07 "The Great Red Dragon" (Synopsis)
FOLLOWING THE SHOCKING EVENTS AT JANE’S HOUSE, THE RED JOHN LIST IS NARROWED DOWN FURTHER, AND THE CBI’S PRIORITY IS THE REMAINING SUSPECTS, ON “THE MENTALIST,” AT A SPECIAL TIME, SUNDAY, NOV. 10
“The Great Red Dragon” — Following the shocking events at Jane’s house, the Red John list is narrowed down further, and the CBI’s priority is the remaining suspects, on THE MENTALIST, at a special time, Sunday, Nov. 10 (10:30-11:30 PM, ET/CT, 10:00–11:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network.
CHEAT TWEET: Jane finally thinks he knows #RedJohn’s identity! Is he right? And will he find him in time? #TheMentalist 11/10 http://bit.ly/16h49DG
SERIES REGULARS:
Simon Baker (Patrick Jane)
Robin Tunney (Teresa Lisbon)
Tim Kang (Kimball Cho)
Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby)
Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt)
WRITTEN BY: Jordan Harper
DIRECTED BY: Elodie Keene
“The Great Red Dragon” — Following the shocking events at Jane’s house, the Red John list is narrowed down further, and the CBI’s priority is the remaining suspects, on THE MENTALIST, at a special time, Sunday, Nov. 10 (10:30-11:30 PM, ET/CT, 10:00–11:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network.
CHEAT TWEET: Jane finally thinks he knows #RedJohn’s identity! Is he right? And will he find him in time? #TheMentalist 11/10 http://bit.ly/16h49DG
SERIES REGULARS:
Simon Baker (Patrick Jane)
Robin Tunney (Teresa Lisbon)
Tim Kang (Kimball Cho)
Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby)
Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt)
WRITTEN BY: Jordan Harper
DIRECTED BY: Elodie Keene
Is Red John Working with Visualize? (Interview)
Red John struck again on Sunday's episode of The Mentalist — and Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) got another major clue as to his identity.
Jane and Lisbon (Robin Tunney) once again find themselves working a case with one of Jane's seven five Red John suspects. This time, it's the smug Ray Haffner (Reed Diamond), who joins forces with CBI after a prominent member of the Visualize cult (of which Haffner is a member) is murdered. Turns out the victim, a gymnastics champion, was a killer himself — and died as he was trying to cover up murdering a former student with whom he had been having an affair.
By the end of the episode, we learn that Visualize hired a private investigator to become friendly with Cho (Tim Kang) and plant a bug on his desk in CBI. However, Jane figures it out and surreptitiously re-plants the bug on her. But when Visualize's second-in-command, Jason Cooper (Robert Picardo), knows nothing about the bug, Jane realizes that it's actually Red John who hired the PI — who's either working with Red John or is his next victim. It's option 2. Red John (clearly someone the investigator recognizes) goes to her apartment and kills her moments before Jane and Lisbon arrive on the scene. Before she dies, she gives Jane a key clue about Red John: he has a tattoo of three dots on his left shoulder.
TVGuide.com turned to Eoghan Mahoney, who wrote "The Red Tattoo," to weigh in on tonight's episode and the latest developments in the Red John case. Plus: What are his thoughts on those conspiracy theories about Grace Van Pelt's (Amanda Righetti) possible involvement? Read our interview to find out:
This episode teases a connection between Red John and Visualize.
Mahoney: Because [Haffner] is a member of Visualize, by his very presence he also sort of brings the specter, the shadow, of Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) along with him. So you have this effect of, either he's Red John, or is he like John the Baptist, the one who sort of comes before Red John? Is this Red John or is this just this tool of Red John that is showing up to sort of throw Jane off? Who's the puppet master behind it? Is Bret Stiles doing all this to sort of screw with Jane's head even more than he has in the past? And Robert Picardo, who plays Jason Cooper ... does a really nice job. We don't have Malcolm McDowell in this episode, but there's something about Jason, who I think does a really nice version of saying, "There's something coming, and it's making me nervous."
Is Haffner working with CBI a case of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?
Mahoney: That's exactly what we [wanted]. I think that's what Jane is sort of confronted with. In the past, certainly when he went up to Napa, it was really an act of Jane saying, "I want to take a case that's going to get me up there so that I can start looking at McAllister.' But in this case, you're investigating a case that's a mysterious case to begin with, and then suddenly there's Ray Haffner in the room. It's this feeling of, are we being watched? Is this case being thrown in front of us so that somebody can be observing and manipulating us? Which is a disconcerting thing for Jane to be confronting, and I think adds to this growing sense of tension and anxiety about what's happening in the world around us.
At one point, Haffner tells Jane there's a "comeuppance" heading his way and makes reference to the fact that he has friends in CBI. Can this be seen as an allusion to the "Tiger Tiger" conspiracy that was teased in last week's episode?
Mahoney: Yes, I think that's exactly right. Ray Haffner is a guy who used to work in CBI. He's a guy who has connections all through law enforcement. We're giving the audience information that our team might not have yet. The team takes this as, is this a Red John threat? Is this a Visualize threat? But I think you're exactly right, and I think the audience hopefully is going to pick that up. What Haffner's talking about is there's chatter in the world of police. A lot of people have this sense that there is a secret society out there. And there are rumors that Jane has really pissed those people off, and that's a dangerous thing to have done.
What's his motivation in warning Jane and Lisbon of bad things to come?
Mahoney: It's important to remember that Ray Haffner has not had a particularly pleasant experience with Patrick Jane. [Laughs] And while Ray Haffner really does have a genuine fondness for Teresa Lisbon, Patrick Jane to him is just a nightmare. He's the guy who screwed up Haffner's chances of sort of moving up in the CBI. To some extent, I suspect [Jane is] part of Haffner's motivation for leaving CBI. Jane is that guy who's just always one step ahead. For Haffner, throughout this episode, he's very happy with the idea that there's a case that Jane seems to be stumped by. Unfortunately for him, of course that turns out not to be the case. But essentially when he's saying to him, "You've got a comeuppance coming," he devoutly wishes that to be true. And from the rumors he's heard, he's pretty confident that that's going to happen.
With the "Tiger Tiger" conspiracy in mind, to what extent is Red John working alone at this point?
Mahoney: That is a mystery that the team is confronted with, and I think Jane is going to sense clearly that there's the threat of Red John, and then there's this other threat. Is this Red John, or is this an entirely separate other thing? Are they connected? If they are connected, how? Certainly we've heard Red John say "Tiger Tiger" to Jane personally. But again, is that Red John just screwing with Jane? Is that giving him clues that are helpful, because why would he do that? Or is it giving him clues that are going to lead Jane into traps? I think that's one of the things that Jane now has to figure out. He's putting together all these clues that he's got, but which ones are the ones that he can trust? What's the direction that he should be heading in, and where are the traps that Red John is leaving for him?
Elsewhere in the episode, newlywed Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) tells Cho he's the happiest he's ever been. Is that an ominous statement, or are we just being pessimistic?
