Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has many roles under her belt these days, with more than 80 acting credits credited to her name, including some hitting the 2025 movie schedule. However, before The Mentalist, If Beale Street Could Talk, Quantico, Lovecraft Country, Nickel Boys, The Color Purple and even before she joined the cast of Justified: City Primeval, the actress says it was Keke Palmer who really helped her to land meatier roles. This was a surprise for me, as I remember her career really shifting into high gear thanks to another TV role.

In 2012, Ellis-Taylor starred opposite Ms. Palmer in the Lifetime original movie Abducted: The Carlina White Story. In the movie, she played a nurse who had abducted a baby from a hospital system years before and had raised her on her own, all while the child’s birth parents were still searching for her.

The made-for-TV movie was based on a true story, and it’s a role that was higher profile for the actress at the time. She said in a speech while accepting an American Black Film Festival (ABFF) honor (via Variety) that if it wasn't for Keke Palmer and her mother, she might not have ever gotten the chance to really launch a major Hollywood career, noting of Carlina White:

Of course I would never want to take away the actress’ own thoughts on her career and the pivotal moment she felt like things changed for her, but I do think it's worth noting Ellis-Taylor was already starting to make her mark on the industry a few years before that.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s Good Wife Episode Is The One That Really Put The Actress On My Radar

In 2009, Ellis-Taylor had a one-off appearance on The Good Wife, then in its first season on CBS. The show was already a critical darling (and led to spinoffs that have become critical darlings), and the actress landed a role in one of the most memorable early Alicia Florrick episodes. In it, she played Linda Underwood in an episode where Alicia was defending three widows whose husbands had been involved in a fatal train crash. Subsequently, the company was trying to push the blame onto the dead men, leaving the widows with no pensions. It’s a mess of an episode culminating in Alicia having to make a difficult moral choice, but it’s the scenes with Ellis-Taylor that stand out.

By 2010, she’d landed a role as Madeleine Hightower in The Mentalist, and while she didn’t have the world’s biggest role on the CBS series, it was a popular procedural that plenty of people still revisit today. Plus, her role was memorable and lasted for plenty of episodes. It felt then that she was well on the way to making a name for herself.

Regardless, the connection with Keke Palmer and her mom was obviously cool and extremely meaningful for her. It certainly amplified her profile quite a bit when the movie came out in 2012, but I’d like to think the kind of roles she's garnered since would have come in another way if Palmer hadn’t been there.

At the end of the day, it’s always cool when a major actress shouts out another major actress, and Ellis-Taylor and Palmer’s connection years later is still a fun BTS story about the inner workings of Hollywood. Now, excuse me while I go watch Abducted: The Carlina White Story with my Amazon subscription.

You know what’s a good time? Revisiting old episodes of The Mentalist. The long-running CBS procedural starring Simon Baker has been streaming on Hulu since March (and also is available with a Max subscription, among others.) Since some of the best streaming services have the show right now, I decided to get back into it and have not been disappointed. But as I’ve been doing that I just learned a BTS secret about Patrick Jane and Red John I didn’t realize during the show’s original run.

Yes, Simon Baker Actually Played Red John For The Majority Of The Show

As the main antagonist, we hear from Red John myriad times before the big conclusion at the end of the show, and Simon Baker told the State Journal Register that he actually voiced Red John until creator Bruno Heller figured out how the final showdown would pan out.

There was a fan theory running around when the show was first on the air that Patrick Jane might actually be Red John, and Simon Baker was well aware of the fact, noting it was "the reason" both he and Heller felt like it was a great idea to pepper this little Easter egg in repetitively.

Honestly, I've been watching with a Hulu subscription and would never have guessed this.

Why Patrick Jane's Final Scene With Red John Played Out The Way It Did

For most of The Mentalist’s seven seasons, Patrick Jane is haunted by the death of his wife and child at the hands of a perverse serial killer named Red John. He feels partially responsible because he goaded the killer during a TV appearance and paid for it dearly. Ultimately, the Red John storyline ends with Patrick Jane committing an act of violence, and originally the script had written the scene very differently. It almost came about publicly, as well.

