Every Episode Included Red—and 29 Other Surprising Facts About 'The Mentalist' (2023)

Simon Baker isn’t actually American.

The dreamy actor and show's star was born and raised in Australia. (Didn't think he could get any hotter, did you?) Would prefer if Patrick Jane had Baker's real accent, tbh.

Baker's acting career started on Australian soap operas.

His earliest gigs include roles onHeartbreak HighandHome and Away. Baker later relocated to L.A. and foundsuccess (opens in new tab)on the CBS dramaThe Guardianbefore getting the gig that would propel him into stardom.

'The Mentalist' won several major awards.

During its 7-season run on television, the show took home well-deserved trophies, including a People's Choice Award for "Favorite New TV Drama" in its first season. Baker himself was nominated for several Golden Globes, SAG, and Emmy Awards for his acting.

Every episode from season 1 to season 5 involves the color red.

Every use of the color leads up to the capture and death of notorious serial killer Red John.

What was in Patrick Jane's special cup? Black tea.

Specifically lapsang souchong, a black tea from China, which is also called "hong cha." That literally translates to "red tea" in Chinese.

Agent Teresa Lisbon is said to be from Chicago...

...which also happens to be the hometown of Robin Tunney, the actress who plays her! The Irish-American Actress was born and raised there and attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts.

When Bruno Heller wrote the pilot for the show...

...Lisbon and Jane weren't supposed to end up together.

The idea of the leads becoming a couple "never crossed his mind" in 2008 when 'The Mentalist' was green lit, the creator toldDeadline (opens in new tab).

Rockmond Dunbar was named one of TV Guide's 50 Sexiest Stars of All Time.

The 45-year-old actor played FBI Agent Dennis Abbott in the series, which he joined in 2013. He's also known for his work onSoul Food,Prison Break, andThe Game.

The CBI headquarters are housed in a historic Los Angeles building.

The Pico House serves as the fictional CBI headquarters on the show. The building was erected in the late 1800s by the last governor of California under Mexican rule. It was the first grand hotel in L.A.

Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby) hails from Wales.

Because Yeoman stayed in character even when the cameras weren't rolling, his castmates had no idea he wasn't American. Talk about good acting! He's also had roles inTroyandKitchen Confidential.

Yeowan's then-wife Lucy Davis had a small role on the second season of the show.

Lucy is best known for her role in the British version ofThe Office. But in season 2 ofThe Mentalist, she played the widow of a murder victim—who was actuallyarrested by her husband's character (opens in new tab)! The couple divorced a year later in 2011.

Red John was a mystery for so long...

...because the creators of the show could't decide who he was.

Apparently, there were"three of four possibilities" (opens in new tab)for the identity of the notorious serial killer, creator Bruce Heller toldEW. Eventually it was revealed that (spoiler alert!) Sheriff Thomas McAllister (Xander Berkeley) was the source of the evil.

The death of Red John had been planned since the start of the show.

Though the writers weren't sure who Red John would turn out to be, they'd always planned for Jane to get his revenge. "Certainly I never considered any other ending," creator Bruno Heller shared withThe Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab). "It would've been almost dishonest not to take that as the conclusion of that particular chapter."

Though Lisbon and Jane get their happily-ever-after...

...Simon Baker had different hopes for the ending.

"[Jane] was a tragic character from the beginning," Bakeradmitted (opens in new tab)to an Irish paper. "And to me, it only ever felt right that there was sort of a tragic ending to it." Thank God he didn't get his way!

'The Mentalist' dropped a few clues about real identity of Red John was.

In season 1, murder victim Jared Renfrew writes out "He is Mac" on the wall before dying. Mac = Thomas McAllister.

Simon Baker personally picked out his character's famous car.

Jane was often seen driving around town in the unique-looking Citroën DS, a French car made from the '50s to the '70s. Jane has said he wanted his alter-ego to drive somethingout of the ordinary (opens in new tab).

Aunjanue Ellis had a short run on Broadway before joining 'The Mentalist.'