Mahoney: [Laughs] It is always dangerous in this world to start thinking that you're very happy. At the moment, they are really happy. But what tomorrow brings, we aren't allowed to know that.
A lot of viewers are suspicious of Van Pelt. Is that justified?
Mahoney: The audience is right that Grace Van Pelt has gone through some dark times in the past. But I think that they should look at Grace and Wayne as two people who are really happy. They've finally come to that place that's been sort of denied them for a really long time. And being there is as blissful as they could have hoped. But unfortunately, there seem to be gathering shadows and dark clouds around them.
While Jane's busy with Visualize, Rigsby is starting to see red flags around Bob Kirkland's death. Will that be revisited in future episodes?
Mahoney: The team is being given information about the death of Bob Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan) that is leading them in a direction where they're realizing that things don't seem to be adding up the way they should. In the next few weeks, we will learn even more about that.
SRC: tvguide.com/
Jane and Lisbon (Robin Tunney) once again find themselves working a case with one of Jane's seven five Red John suspects. This time, it's the smug Ray Haffner (Reed Diamond), who joins forces with CBI after a prominent member of the Visualize cult (of which Haffner is a member) is murdered. Turns out the victim, a gymnastics champion, was a killer himself — and died as he was trying to cover up murdering a former student with whom he had been having an affair.
By the end of the episode, we learn that Visualize hired a private investigator to become friendly with Cho (Tim Kang) and plant a bug on his desk in CBI. However, Jane figures it out and surreptitiously re-plants the bug on her. But when Visualize's second-in-command, Jason Cooper (Robert Picardo), knows nothing about the bug, Jane realizes that it's actually Red John who hired the PI — who's either working with Red John or is his next victim. It's option 2. Red John (clearly someone the investigator recognizes) goes to her apartment and kills her moments before Jane and Lisbon arrive on the scene. Before she dies, she gives Jane a key clue about Red John: he has a tattoo of three dots on his left shoulder.
TVGuide.com turned to Eoghan Mahoney, who wrote "The Red Tattoo," to weigh in on tonight's episode and the latest developments in the Red John case. Plus: What are his thoughts on those conspiracy theories about Grace Van Pelt's (Amanda Righetti) possible involvement? Read our interview to find out:
This episode teases a connection between Red John and Visualize.
Mahoney: Because [Haffner] is a member of Visualize, by his very presence he also sort of brings the specter, the shadow, of Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) along with him. So you have this effect of, either he's Red John, or is he like John the Baptist, the one who sort of comes before Red John? Is this Red John or is this just this tool of Red John that is showing up to sort of throw Jane off? Who's the puppet master behind it? Is Bret Stiles doing all this to sort of screw with Jane's head even more than he has in the past? And Robert Picardo, who plays Jason Cooper ... does a really nice job. We don't have Malcolm McDowell in this episode, but there's something about Jason, who I think does a really nice version of saying, "There's something coming, and it's making me nervous."
Is Haffner working with CBI a case of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?
Mahoney: That's exactly what we [wanted]. I think that's what Jane is sort of confronted with. In the past, certainly when he went up to Napa, it was really an act of Jane saying, "I want to take a case that's going to get me up there so that I can start looking at McAllister.' But in this case, you're investigating a case that's a mysterious case to begin with, and then suddenly there's Ray Haffner in the room. It's this feeling of, are we being watched? Is this case being thrown in front of us so that somebody can be observing and manipulating us? Which is a disconcerting thing for Jane to be confronting, and I think adds to this growing sense of tension and anxiety about what's happening in the world around us.
At one point, Haffner tells Jane there's a "comeuppance" heading his way and makes reference to the fact that he has friends in CBI. Can this be seen as an allusion to the "Tiger Tiger" conspiracy that was teased in last week's episode?
Mahoney: Yes, I think that's exactly right. Ray Haffner is a guy who used to work in CBI. He's a guy who has connections all through law enforcement. We're giving the audience information that our team might not have yet. The team takes this as, is this a Red John threat? Is this a Visualize threat? But I think you're exactly right, and I think the audience hopefully is going to pick that up. What Haffner's talking about is there's chatter in the world of police. A lot of people have this sense that there is a secret society out there. And there are rumors that Jane has really pissed those people off, and that's a dangerous thing to have done.
What's his motivation in warning Jane and Lisbon of bad things to come?
Mahoney: It's important to remember that Ray Haffner has not had a particularly pleasant experience with Patrick Jane. [Laughs] And while Ray Haffner really does have a genuine fondness for Teresa Lisbon, Patrick Jane to him is just a nightmare. He's the guy who screwed up Haffner's chances of sort of moving up in the CBI. To some extent, I suspect [Jane is] part of Haffner's motivation for leaving CBI. Jane is that guy who's just always one step ahead. For Haffner, throughout this episode, he's very happy with the idea that there's a case that Jane seems to be stumped by. Unfortunately for him, of course that turns out not to be the case. But essentially when he's saying to him, "You've got a comeuppance coming," he devoutly wishes that to be true. And from the rumors he's heard, he's pretty confident that that's going to happen.
With the "Tiger Tiger" conspiracy in mind, to what extent is Red John working alone at this point?
Mahoney: That is a mystery that the team is confronted with, and I think Jane is going to sense clearly that there's the threat of Red John, and then there's this other threat. Is this Red John, or is this an entirely separate other thing? Are they connected? If they are connected, how? Certainly we've heard Red John say "Tiger Tiger" to Jane personally. But again, is that Red John just screwing with Jane? Is that giving him clues that are helpful, because why would he do that? Or is it giving him clues that are going to lead Jane into traps? I think that's one of the things that Jane now has to figure out. He's putting together all these clues that he's got, but which ones are the ones that he can trust? What's the direction that he should be heading in, and where are the traps that Red John is leaving for him?
Elsewhere in the episode, newlywed Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) tells Cho he's the happiest he's ever been. Is that an ominous statement, or are we just being pessimistic?
Mahoney: [Laughs] It is always dangerous in this world to start thinking that you're very happy. At the moment, they are really happy. But what tomorrow brings, we aren't allowed to know that.
A lot of viewers are suspicious of Van Pelt. Is that justified?
Mahoney: The audience is right that Grace Van Pelt has gone through some dark times in the past. But I think that they should look at Grace and Wayne as two people who are really happy. They've finally come to that place that's been sort of denied them for a really long time. And being there is as blissful as they could have hoped. But unfortunately, there seem to be gathering shadows and dark clouds around them.
While Jane's busy with Visualize, Rigsby is starting to see red flags around Bob Kirkland's death. Will that be revisited in future episodes?
Mahoney: The team is being given information about the death of Bob Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan) that is leading them in a direction where they're realizing that things don't seem to be adding up the way they should. In the next few weeks, we will learn even more about that.
