The Mentalist was a TV series produced by Bruno Heller, who is also the producer of Fox’s Gotham. It followed Patrick Jane, played by Simon Baker, a CBI consultant with a reputation for solving cases using his extraordinary observational skills, mentalist abilities, and previous status as a minor psychic celebrity. The focus of the show was Jane’s hunt for Red John, a serial killer who murdered his wife and daughter.
In the opening half of season six, Jane ultimately learned his identity and put an end to the Red John plot. However, the show lasted for a brief seventh season, which neatly brought everything to a close. Since the series’ finale aired in 2015, we thought it would be fun to see how the cast of The Mentalist is doing now.
Table Of Content
- 1 Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt)
- 2 Aunjanue Ellis (Madeline Hightower)
- 3 Joe Adler (Jason Wiley)
- 4 Michael Gaton (Gale Bertram)
- 5 Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby)
- 6 Pruitt Taylor Vince (J.J.LaRoche)
- 7 Robin Tunney (Teresa Lisbon)
- 8 Simon Baker (Patrick Jane)
- 9 Tim Kang (Kimball Cho)
- 10 Xander Berkeley (Thomas McAllister)
Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt)
The freshly appointed CBI Agent Grace Van Pelt had a background in computers and hacking, and she was crucial to the cast of The Mentalist. Over the existence of “genuine psychics,” she immediately disagreed with Jane. Jane, of course, protested that there is no such thing as a real psychic, but Van Pelt asserted that there are, even citing a psychic relative who assisted her in communicating with the afterlife. Nevertheless, the two overcame their differences and developed a close friendship.
Amanda Righetti, who most recently appeared in the science fiction series Colony on the USA Network, as Grace Van Pelt. The Bowman family is followed as they struggle to live and work to restore liberty to the populace in the drama, which is set in a dystopian near-future Los Angeles.
Aunjanue Ellis (Madeline Hightower)
There were a lot of supervisors on Aunjanue Ellis’ squad in Designated Survivor Lisbon like Ellenor Darby. In season two, Madeline Hightower took over as head of the CBI Sacramento office and immediately made it clear that she wouldn’t put up with any pranks. Hightower, who was determined to follow the rules at all costs, made Rigsby and Van Pelt cease their relationship and endangered Lisbon’s career if Jane persisted in flouting them. Hightower was, despite her stern demeanour, a supporter in the fight against Red John.
Aunjanue Ellis, who recently acted in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us and is due to appear in the upcoming HBO series Lovecraft Country, as Madeline Hightower. Ellis recently made a cameo appearance as Vice President Ellenor Darby on Designated Survivor.
Joe Adler (Jason Wiley)
As a result of the breakup of CBI and Jane’s two-year exile in Venezuela, the action of the sixth season was transferred from Sacramento, California to Austin, Texas. Jane was unwillingly asked to assist the FBI with a case, but Patrick made a list of conditions before agreeing, the first of which being that he would only communicate with Teresa Lisbon. With a few new coworkers, Jane, Lisbon, and Cho soon began working for the FBI.
Jason Wiley, better known as the Coyote, was one of the Agents on their new team; don’t ask him why. Computer guru Agent Wiley was portrayed by Joe Adler. Adler just made an appearance on The Good Doctor, but he also played Dr. Isaac Cross on Grey’s Anatomy on a regular basis. Although he was a fantastic character, Grey’s Anatomy also had some underappreciated cast members.
Michael Gaton (Gale Bertram)
In season three of The Mentalist, CBI Director Gale Bertram makes his television debut. He first appeared to support Jane’s unconventional strategies, but once Jane began to accuse him of a murder/kidnapping, he altered his mind. Bertram emerged to be one of the top Red John suspects as both Jane and the audience had growing misgivings about him.
Michael Gaston, known for playing cunning villains such as Governor Royce on Designated Survivor and CIA Deputy Director Carter on Blindspot, played Gale Bertram. Gaston had a guest appearance on The Man in the High Castle more recently, as one of the good guys. Gaston has recently been in Treadstone, Power, and Law & Order: SVU, a show with some of the biggest story twists.
Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby)
Agent Wayne Rigsby, played by Owain Yeoman, was a Senior Agent on Lisbon’s team who frequently collaborated with Kimball Cho and Grace Van Pelt. He wore a red blazer in the movie Turn. Rigsby was devoted to Lisbon and consistently carried out her instructions, but he was also eager to support one of Jane’s daring schemes. He had a thing on Grace Van Pelt ever since they first met, but their connection was a little confusing. In the end, the couple did live happily ever after.