Ellis made her professional acting debut in 1995 in a Broadway revival of William Shakespeare'sThe Tempestand starred in several other plays. You might also recognize her fromMen of Honor,Ray, andThe Taking of Pelham 123.

Simon Baker's real-life wife Rebecca Rigg made a cameo in the show.

In season 1, Rigg appears as Felicia Scott in the episode 'A Dozen Roses.' Two of their children Stella and Claude were also extras inThe Mentalist.

Amanda Righetti was pregnant during the shooting of the show's 5th season.

But her character Grace Van Pelt wasn't seeing anyone at the time, so the crew filmed hersitting at her desk (opens in new tab)for most of the season! Her son, Knox Addison, was born in January 2013.

Tim Kang was living a whole different life before he started acting.

Before he caught his big break as Agent Kimball Cho, Kang was working in a totally different industry—he was putting his BS in Political Science from Berkley to use at the Pacific Exchange, a regional stock exchange in California. He later got an MFA from Harvard.

Simon Baker received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013...

The Mentalistwas in its fifth season. It was presented to him by Bruno Heller (the show's executive producer) and Naomi Watts on Valentine's Day. He made sure to thank his co-star Robin Tunney, saying she made going to work every day a "joy." And eventeared up (opens in new tab)thanking his friends for inspiring him with their work and his wife for her support.

...where he was supported by his family and friends, including actress Naomi Watts.

The two worked together onThe Ring 2in 2005 butoriginally met through Baker's then-girlfriend (now-wife), Rebecca (opens in new tab). Watts wasn't always in his corner—the besties initially got off to abumpy start (opens in new tab)because Baker was always interrupting their girl time. Now, Watts is the godmother to his son.

Another good friend of Baker's? Nicole Kidman.

The Aussie pair are extremely close, and Kidman serves as a godmother to his children as well.

'The Mentalist' was Joe Adler's big break into television.

The actor, who played computer savvy but socially awkward FBI agent Jason Wylie on the show, went on to have major roles inGrey's AnatomyandMaze Runner.

The chemistry between Jane and Lisbon was real, but not how you'd think...

Simon Baker and Robin Tunney were very close friends, and their off-screen relationship made filming scenes together super easy. "The teasing, the fondness, as the relationship's progressed—it's just us in real life and how comfortable we are with each other,"said (opens in new tab)Tunney. "There's very little acting involved. We're pretty lucky."

The series was so popular that it spawned a book.

Psychology professor (and superfan) David Danielwrote (opens in new tab)The Mentalist Code and the Search for Red Johnafter the serial killer's identity was finally revealed.

Xander Berkeley was cast as Red John for a scary, scary reason.

PerThe Mentalist Code and the Search for Red John, Berkeley was chosen for the role for a very specific reason: He was born in the same year as the notorious serial killer who inspired the character of Red John, Keith Hunter Jesperson. You may know him as the"Happy Face Killer." (opens in new tab)

Josie Loren knew about the tragic fate of her character before signing on...

Loren joined the cast as FBI agent Michelle Vega in season 7. "Tom (executive producer ofThe Mentalist) called me the day before I started shooting the very first episode, and he let me know what was in store for Vega, and in that phone call, he also laid out her storyline for me," the actress revealed toThe Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab). "So I knew everything that was going to happen before I stepped on the set."

...but the rest of the cast was totally blindsided.

And they werenothappy about theplot twist (opens in new tab), according to executive producer Tom Szentgyorgyi: "A number [of castmembers] came up to me and said, 'Do we really need to do this?'" Alas, Vega was killed in a shoot-out in February of the final season.

If Vega had survived, her relationship with Wylie might have blossomed into something more.

In an interview withET (opens in new tab), Josie Loren revealed that the CBI almost had another office romance on their hands. "Wylie and Vega were drifting toward something more a little bit more than friendship," she said. "And I think if Vega and Wylie had a whole season, I think it would have been very clear that Wylie was perfect for Vega."

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