SRC: tvguide.com/
Stare Down in "Fire and Brimstone" Season 6 Episode 6 (photos)
With the final clue in hand, Jane attempts to gather the remaining Red John suspects in one place in hopes of finally revealing his identity, on THE MENTALIST, at a special time, Sunday, Nov. 3 (10:30-11:30 PM, ET/CT, 10:00–11:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured Amanda Righetti as Grace Van Pelt, Malcolm McDowell as Bret Stiles. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
SRC: cbs.com
SRC: cbs.com
Insider's Blog: The Red Tattoo
A dead man with shadowy connections to the Visualize cult. A killer who might be some kind of magician or wizard. And, of course, the specter of Red John looming over it all. Jane has a lot on his mind these days. The fun and the challenge of Season 6 is that we’re closing in on Red John and there are a lot of questions, that Jane wants answered, and leads that the team needs to track down. In this episode Jane finds himself forced to investigate a case with Ray Haffner, ex-CBI Agent, Visualize cult member, and one of the seven names on Jane's list of Red John suspects. So not only is Jane faced with a mysterious and seemingly impossible crime, but he must also question whether Haffner had a role in it, and to what purpose? Of course, anything having to do with Visualize must have the unseen hand of Bret Stiles behind it. But you'll have to stay tuned for the next episode to see where that leads! And if that isn't enough for the team to deal with, they also are discovering what happened to Homeland Security Agent Bob Kirkland. The more they learn, the more questions they have.
As our dedicated followers know by now, we've got one of the greatest casts imaginable, and each and every one of them is stepping up their game as we build towards the final showdown with Red John. We always rehearse the scenes before we shoot them, once for the actors to get a sense of how they want to deliver their lines and how they want to move around the fantastic sets our art department builds for us. Then a second time, in what's called a 'marking rehearsal,' so our crew can see how the scene will play out and how to get the lighting and sound just right. You'd expect this to be a sort of dry purely technical exercise, but when Simon and Robin finished the run-through of the scene where Jane and Lisbon explain the murder to Haffner, Cooper, and the head of Hotel Security, the crew spontaneously broke into applause as if they had been the audience at a play.
And here's where I want to take the chance to thank our cast and crew for the amazing work they do. The scripts we writers turn in are nothing more than a framework for all these other great artists to build on. From the moment pre-production starts and locations, production design, costumes, props, and casting get to work, through the actual grueling work of shooting the episode in only eight days, to the post-production work of our editors, sound designers and music composer, it's humbling and awe-inspiring to see how what's on the page is transformed into a television show. Hope you all enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy making it. And look out, the ride is about to get wild!
Written by
Executive Producer Eoghan Mahony
SRC: cbs.com
As our dedicated followers know by now, we've got one of the greatest casts imaginable, and each and every one of them is stepping up their game as we build towards the final showdown with Red John. We always rehearse the scenes before we shoot them, once for the actors to get a sense of how they want to deliver their lines and how they want to move around the fantastic sets our art department builds for us. Then a second time, in what's called a 'marking rehearsal,' so our crew can see how the scene will play out and how to get the lighting and sound just right. You'd expect this to be a sort of dry purely technical exercise, but when Simon and Robin finished the run-through of the scene where Jane and Lisbon explain the murder to Haffner, Cooper, and the head of Hotel Security, the crew spontaneously broke into applause as if they had been the audience at a play.
And here's where I want to take the chance to thank our cast and crew for the amazing work they do. The scripts we writers turn in are nothing more than a framework for all these other great artists to build on. From the moment pre-production starts and locations, production design, costumes, props, and casting get to work, through the actual grueling work of shooting the episode in only eight days, to the post-production work of our editors, sound designers and music composer, it's humbling and awe-inspiring to see how what's on the page is transformed into a television show. Hope you all enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy making it. And look out, the ride is about to get wild!
Written by
Executive Producer Eoghan Mahony
SRC: cbs.com
Oct 28, 2013
Oct 26, 2013
6x06 “Fire and Brimstone”: Synopsis & First Promotinal Photo
WITH THE FINAL CLUE IN HAND, JANE ATTEMPTS TO GATHER THE REMAINING RED JOHN SUSPECTS IN ONE PLACE IN HOPES OF FINALLY REVEALING HIS IDENTITY, ON “THE MENTALIST,” AT A SPECIAL TIME, SUNDAY, NOV. 3
Michael Gaston Returns as CBI Director Gale Bertram
Malcolm McDowell Returns as Bret Stiles
Drew Powell Returns as FBI Agent Reede Smith
Reed Diamond Returns as Ray Haffner
Xander Berkeley Returns as Sheriff Thomas McAllister
“Fire and Brimstone” — With the final clue in hand, Jane attempts to gather the remaining Red John suspects in one place in hopes of finally revealing his identity, on THE MENTALIST, at a special time, Sunday, Nov. 3 (10:30-11:30 PM, ET/CT, 10:00–11:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network.
CHEAT TWEET: Eeny Meeny Miny Mo! Jane gathers all the #RedJohn suspects in one place. #WhatWillJaneDo #TheMentalist 11/3
SERIES REGULARS:
Simon Baker (Patrick Jane)
Robin Tunney (Teresa Lisbon)
Tim Kang (Kimball Cho)
Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby)
Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt)
GUEST STARS:
Michael Gaston (Gale Bertram)
Malcolm McDowell (Bret Stiles)
Drew Powell (Reede Smith)
Reed Diamond (Ray Haffner)
Xander Berkeley (Sheriff Thomas McAllister)
Robert Picardo (Jason Cooper)
Bobby Hosea (Joe Lamotte)
Russell Thomas (FBI Agent)
Emily Davenport (Visualize Disciple)
Brennan Feonix (Motorist)
Steve Bethers (Good Old Boy)
Peyton McCormick (Disciple #1)
Ana Isabel Mercardo (Disciple #2)
WRITTEN BY: Ken Woodruff
DIRECTED BY: John Showalter
SRC: robingreenshades.blogspot.com/
Michael Gaston Returns as CBI Director Gale Bertram
Malcolm McDowell Returns as Bret Stiles
Drew Powell Returns as FBI Agent Reede Smith
Reed Diamond Returns as Ray Haffner
Xander Berkeley Returns as Sheriff Thomas McAllister
“Fire and Brimstone” — With the final clue in hand, Jane attempts to gather the remaining Red John suspects in one place in hopes of finally revealing his identity, on THE MENTALIST, at a special time, Sunday, Nov. 3 (10:30-11:30 PM, ET/CT, 10:00–11:00 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network.
CHEAT TWEET: Eeny Meeny Miny Mo! Jane gathers all the #RedJohn suspects in one place. #WhatWillJaneDo #TheMentalist 11/3
SERIES REGULARS:
Simon Baker (Patrick Jane)
Robin Tunney (Teresa Lisbon)
Tim Kang (Kimball Cho)
Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby)
Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt)
GUEST STARS:
Michael Gaston (Gale Bertram)
Malcolm McDowell (Bret Stiles)
Drew Powell (Reede Smith)
Reed Diamond (Ray Haffner)
Xander Berkeley (Sheriff Thomas McAllister)
Robert Picardo (Jason Cooper)
Bobby Hosea (Joe Lamotte)
Russell Thomas (FBI Agent)
Emily Davenport (Visualize Disciple)
Brennan Feonix (Motorist)
Steve Bethers (Good Old Boy)
Peyton McCormick (Disciple #1)
Ana Isabel Mercardo (Disciple #2)
WRITTEN BY: Ken Woodruff
DIRECTED BY: John Showalter
SRC: robingreenshades.blogspot.com/
‘The Mentalist’ season 6 spoilers: Can Simon Baker’s Jane round up the Red John suspects?
