The CBS freshman drama The Mentalist is the biggest break-out hit of the current TV season. Simon Baker plays Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Although he is greatly valued by his fellow agents, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane’s usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon’s team includes agents Kimball Cho (Tim Kang), Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and rookie member Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti), who all think Jane’s a loose cannon, but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.

On a recent visit to the set of the new procedural, Aussie star Simon Baker, along with co-stars Robin Tunney, Tim Kang and Owain Yeoman, and creator/executive producer Bruno Heller, spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about why they think their show is such a hit.

Read the rest of this entry »

On the Warner Bros. set of The Mentalist, Baker is relaxed and comfortable talking to the small group of reporters gathered on his home turf. It’s quite a departure from a few years ago, when Baker starred in another CBS drama, The Guardian. Then, he came across as resentful and angry, much like the repressed and depressed character he played.

“[The Guardian] was a harder show emotionally; playing such a depressed character did rub off on me,” Baker says in his native Aussie accent. “I never thought I’d be the kind of actor who would be affected by the role that I’m playing, but playing it day in and day out, it does, yeah. But [Patrick Jane] is such a fun character.”

Baker says The Mentalist is all about entertainment.

“When I was doing The Guardian, I wanted to act and move people and move the world,” says Baker, 39, before breaking into a grin. “I was young.”

In the crime drama, Baker plays Patrick Jane, a man who used his powers of observation to become a celebrity psychic. When his wife and child are brutally murdered by a serial killer, he starts working with a special statewide police unit to solve crimes. While he deals with the devastating aftermath of the murders and solves brutal crimes each week, there’s a playful spirit in both Jane and the show in general.

But the spector of the killer known as Red John is always there, and viewers learned recently that Jane spent time in a mental institution following the death of his family.

Creator/producer Bruno Heller says the show will stick to solving the crime of the week rather than concentrating on that overarching storyline.

“We won’t be going back to the institution much. With Red John, that’s always part of his journey, but we’ll go there sparingly,” Heller says.

The simple gray set looks like a basic office, except one wall is filled with gruesome shots of a murder victim. Oddly enough, the office of Teresa Lisbon, Jane’s boss (played by Robin Tunney), has not one but two doors. And in the break room there’s an odd assortment of ads on the bulletin board including a cute picture of a horse for sale.

But the main draw on this set is the star of the show, Baker. He’s wearing gray herringbone jacket and a rumpled blue button-up shirt that looks like it’s never met an iron. On anyone else, you’d think Columbo. As for Baker, he’s more dreamy, a slightly eccentric college professor with a killer smile.

“Most people under scrutiny don’t expect a policeman to be candid, genial and relaxed. If you are in a bad mood, and someone smiles at you, it’s infectious, and it can be a way to disarm a person,” Baker says. “I play around with that [as Jane].”

One of the charming aspects of the show is the easy relationships between the characters, which include Owain Yeoman as Det. Wayne Rigsby, Amanda Righetti as Det. Grace Van Pelt and Tim Kang as Det. Kimball Cho. And then there’s that sizzling connection between Jane and Lisbon.

“Some of it can be attributed to workplace banter. Also, at times it can be paternal and maternal and sometimes almost like siblings,” Baker says. “But I think my character is flirtatious just in general, so [the relationship] works on a lot of levels.”

As for Jane having something dark and twisty in his soul, Baker says dark doesn’t quite describe it.

“It’s just a painful place,” Baker says. “A sad, sorrowful place.”

And a vulnerable place that makes his character all the more intriguing, especially to woman eager to help him heal.

source: film.com

Hey everyone! I just added screencaptures of last week’s episode of The Mentalist entitled “Red Rum” to the gallery:

GALLERY LINKS
- The Mentalist > 1.12 – “Red Rum” Screencaptures

“The Mentalist” is driven by a large mystery: Who is the serial killer who murdered the wife and child of Patrick Jane (Simon Baker)?

Creator Bruno Heller says the answer won’t be coming soon and compares the plot to the one-armed man on “The Fugitive.” “You want hold off getting there until somewhere near the theoretical end,” Heller said.

The end won’t be coming soon. CBS will offer a new episode of “The Mentalist,” the season’s breakout freshman hit, at about 10 p.m. Sunday after the AFC Championship Game.

Why has this show become such a hit?

Baker wasn’t going to try to answer that question.

” Leave well enough alone’ is kind of the thing I keep hearing my Nana saying to me in my head,” Baker said. ” ‘When everything is going really well, just keep out of the way of yourself, Simon. Don’t get in front of yourself.’ I don’t want to touch it. It’s good. We are really happy.”