Actor Owain Yeoman commented that if the crew were a dysfunctional family, Rigsby would be the domineering older brother. Yeoman played Benedict Arnold on TURN: Washington’s Spies after leaving The Mentalist, and most recently he was a regular on the ABC mystery series Emergence.
Pruitt Taylor Vince (J.J.LaRoche)
As the new leader of the CBI’s Professional Standards Unit, J.J. LaRoche debuted in season three and was tasked with looking into the death of a member of Red John’s network. LaRoche became one of The Mentalist’s most fascinating and interesting supporting characters because he soon established himself as Jane’s intellectual equal in addition to being eccentric and socially uncomfortable. LaRoche also harboured a sinister secret: he kept the rapist’s tongue in a Tupperware container that was secured in a safe.
Because actor Pruitt Taylor Vince has a disease that causes uncontrollable eye movements, LaRoche spoke monotonously and showed unfocused eye motions. Grill, the brutal taskmaster of the Salvage Yard of the Lighthouse, made a recent appearance on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as played by Pruitt Taylor Vince. He appeared as a guest on The Blacklist as well.
Robin Tunney (Teresa Lisbon)
Actress Robin Tunney, who was a standout member of The Mentalist group, played Patrick Jane’s partner and boss at CBI, Agent Teresa Lisbon. Lisbon didn’t like Jane accompanying her on her cases at first, but he won her over like a fungus. She frequently reprimanded Jane for not following protocol, not consulting her, and defying her direct orders, but she valued his thoughts and stood up for him even to her superiors.
2019 saw the return of Robin Tunney to television in a starring role on The Fix, an ABC legal drama. The Marcia Clarke-produced programme centres on Los Angeles District Attorney Maya Travis, who lost a notorious murder trial involving a famous defendant. Eight years later, the same man is once more being investigated, offering Maya another chance. The Fix, however, was cancelled after just one season of 10 episodes.
Simon Baker (Patrick Jane)
The titular mentalist Patrick Jane was performed by Simon Baker. He was a previous false psychic and modest fame who made the error of mocking the Red John serial killer on television. Red John was driven by this to kill Jane’s daughter and wife, and as a result, Jane made it his life’s mission to avenge their deaths. He begins serving as a consultant for the CBI, using his specialised knowledge to crack cases and track down Red John.
The Australian actor Patrick Jane recently portrayed the key role in the 1930s Australian film High Ground, which follows Travis (Baker), a bounty hunter, as he goes on a quest with a young Indigenous guy and discovers a secret that sets them against one another. He also co-starred with Anne Hathaway in one of her best roles in the 2018 romance drama Here and Now, directed and starred in the 2017 independent drama Breath, and hasn’t appeared in another TV role since The Mentalist ended.
Tim Kang (Kimball Cho)
Tim Kang in a helicopter from Magnum P.I. Detective Kimball Cho is the cool, collected, and frequently emotionless member of the cast of The Mentalist. He has some of the funniest one-liners and is nearly never not ridiculously serious. Cho said, “That’s impressive,” when a suspect threatened him in a famous interrogation scene: “I can make one phone call and your career is toast. Pizza is the best I can get with only one call. He became a fan favourite due to his deadpan snarky demeanour.
Tim Kang, who presently stars in CBS’ Magnum P.I. adaptation, played Cho. Despite not being a huge Magnum fan, Kang plays HPD Detective Gordon Katsumoto, who frequently offers his rescue skills. He also had appearances in the Marvel TV series Cloak & Dagger on Freeform, which was well-liked yet contained information that only comic book readers would understand.
Xander Berkeley (Thomas McAllister)
The Napa County Sheriff Thomas McAllister was identified as Red John, the serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 28 people, including Jane’s wife and kid, in season six of the programme. Red John, however, proved to be far more than your average serial killer. McAllister was the leader of the Blake Association, a covert gang of corrupt police officers in California, which explains how he evaded capture for so long. But in the end, he was helpless against Patrick Jane.
Despite being the major antagonist of the series, Thomas McAllister, also known as Red John, was portrayed by Xander Berkeley and only featured in five episodes. Berkeley portrayed Gregory on AMC’s The Walking Dead from 2016 to 2018. More recently, he appeared as a guest star in MacGyver and Supergirl.
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