Sunday night’s episode of “The Mentalist” is the big one, especially when it comes to the possibility that by the end credits, there could be one more Red John suspect eliminated from the list (which is to us a very happy thought). We know that “The Red Tattoo” is not going to be the episode that closes the book on the story, since the one that follows in “Fire and Brimstone” (a rare title without “Red” in it) continues the story.
So how so? What we are hearing now is that in an effort to really start to reach the conclusion of the case, Jane is going to get all of the Red John suspects into one room, and then execute a plan. In theory, it sounds like a great move … but we all know that these sort of plans are around a thousand times harder to execute than they are to plan out. The John suspects are all powerful people, and while Simon Baker’s character has the power of charm and persuasion, that only goes so far.
But as for a reason to be hopeful that the Red John story will be over soon, it is not long after that when we have some titles surfacing with some other colors in the title. From this point of view, that has to be a sign that the network is moving in a little bit of a different direction with this show … and that the madness (take a breath) is now getting very close to being at an end. It has been a long, tireless journey, and we almost wonder if the next episode after the reveal is simply going to revolve around watching Jane take a nap, and then hopefully ask Lisbon out on a date to address some of that tension they’ve had over the years.
SRC: cartermatt.com/
So how so? What we are hearing now is that in an effort to really start to reach the conclusion of the case, Jane is going to get all of the Red John suspects into one room, and then execute a plan. In theory, it sounds like a great move … but we all know that these sort of plans are around a thousand times harder to execute than they are to plan out. The John suspects are all powerful people, and while Simon Baker’s character has the power of charm and persuasion, that only goes so far.
But as for a reason to be hopeful that the Red John story will be over soon, it is not long after that when we have some titles surfacing with some other colors in the title. From this point of view, that has to be a sign that the network is moving in a little bit of a different direction with this show … and that the madness (take a breath) is now getting very close to being at an end. It has been a long, tireless journey, and we almost wonder if the next episode after the reveal is simply going to revolve around watching Jane take a nap, and then hopefully ask Lisbon out on a date to address some of that tension they’ve had over the years.
SRC: cartermatt.com/
Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on The Mentalist
Can you tell us anything about Episode 6.05 of The Mentalist? –Deshani
Before this Sunday’s episode, titled “The Red Tattoo,” is over, you will get a kind of whopping new clue to Red John’s identity.
Do you have any new info on The Mentalist, or have you already given it all to us? –Samara
Did you not see above that I watched this Sunday’s episode?! Well, I can also share that one of the five remaining possi-Johns is about to reveal a certain phobia. But does his fear thus rule him out…?
It’s been a while since we’ve heard something interesting about Cho of The Mentalist. Is there anything special coming up for him? –Sonia
What if I told you that Leverage fave Beth Riesgraf guest-stars in this week’s episode, and that her cute-as-a-button character winds up asking a certain stone-faced CBI agent out for coffee…? (Lucky duck.)
SRC: tvline.com/
Before this Sunday’s episode, titled “The Red Tattoo,” is over, you will get a kind of whopping new clue to Red John’s identity.
Do you have any new info on The Mentalist, or have you already given it all to us? –Samara
Did you not see above that I watched this Sunday’s episode?! Well, I can also share that one of the five remaining possi-Johns is about to reveal a certain phobia. But does his fear thus rule him out…?
It’s been a while since we’ve heard something interesting about Cho of The Mentalist. Is there anything special coming up for him? –Sonia
What if I told you that Leverage fave Beth Riesgraf guest-stars in this week’s episode, and that her cute-as-a-button character winds up asking a certain stone-faced CBI agent out for coffee…? (Lucky duck.)
SRC: tvline.com/
Oct 25, 2013
VIDEO: Sneak Peek - 'The Red Tattoo'
On the next episode of CBS's THE MENTALIST titled 'The Red Tattoo', when a prominent member of Visualize is mysteriously killed, Jane investigates in the hopes that the case will provide a clue that will lead him to Red John.
The episode airs Oct. 27 (10:01-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Reed Diamond returns as Ray Haffner. Get a sneak peek below!
SRC: broadwayworld.com/
The episode airs Oct. 27 (10:01-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Reed Diamond returns as Ray Haffner. Get a sneak peek below!
SRC: broadwayworld.com/
Oct 23, 2013
The Mentalist Promotes Rockmond Dunbar Ahead of First Appearance
Rockmond Dunbar‘s first Mentalist episode hasn’t even aired yet, but the Sons of Anarchy actor has already earned a permanent place on the show’s call sheet.
Dunbar, who was initially hired for a three-episode arc, has been promoted to a full-fledged series regular on the CBS procedural, TVLine has learned exclusively.
As we previously reported, he will play Dennis Abbott, a no-nonsense FBI Supervisory Agent who isn’t impressed by Patrick Jane’s skills or charm. His first episode is slated to air on Nov. 10.
Abbott is one of two new characters being added for Season 6, in preparation for these two midseason exits. The other is FBI agent Kim Fischer (Monday Mornings‘ Emily Swallow), a thirtysomething ex-homicide detective from Dallas who is not afraid to stand up for herself.
SRC: tvline.com/
Rockmond Dunbar must have been doing some impressive work on The Mentalist because the actor has already managed to turn his three-episode arc into a fulltime gig without a single episode of his seeing broadcast. For Mentalist fans, I think this means the future of the show is in good hands despite the casting shuffle that’s going on behind the scenes. Dunbar has always been a great actor, particularly when he was on Sons of Anarchy, and now we’ll get to see him bring to life a new badass that is guaranteed to be an exciting new addition. Let’s get down to the specifics of this promotion!
Season 6 will see the departure of two very important cast members: Owain Yeoman and Amanda Righetti will be exiting at the midseason mark. In their place, The Mentalist hired Dunbar and Emily Swallow as temporary characters to test out how they meshed with the world already established over the last five years. Should they be determined good fits for the series, they would be made series regulars. Dunbar, playing the no-nonsense FBI Supervisory Agent Dennis Abbott, was reported by TVLine to be the first to be made a regular. We’re still waiting to hear about Swallow’s status. She’s playing FBI agent Kim Fischer, an ex-homicide detective from Dallas who’s not afraid to stand up for herself.
Whether or not Swallow makes the cut isn’t a huge concern of mine; it’s going to be her or somebody else and it’s not like I have any investment in her character yet. I must admit, though, that it’s curious Dunbar was made a regular and Swallow wasn’t. You’d think that would be something they would announce at the same time. Why bother making two announcements when both actors are in the same boat? I can only think that Dunbar was immediately making connections and Swallow was struggling to fit in. We might still hear she’s been made a regular, but it’s also possible the search is on for somebody else.