The nation’s TV critics visited the Warner Bros. set where “The Mentalist” films.

Crime procedurals are booming for CBS. Baker attributed the trend to a desire in society.

“We are in a time where people sort of look for closure,” the star said. “With a procedural show, you do get closure at the end of the episode.”

Robin Tunney, who plays agent Teresa Lisbon, agreed. “Osama bin Laden, they didn’t find him, whereas procedurals, we would have gotten him, right?” she said.

“Next season,” Heller said.

I asked Heller how he describes the relationship between Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon.

“Jane is a rule-breaker, and Robin is playing someone who is all about the rules, has to be,” Heller said. “So there’s an underlying dramatic tension there that drives that side of their relationship. On the other hand, they respect and love each other.”

What would Heller say to viewers who read more into that relationship or see more potential in it?

“That’s nice,” he said. “I think seeing it and reading it as opposed to having it is the fun bit.”

source: orlandosentinel.com

Hey guys! I just added screencaptures of this week’s episode of The Mentalist entitled “Red John’s Friends” to the gallery. Check them out below!

GALLERY LINKS
- 1.11 – “Red John’s Friends” Screencaptures

LOS ANGELES (AP) — CBS is giving a juicy post-championship game time slot to its new hit series, “The Mentalist.”

An episode about murder and the theft of a multimillion-dollar painting will air 10 p.m. EST Jan. 18, following the National Football League’s American Football Conference championship game. The drama series regularly airs Tuesday nights.

“The Mentalist,” which stars Simon Baker as a fake psychic who turns his skills to helping California state crime fighters, has been a ratings winner for CBS since its fall debut. A show that airs after a big sports event gets additional exposure and a shot at more viewers.

source: Associated Press

When it comes to momentum heading into the new year, the Eye has it — and it’s pretty much alone.

One year after the writers strike disrupted development and production cycles, the broadcast networks don’t seem to have recovered as a group. While CBS is doing just fine, the Big Four have ceded more ground to cable.

There’s certainly hope for the new year — ABC, CBS and Fox will all have more firstrun scripted programming than usual — but they’ll face an uphill battle in an industry where new successes are the exception.

Only one fall newbie — CBS drama “The Mentalist” — can be deemed an unqualified hit, while many returning dramas and nearly all veteran reality shows have taken a tumble.

The networks are down 9% year to year in the “most current” Nielsen averages that include seven-day DVR playback, but that’s actually an improvement vs. the 11% decline they were seeing in mid-fall. The nets were hit hard in October by keen interest in the presidential election, which sent viewers flocking to cable news nets in record numbers.

The networks must also reckon with the increased use of digital video recorders, allowing auds to watch programs on their own timetables. The percentage of Nielsen’s national sample including DVR homes has risen to 29%, up from 22% at this time a year ago.

Viewers are increasingly bypassing the nets’ uninspired Friday and Saturday offerings to catch up on midweek favorites. And they’re also opting to watch early-evening programs during the humdrum 10 o’clock hour, where the nets continue to offer up the standard crime, hospital and legal shows.

One reason NBC opted to strip Jay Leno in the weeknight 10 o’clock hour beginning in the fall is that the Peacock sees the show as more DVR-proof than other shows it can air in the time period.

But going forward, CBS clearly has the best story to tell.

The Eye has limited its year-to-year decline among adults 18-49 to 3%, while ABC, NBC and Fox are all off in the 10%-12% range.

CBS has opened up a 7% advantage on second-place ABC (3.2 vs. 3.0) and figures to give second-half dynamo Fox a good fight for the season crown when all is said and done. ABC could also be a factor, but only if it gets good production out of its batch of new shows set to bow this winter.

NBC, meanwhile, is likely headed for another fourth-place finish despite the upcoming Super Bowl. The net does not have much new firstrun scripted fare to call on and is instead loading up on reality shows.

CBS is also dominating in its core 25-54 demo, winning 12 of 14 weeks, and is well on its way to another victory in total viewers, having won 13 straight seshes to close out the year and currently drawing slightly more viewers than at this time a year ago.

The Eye claims nine of the season’s top 25 programs among adults 18-49, including “CSI” (No. 4) and top-rated comedy “Two and a Half Men” (No. 6). Reality vet “Survivor” also cracks the top 10 while dramas “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: Miami” are 11th and 12th, respectively.

CBS has also improved its fortunes on Tuesday with the tandem of “NCIS” and Simon Baker starrer “The Mentalist,” which has hit highs several times in its most recent outings. And the Eye is proving it’s not just crime dramas, as the net’s Monday comedy block is on the rise this season, with opening-hour tandem “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” both hitting series highs late in the year.