SRC: boomtron.com/
Oct 22, 2013
TV Ratings Sunday: 'The Mentalist' & 'Once Upon a Time' Hit Lows + 'The Good Wife' & 'Betrayal' Up
The Mentalist hit a new series low 1.2, down a tenth from last week's series low 1.3 adults 18-49 rating.
Broadcast primetime ratings for Sunday, October 20, 2013:
Broadcast primetime ratings for Sunday, October 20, 2013:
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Share | Viewers Live+SD (million) | ||||||||||||
| 7:00PM | CBS | Football Overrun | 7.4 | 23 | 24.44 | ||||||||||||
| NBC | Football Night in America | 2.6 | 8 | 8.44 | |||||||||||||
| ABC | America's Funniest Home Videos | 1.1 | 3 | 5.72 | |||||||||||||
| FOX | Bob's Burgers -R | 0.9 | 3 | 2.63 | |||||||||||||
| 7:30PM | NBC | Football Night in America | 4.8 | 14 | 13.81 | ||||||||||||
| CBS | 60 Minutes | 3.2 | 9 | 14.92 | |||||||||||||
| FOX | Family Guy -R | 0.9 | 3 | 2.28 | |||||||||||||
| 8:00 PM | NBC | Football Night in America/ Pre-Kick | 7.2 | 19 | 20.01 | ||||||||||||
| ABC | Once Upon A Time | 2.0 | 5 | 6.98 | |||||||||||||
| FOX | The Simpsons -R | 1.3 | 4 | 3.16 | |||||||||||||
| 8:30PM | NBC | Sunday Night Football (8:30-11PM) | 9.5 | 23 | 25.87 | ||||||||||||
| CBS | the Amazing Race | 1.9 | 5 | 9.02 | |||||||||||||
| FOX | The Simpsons -R | 1.3 | 3 | 3.07 | |||||||||||||
| 9:00PM | ABC | Revenge | 1.5 | 4 | R | ||||||||||||
| FOX | Family Guy -R | 1.2 | 3 | 2.74 | |||||||||||||
| 9:30PM | CBS | The Good Wife | 1.4 | 3 | 8.97 | ||||||||||||
| FOX | Family Guy -R | 1.1 | 3 | 2.24 | |||||||||||||
| 10:00 PM | ABC | Betrayal | 0.9 | 2 | 3.58 | ||||||||||||
| 10:30PM | CBS | The Mentalist | 1.2 | 3 | 7.30 |
| Air date | Episode | 18-49 demo | % demo change | Viewers (mil) | % mil change |
| 9/29/2013 | 601 | 1.6 | -23.81%† | 9.70 | -12.30%† |
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-mentalist-season-six-ratings-30153/
Oct 1, 2013
Message from Bruno Heller
Let me start by saying thank you to all of our fans who are a large part of why we’ve made it to Season 6. And this season will definitely be the most exciting thus far for you, as we wrap up the Red John storyline. You’ll definitely want to tune in because we’re bringing out all the bells and whistles for the final hunt of Red John.
This first episode of this season was exciting to write and shoot mainly because we were able to move the story along in a concrete way. This episode is also the beginning of the end of the Red John story, which will play out in a series of fast-paced, nail-biting episodes. The end of the Red John story made writing and shooting this episode that much more exhilarating because we are able to connect each episode as if it were a giant jigsaw puzzle. Every episode from here on is particularly important to piecing this puzzle together – so you won’t want to miss any of them. Episodes this season are built on each other, each with an exciting cliffhanger. Stories are moving at a faster pace as the search for Red John heats up. Normally the timeline between episodes can be several weeks to months, but in these early episodes, the timeline is cut down to only a couple weeks. Drama and emotions will be running at a fever pitch.
For the season premiere, we took a field trip to The Salton Sea, a remote lake surrounded by desert in California, to shoot the out of town case. The Salton Sea, for those who’ve never been, is brutally hot with flies everywhere… far away from the glam and glitz in Hollywood. You can usually find us shooting in the pristine environment of the Warner Brothers lot, here in beautiful downtown Burbank. Needless to say, this was a very exhausting shooting day for the entire cast and crew. But, as you’ll see, the finished product was well worth the sweat and tears!
Each cast member is especially enthusiastic for this season, and all have challenging and interesting scenes and stories to develop. From the episodes we’ve shot so far, I can tell you this, all the actors are giving some of their best performances of the series to date.
Written By:
Bruno Heller
This first episode of this season was exciting to write and shoot mainly because we were able to move the story along in a concrete way. This episode is also the beginning of the end of the Red John story, which will play out in a series of fast-paced, nail-biting episodes. The end of the Red John story made writing and shooting this episode that much more exhilarating because we are able to connect each episode as if it were a giant jigsaw puzzle. Every episode from here on is particularly important to piecing this puzzle together – so you won’t want to miss any of them. Episodes this season are built on each other, each with an exciting cliffhanger. Stories are moving at a faster pace as the search for Red John heats up. Normally the timeline between episodes can be several weeks to months, but in these early episodes, the timeline is cut down to only a couple weeks. Drama and emotions will be running at a fever pitch.
For the season premiere, we took a field trip to The Salton Sea, a remote lake surrounded by desert in California, to shoot the out of town case. The Salton Sea, for those who’ve never been, is brutally hot with flies everywhere… far away from the glam and glitz in Hollywood. You can usually find us shooting in the pristine environment of the Warner Brothers lot, here in beautiful downtown Burbank. Needless to say, this was a very exhausting shooting day for the entire cast and crew. But, as you’ll see, the finished product was well worth the sweat and tears!
Each cast member is especially enthusiastic for this season, and all have challenging and interesting scenes and stories to develop. From the episodes we’ve shot so far, I can tell you this, all the actors are giving some of their best performances of the series to date.
Written By:
Bruno Heller
The Mentalist’s Jack Plotnick on Brett Partridge’s true fate
Once again I reached out to ‘The Mentalist’s’ Jack Plotnick (the now late Brett Partridge), this time about his character’s demise. Really dead, or faking it? And was he the voice of Red John back in “Red Sky in the Morning?”
First of all, let me explain that photo above. I’m including that here because I have no freakin’ clue what it is, thought it’s apparently whatever Red John used to kill Brett Partridge. Or to hurt Lisbon. Anyone have an idea? Anyway, onto the point of this post. …
I — alone with many other believers in Brett Partridge as Red John — was pretty damned disappointed in the latest episode of The Mentalist, as we saw the creepy forensics man taken down by the real Red John. (Not disappointed in the episode itself, but that outcome of it.) I didn’t want to believe it. I replayed the scene over a few times, tying to see if there was a chance Partridge was faking it. That maybe he was the one who pulled Lisbon aside in the dark. Then the promo for next week’s episode hit: “the list is now down to six Red John suspects.” What?! No! Partridge could still be alive, dammit!
“I know! I’ll ask the actor, Jack Plotnick himself! He’ll know!”
Me: “Hey Jack! Wow that was a wild episode. So does this mean it’s the end of your time on Mentalist?”
Plotnick: “Yep. That’s it for me! Ah well, all good things must come to a (bloody) end. ;-P”
Me: “Aw … so there’s no chance of your character faking it? All is confirmed the next episode?”
JP: “…as a door nail.”
Gasp! It’s true … he’s officially done! Kaput. Over and out. Brett Partridge is through as being a Red John suspect.
But … I’m still skeptical. Not that he could be Red John or that even Plotnick will come back to reprise his role, but that Partridge is merely another cog in the giant Red John wheel-o-death. Why else would he have called out “Tiger, Tiger” (as Red John recited back in the “Red Sky in the Morning” episode)? What, was Red John dressed as a tiger?
I went on to ask Plotnick about one other thing he previously refused to discuss, but now with his character gone …
Me: “OK one last question: was that your voice on the phone either in previous seasons or last night’s?”
JP: “No, it was not.”
Well now, that’s put to bed. But could it be that Plotnick is just being kept seriously in the dark and will be back some day? I say it’s rather unlikely. We might see a conclusion to this mystery this season, or at least get very close to an endgame.
SRC
First of all, let me explain that photo above. I’m including that here because I have no freakin’ clue what it is, thought it’s apparently whatever Red John used to kill Brett Partridge. Or to hurt Lisbon. Anyone have an idea? Anyway, onto the point of this post. …
I — alone with many other believers in Brett Partridge as Red John — was pretty damned disappointed in the latest episode of The Mentalist, as we saw the creepy forensics man taken down by the real Red John. (Not disappointed in the episode itself, but that outcome of it.) I didn’t want to believe it. I replayed the scene over a few times, tying to see if there was a chance Partridge was faking it. That maybe he was the one who pulled Lisbon aside in the dark. Then the promo for next week’s episode hit: “the list is now down to six Red John suspects.” What?! No! Partridge could still be alive, dammit!
“I know! I’ll ask the actor, Jack Plotnick himself! He’ll know!”
Me: “Hey Jack! Wow that was a wild episode. So does this mean it’s the end of your time on Mentalist?”
Plotnick: “Yep. That’s it for me! Ah well, all good things must come to a (bloody) end. ;-P”
Me: “Aw … so there’s no chance of your character faking it? All is confirmed the next episode?”
JP: “…as a door nail.”
Gasp! It’s true … he’s officially done! Kaput. Over and out. Brett Partridge is through as being a Red John suspect.
But … I’m still skeptical. Not that he could be Red John or that even Plotnick will come back to reprise his role, but that Partridge is merely another cog in the giant Red John wheel-o-death. Why else would he have called out “Tiger, Tiger” (as Red John recited back in the “Red Sky in the Morning” episode)? What, was Red John dressed as a tiger?
I went on to ask Plotnick about one other thing he previously refused to discuss, but now with his character gone …
Me: “OK one last question: was that your voice on the phone either in previous seasons or last night’s?”
JP: “No, it was not.”
Well now, that’s put to bed. But could it be that Plotnick is just being kept seriously in the dark and will be back some day? I say it’s rather unlikely. We might see a conclusion to this mystery this season, or at least get very close to an endgame.
SRC
'Mentalist' Boss Promises Satisfying Red John Wrap-Up, More Serialized Season 6 (Q&A)
What was the impetus behind ending the series-long mystery? "It was very much a combination of a natural final chapters of story but also responding to the desires of the audience to move forward," executive producer Bruno Heller tells THR.
Who is Red John?
The mystery of the enigmatic killer, who has plagued Patrick Jane's life for the past five years, will take center stage when The Mentalist's sixth season kicks off. With a final list of seven suspects (Bret Stiles, Gale Bertram, Ray Haffner, Reede Smith, Robert Kirkland, Sheriff Thomas McAllister and Brett Partridge) who could be Red John, two looming cast departures in Amanda Righetti and Owain Yeoman and new blood coming in, the CBS drama is ramping up the action in a significant way.
In preparation for the new season, THR jumped on the phone with showrunner Bruno Heller to discuss the challenges of wrapping up a mystery that has become a "dark cloud" over Jane's head, the complex Lisbon/Jane relationship and more.
What lessons did you take away from last season?
The main lesson I learnt is that it's much more fun to write the show and make the show and the show is more fun to watch when we can move the Red John story along at a cracking pace. The back-end of season five and this coming season are the final chapters of the Red John story — if not the Jane (Simon Baker) story. That's been such fun to tell the story and to finally be able to reveal things to people. So much of this storytelling is concealing things from people. Revealing stuff is more exciting to write, more exciting to play and hopefully more exciting to watch.
The Red John story has been a huge part of the series from the start. As seasons went on, how much of the journey changed?
No, the story played out from the start and is climaxing as was planned. I would say that though it's like life. Every year, it adds complications. Life happens and if you try to tell the story of your life when you're 20, it's actually quite a simple story to tell. But by the time you're 40, there are things that have happened to you that you've forgotten and you can't really explain. It's not so much that our conception of that Red John story changed, the more weight it accumulates, the more you have to explain. This is more of a technical challenge for the writing. You want to bring people along with the story that gets more and more complex — not because we want to complicate it, but because it has more and more detail. The one thing you can't do, or the one thing I refuse or try not to do, is the "As you know Jane" lines to have people catch up. It's both become deeper, richer and more complex, and at the same time harder to tell, but much more real frankly. When you start a show like this, the story you're describing is a vague dream of the future. Now, like real life, for the actors and everyone involved, they've been chasing Red John for all these years so they've accumulated a certain amount of world experience and weight about them, which makes it much more fun.
Since the mystery will be wrapped up before the season is over, do you have a timeline in terms of when that will happen?
The Red John story is going to be moving at a very fast pace with no vamping, no tricks. Well, there'll be tricks, but we won't be fooling the audience or messing with them. They should keep watching through these first few episodes. By the end of the season, Red John is long gone.
Is it fair to say that season six is more serialized than past years because the Red John wrap-up is a major focal point?
It's far more serialized. It gathers much more momentum and weight, but every week we're also — because it is a procedural — solving, as in the first episode, a "whodunnit." Yes, it's more serialized but you don't need to have seen the previous episodes to enjoy any given episode. That's the pact with the audience we never want to break.
When the list of seven Red John suspects was revealed last season, did you find it a particular challenge to navigate that now that there is a finite number of people viewers will be honing in on?
Yeah, it's not so much a challenge. It's scary because you're doing this very long, elaborate — if it was a joke, you're coming to a punchline and here's the punchline. Or it's a magic trick and you could produce a rabbit out of a hat, that rabbit better be a damn good rabbit. That punchline better be bloody funny. Same thing with this kind of mystery revelation. So yeah, big challenge. The only way you can do it is just to do it. We're committed to telling as exciting and interesting and fun story as we can. You just have to go ahead and do it. It's sort of like karaoke or stripping. You have to get up and start undoing the buttons.
Two regulars, Amanda Righetti and Owain Yeoman, are leaving at the end of this season. How has that affected the season and how are you wrapping up Van Pelt and Rigsby's arc?