ABC can still count on vet hours “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Desperate Housewives,” which rank first and second, respectively, for the season among adults 18-49. “Dancing With the Stars” remains potent as well despite taking a dip with its fall edition.

The Alphabet needs more moderate hits to sprinkle across its sked, though, and is hopeful that new 10 o’clock shows like the nonscripted “True Beauty” and dramas “Castle,” “Cupid” and “The Unusuals” can do some business. The return of “Lost” will help the net’s Nielsen cause and, ABC hopes, give a boost to its new skedmate “Life on Mars.”

NBC is losing its top show (“Sunday Night Football” at No. 3), but believes that “The Office” (No. 7) can pick up even more steam with its post-Super Bowl seg. Latter’s Thursday skedmate “30 Rock” has seen its numbers improve — it’s one of the few non-CBS returnees to grow this season.

The Peacock has seen declines for top dramas “Heroes” and “Law and Order: SVU,” and 15-year vet “ER” is calling it quits in March. The net is pinning much of its midseason hopes on drama “Kings,” which will inherit “ER’s” long-held Thursday timeslot.

Fox is in its customary also-ran position heading into January, but that’s when it typically takes over thanks to “American Idol.” Also back is “24,” which hasn’t aired as a series since May 2007.

The net hasn’t had a whole lot to shout about this season, although “Fringe” has emerged as the season’s top-rated new program in 18-49 (No. 15), airing Tuesdays behind “House” (No. 5). It will get a chance to grow its aud as it begins playing behind “Idol” later this month.

Also getting an “Idol” boost will be new drama “Lie to Me” on Wednesdays, while Fridays in February will see the debut of Joss Whedon drama “Dollhouse.”

At the smaller networks, CW is down year to year (1.0/3 vs. 1.2/3) while MyNetwork is up (0.6/2 vs. 0.4/1). The latter, propelled by former CW skein “WWE Friday Night Smackdown” as well as a solid batch of specials and movies, topped CW for the month of December.

CW has been buoyed by good numbers for its Monday combo of “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill,” both up nicely year to year. Tuesday newcomer “90210″ has also fared pretty well, performing at a consistently satisfactory level following its impressive premiere.

The fourth quarter was a good one for numerous cablers, with 13 of the top 20 networks posting 18-49 gains vs. a year ago. ESPN, driven by “Monday Night Football,” and USA, powered by “WWE Raw,” tied for the demo lead, with laffer-led TBS close behind.

MTV was a noticeable laggard, slipping 21% vs. its showing of a year ago to rank 19th. Fellow Viacom net VH1 was the only other top-30 cabler to fall off (down 13%).

Making significant leaps in 2008 were the news nets CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, each of which benefited from the run-up to the presidential election.

For the fourth quarter, CNN ranked 14th among cablers in adults 18-49, while Fox News was 17th and MSNBC came in at No. 20 — each more than doubling its year-ago delivery. Fox News cracked the top 10 among adults 25-54 (tops among the newsies) and ranked third among all cablers in total viewers.

source: variety.com

With the lead role on TV’s top new show, Simon Baker has had a heckuva year — yet the Aussie star still has big plans for 2009.

“I signed for five years,” the actor, who plays a showbiz psychic turned sleuth on CBS’ The Mentalist, tells Parade. “It’s a good outlet for me.”

The father of three, who has a daughter and two sons with his actress wife Rebecca Rigg, also talks about turning the big 4-0 in July. “I think I’m going to be fine,” he says of the milestone. “I stay fit, mostly mucking about with the boys [Claude, 9, and Harry, 7]. And I love the wisdom that comes with age.”

He also loves America — and is thinking about becoming a citizen, having lived here since 1995.

“A few years ago, we went back to Australia,” he tells the mag for their Jan. 4 issue. “But after seven months there, I found I missed America and our friends here.” So he wants to make his stay here more permanent. “The morning after your election in November, I said to my wife Rebecca, ‘You know, I’m thinking about becoming an American,’ and then she said that she felt the same way.”

So will he be hiring a party planner to plan a U.S. Citizen bash anytime soon? “The show keeps me too busy. But it’s going to happen. People always talk about how great America is, but actions speak better than words.”

source: starmagazine.com

TORONTO, December 23: The hit CBS drama The Mentalist, distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. International Television, is set to launch on Canadian broadcaster CTV in January.

The breakout hit of the U.S. network fall season, the series will begin airing in Canada on Sunday, January 5 in a 10 p.m. slot, immediately following Desperate Housewives. It stars Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, a celebrity psychic-turned-California police detective who uses his skills of observation and expertise at reading people to solve crimes.

source: worldscreen.com