It's more the other way around. Even when we capture Red John or kill Red John, it brings down the walls of the CBI to a degree. You can't go around murdering people just because you have a vigilante desire to do so so it means Jane is in a very difficult position and the rest of the team are in a very difficult position at that point. The CBI is in crisis and the rest of the season follows on from that situation. The end of every journey is the beginning of a new journey and our new team will have to go their separate ways before they find each other again.
What can you tease for the wedding that takes place in episode three?
Well, it's not Cho (Tim Kang) and Lisbon (Robin Tunney) getting married, I can tell you that. It was a lovely scene to shoot. [Writer] Dan[iel] Cerone wrote a romantic script around it. It's a culmination of a romance that has taken many years to come to fruition. It just seemed like a right time for them [Van Pelt and Rigsby].
Besides the Red John reveal, are there other landmark moments this season that you're working toward?
The one question for me and other people that remains to be answered after, if and when Jane and Lisbon are done with Red John, what happens to them? I think their feelings for each other, whatever they are, have been masked or tapered over by this joint mission they've been on. Now they're getting toward the end of that mission — for good or ill, success or failure. Certainly Lisbon is beginning to think about what happens after and how is that relationship going to change. They've always thought themselves that it's a brother-sister, professional relationship but clearly there is more there that they're not really aware of themselves. Once Red John is gone, if he goes, the real relationship that they have with each other is then exposed to light, if you liken, then they have to deal with that.
They'll address it head on?
Yeah, yeah. Or, well not head-on because neither of them are quite aware of their own feelings but as their feelings become clear then yeah.
You're bringing back a lot of recurring characters this season, but also introducing two new players. What can you say about Fischer and Abbott?
As the series rolls on, we're introducing a number of new main characters but the two biggest ones are FBI Agent Abbott, played by Rockmund Dunbar, and FBI Agent Fischer, played by Emily Swallow. I can't really tell you how they enter or what happens with them but they come in and throw several cats among the pigeons among the CBI and cause major drama.
Should we expect new guest stars?
The first few episodes is very much about the seven suspects. Beyond that point, it's all blue sky. There will certainly be some fun guest stars but we haven't cast them yet.
It's early, but have you thought about stories or arcs past a sixth season?
Oh sure. That's out of our hands. I know we'd all be very happy to [continue]. At a certain point, you just want to see how long you can hold your breath, so to speak. As long as people are enjoying the show and loving it and watching it, we're very happy to continue making it. Yes, we've thought a great deal about what happens next and where it's going to go. The Red John, as thrilling and suspenseful as it may be, has essentially been a dark cloud over Jane's head. When that is removed, he's both a much more joyous character, a happier person because he doesn't wake up every morning thinking "I gotta go find this guy and kill him." That's not a very nice way to start your morning. After the fact, if such a fact happens, then who is Jane? What is he going to want to do? Certainly whatever he's going to be doing, he's going to be doing it with a renewed vigor and sense of purpose and appreciation of life.
This felt like the natural time to end that particular story? It wasn't imposed on by third parties?
The great thing about series television, more so than any other art form of this type, is that you get to respond to the audience. You get a good sense of what people want, whether they're enjoying a particular storyline, when something has run it's natural course. It was very much a combination of a natural final chapters of story but also responding to the desires of the audience to move forward.
How do you think the Red John reveal will be received?
Oooh, you know what, going back to the jumping up and taking your clothes off, you don't worry about [that]. (Laughs.) I hope they like it. I hope people are satisfied and hope it's a great, fun conclusion to that particular aspect of the show. But you can only do your best and put it out there. I know that everyone here is happy and pleased. Sometimes you're forced to hate the conclusions or the wrapping things up in silly, absurd ways or in fact — naming no shows — it turns out they didn't have any idea how they were going to end the show or what the secret was or why there were polar bears. We have the answers and it's very important to us, for those people who have been following us from the start, to reveal not in a series of cryptic moments that leave a lot of questions begged. We're going to tell the story and explain who Red John is and what happened and what is going to happen as clearly as possible because the audience deserves that.
SRC
Who is Red John?
The mystery of the enigmatic killer, who has plagued Patrick Jane's life for the past five years, will take center stage when The Mentalist's sixth season kicks off. With a final list of seven suspects (Bret Stiles, Gale Bertram, Ray Haffner, Reede Smith, Robert Kirkland, Sheriff Thomas McAllister and Brett Partridge) who could be Red John, two looming cast departures in Amanda Righetti and Owain Yeoman and new blood coming in, the CBS drama is ramping up the action in a significant way.
In preparation for the new season, THR jumped on the phone with showrunner Bruno Heller to discuss the challenges of wrapping up a mystery that has become a "dark cloud" over Jane's head, the complex Lisbon/Jane relationship and more.
What lessons did you take away from last season?
The main lesson I learnt is that it's much more fun to write the show and make the show and the show is more fun to watch when we can move the Red John story along at a cracking pace. The back-end of season five and this coming season are the final chapters of the Red John story — if not the Jane (Simon Baker) story. That's been such fun to tell the story and to finally be able to reveal things to people. So much of this storytelling is concealing things from people. Revealing stuff is more exciting to write, more exciting to play and hopefully more exciting to watch.
The Red John story has been a huge part of the series from the start. As seasons went on, how much of the journey changed?
No, the story played out from the start and is climaxing as was planned. I would say that though it's like life. Every year, it adds complications. Life happens and if you try to tell the story of your life when you're 20, it's actually quite a simple story to tell. But by the time you're 40, there are things that have happened to you that you've forgotten and you can't really explain. It's not so much that our conception of that Red John story changed, the more weight it accumulates, the more you have to explain. This is more of a technical challenge for the writing. You want to bring people along with the story that gets more and more complex — not because we want to complicate it, but because it has more and more detail. The one thing you can't do, or the one thing I refuse or try not to do, is the "As you know Jane" lines to have people catch up. It's both become deeper, richer and more complex, and at the same time harder to tell, but much more real frankly. When you start a show like this, the story you're describing is a vague dream of the future. Now, like real life, for the actors and everyone involved, they've been chasing Red John for all these years so they've accumulated a certain amount of world experience and weight about them, which makes it much more fun.
Since the mystery will be wrapped up before the season is over, do you have a timeline in terms of when that will happen?
The Red John story is going to be moving at a very fast pace with no vamping, no tricks. Well, there'll be tricks, but we won't be fooling the audience or messing with them. They should keep watching through these first few episodes. By the end of the season, Red John is long gone.
Is it fair to say that season six is more serialized than past years because the Red John wrap-up is a major focal point?
It's far more serialized. It gathers much more momentum and weight, but every week we're also — because it is a procedural — solving, as in the first episode, a "whodunnit." Yes, it's more serialized but you don't need to have seen the previous episodes to enjoy any given episode. That's the pact with the audience we never want to break.
When the list of seven Red John suspects was revealed last season, did you find it a particular challenge to navigate that now that there is a finite number of people viewers will be honing in on?
Yeah, it's not so much a challenge. It's scary because you're doing this very long, elaborate — if it was a joke, you're coming to a punchline and here's the punchline. Or it's a magic trick and you could produce a rabbit out of a hat, that rabbit better be a damn good rabbit. That punchline better be bloody funny. Same thing with this kind of mystery revelation. So yeah, big challenge. The only way you can do it is just to do it. We're committed to telling as exciting and interesting and fun story as we can. You just have to go ahead and do it. It's sort of like karaoke or stripping. You have to get up and start undoing the buttons.
Two regulars, Amanda Righetti and Owain Yeoman, are leaving at the end of this season. How has that affected the season and how are you wrapping up Van Pelt and Rigsby's arc?
It's more the other way around. Even when we capture Red John or kill Red John, it brings down the walls of the CBI to a degree. You can't go around murdering people just because you have a vigilante desire to do so so it means Jane is in a very difficult position and the rest of the team are in a very difficult position at that point. The CBI is in crisis and the rest of the season follows on from that situation. The end of every journey is the beginning of a new journey and our new team will have to go their separate ways before they find each other again.
What can you tease for the wedding that takes place in episode three?
Well, it's not Cho (Tim Kang) and Lisbon (Robin Tunney) getting married, I can tell you that. It was a lovely scene to shoot. [Writer] Dan[iel] Cerone wrote a romantic script around it. It's a culmination of a romance that has taken many years to come to fruition. It just seemed like a right time for them [Van Pelt and Rigsby].
Besides the Red John reveal, are there other landmark moments this season that you're working toward?
The one question for me and other people that remains to be answered after, if and when Jane and Lisbon are done with Red John, what happens to them? I think their feelings for each other, whatever they are, have been masked or tapered over by this joint mission they've been on. Now they're getting toward the end of that mission — for good or ill, success or failure. Certainly Lisbon is beginning to think about what happens after and how is that relationship going to change. They've always thought themselves that it's a brother-sister, professional relationship but clearly there is more there that they're not really aware of themselves. Once Red John is gone, if he goes, the real relationship that they have with each other is then exposed to light, if you liken, then they have to deal with that.
They'll address it head on?
Yeah, yeah. Or, well not head-on because neither of them are quite aware of their own feelings but as their feelings become clear then yeah.
You're bringing back a lot of recurring characters this season, but also introducing two new players. What can you say about Fischer and Abbott?
As the series rolls on, we're introducing a number of new main characters but the two biggest ones are FBI Agent Abbott, played by Rockmund Dunbar, and FBI Agent Fischer, played by Emily Swallow. I can't really tell you how they enter or what happens with them but they come in and throw several cats among the pigeons among the CBI and cause major drama.
Should we expect new guest stars?
The first few episodes is very much about the seven suspects. Beyond that point, it's all blue sky. There will certainly be some fun guest stars but we haven't cast them yet.
It's early, but have you thought about stories or arcs past a sixth season?
Oh sure. That's out of our hands. I know we'd all be very happy to [continue]. At a certain point, you just want to see how long you can hold your breath, so to speak. As long as people are enjoying the show and loving it and watching it, we're very happy to continue making it. Yes, we've thought a great deal about what happens next and where it's going to go. The Red John, as thrilling and suspenseful as it may be, has essentially been a dark cloud over Jane's head. When that is removed, he's both a much more joyous character, a happier person because he doesn't wake up every morning thinking "I gotta go find this guy and kill him." That's not a very nice way to start your morning. After the fact, if such a fact happens, then who is Jane? What is he going to want to do? Certainly whatever he's going to be doing, he's going to be doing it with a renewed vigor and sense of purpose and appreciation of life.
This felt like the natural time to end that particular story? It wasn't imposed on by third parties?
The great thing about series television, more so than any other art form of this type, is that you get to respond to the audience. You get a good sense of what people want, whether they're enjoying a particular storyline, when something has run it's natural course. It was very much a combination of a natural final chapters of story but also responding to the desires of the audience to move forward.
How do you think the Red John reveal will be received?
Oooh, you know what, going back to the jumping up and taking your clothes off, you don't worry about [that]. (Laughs.) I hope they like it. I hope people are satisfied and hope it's a great, fun conclusion to that particular aspect of the show. But you can only do your best and put it out there. I know that everyone here is happy and pleased. Sometimes you're forced to hate the conclusions or the wrapping things up in silly, absurd ways or in fact — naming no shows — it turns out they didn't have any idea how they were going to end the show or what the secret was or why there were polar bears. We have the answers and it's very important to us, for those people who have been following us from the start, to reveal not in a series of cryptic moments that leave a lot of questions begged. We're going to tell the story and explain who Red John is and what happened and what is going to happen as clearly as possible because the audience deserves that.
SRC
'Mentalist' EP Bruno Heller Discusses Lisbon's State and What's Next
Should viewers be worried about Lisbon at the end of the premiere? THR talks to Heller.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead from season six premiere.]
The final chapter in the Red John mystery is in full effect on The Mentalist.
But at the end of the season six premiere, the list of seven Red John suspects was whittled down to six after Red John murdered CBI forensic investigator Brett Partridge (Jack Plotnick).
The Hollywood Reporter asked executive producer/showrunner Bruno Heller a few of the key questions following Sunday's season opener.
With Partridge eliminated as a suspect, Heller promised that the format for the rest of the season won't feature a Red John suspect being knocked out of contention each week.
"It won't be one suspect a week until we get down to one suspect," Heller reassured. "But, a few episodes in, a few suspects have been knocked off the list."
The premiere also ended with Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) in a worrisome state, presumably dead at the hands of Red John. But things may not be as they seem.
"Things look very bad for Lison at the end of that first episode. What I can tell you is that there is a very cryptic clue in that last sequence of episode one that will eventually explain — when all is revealed — what happened to Lisbon and why," Heller said.
While Heller was coy about said clues, he said that Lisbon fans don't have anything to worry about, for the most part. "I’m loathe to give away too much but for those people who love Lisbon, as I do, they needn’t worry too much. They should worry but you know …," he hinted.
SRC
[Warning: Spoilers ahead from season six premiere.]
The final chapter in the Red John mystery is in full effect on The Mentalist.
But at the end of the season six premiere, the list of seven Red John suspects was whittled down to six after Red John murdered CBI forensic investigator Brett Partridge (Jack Plotnick).
The Hollywood Reporter asked executive producer/showrunner Bruno Heller a few of the key questions following Sunday's season opener.
With Partridge eliminated as a suspect, Heller promised that the format for the rest of the season won't feature a Red John suspect being knocked out of contention each week.
"It won't be one suspect a week until we get down to one suspect," Heller reassured. "But, a few episodes in, a few suspects have been knocked off the list."
The premiere also ended with Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) in a worrisome state, presumably dead at the hands of Red John. But things may not be as they seem.
"Things look very bad for Lison at the end of that first episode. What I can tell you is that there is a very cryptic clue in that last sequence of episode one that will eventually explain — when all is revealed — what happened to Lisbon and why," Heller said.
While Heller was coy about said clues, he said that Lisbon fans don't have anything to worry about, for the most part. "I’m loathe to give away too much but for those people who love Lisbon, as I do, they needn’t worry too much. They should worry but you know …," he hinted.
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