Baker didn't hold back when talking about the "risk" of filming a TV hero going through with a vengeance murder on network TV. It was a notable TV moment at the time, with people feeling very differently about what happened. Some thought the subversiveness worked, some thought it didn't, and as he even noted in the interview "Some just want[ed] it to be over."

Apparently though, if things had played out the way they had been written in the original script, we would have had a very different final showdown between Jane and Red John. It would have been more public but perhaps less poignant than what we ultimately got. Ultimately, however, a creator needs to do what’s right for the character, and the specifics only became clear once they started shooting. Here’s how Baker described it…

Ultimately, the Red John storyline was an integral part of the procedural from the start, and it's honestly a little bit of a surprise that the show made a clean break of things after it wrapped up on network TV. The "Red John" storyline concluded midway through Season 6. Episodes through the series up to that point all had some version of "red" or red-tinted iconography in the title, but after the episode in question, the show's titles each featured a different color, cycling between "violet," "silver," "orange," "green" and many other colors of the rainbow.

The show only lasted a season and a half after the main push-and-pull of Patrick and Red John's messed up relationship concluded, but as I'm getting into those episodes, and Simon Baker took a step back from acting afterward. (Though Baker's comeback year may just be 2024.)

Regardless, I do think it's a good thing the audience gets to see The Mentalist wrestling with the aftermath and moving on to new lives, new team-ups and even a new gig at the FBI. In conclusion, it's a show with a lot of character, and if you haven't given it a watch in a while, now's a great time, particularly now that you know you have Baker's voice to try and catch.

Simon Baker hasn’t been seen much since The Mentalist was canceled, marking the end of his time in the role of Patrick Jane. The series, which ran for seven seasons on CBS, ended in 2015 with a shortened season. Baker has only taken a handful of roles  since then, mostly in smaller films. This year, though, he kicked off his TV comeback when miniseries Boy Swallows Universe hit the Netflix schedule. It looks like 2024 is the year the actor's making his big return to the small screen, though the latest in this welcome piece of news comes with a bit of a twist.

We just learned the actor is adapting Emily Perkins’ novel, Lioness, alongside Bruna Papadrea’s Made Up Stories and Australian producer Lee-Anne Higgins. According to Deadline, Simon Baker is set to direct all episodes of the series, which follows Therese Thorne. 

The character is described as a woman who finds herself at the center of a fraud investigation after marrying a wealthy older gentleman and forging a career for herself. All the while, Thorne finds herself having interactions with Claire, a neighbor who seemingly entices her to take a walk on the wild side as she deals with her legal entanglements.

It's unknown if the Home and Away alum will also star in the series, as casting news has not yet been announced. Lioness is only his latest directing gig, as he previously directed the 2017 film Breathe, five episodes of The Mentalist and one episode of The Guardian. 

He'll also serve as producer on the upcoming show, meaning that even if he isn’t starring in it, he still very much will have his fingerprints on it. As I said, it's a twist for the fan-favorite actor, but I'd say it's a solid gig for him. Even if he doesn't end up getting in front of the camera, he'll still be able to flex his creative muscles in myriad of ways. In a statement shared with Deadline, the Devil Wears Prada cast member praised the book, calling it:

Not too many details have been released for Lioness, from best-selling Aotearoa New Zealand author Emily Perkins. What prospective viewers should be aware of is that it was published in July 2023, so the fact that it’s already being adapted is impressive. It currently has a 3.44 rating out of five on Goodreads, with majority of the reviews being very positive. For her work on the novel, Perkins also earned the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction during this year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. So there's definitely reason to be confident in the strength of the source material, at least.

I have to say, it would be wonderful to see Simon Baker not only acting again but doing so in a procedural again. After all, he does indeed have strong acting chops. But I definitely won't turn my nose up to the notion of him directing such an interesting-sounding series, though. Let's hope that he and his colleagues manage to deliver something that's truly engaging.

While you wait for more information on Lioness and Simon Baker’s involvement with it, take a look through his filmography to keep occupied. For instance, those with a Hulu subscription or a Max subscription can check out all of The Mentalist, including its best episode.

Jesse L. Martin’s hit new series The Irrational is returning for its second season amid the 2024 TV schedule. The show centers on a world-renowned professor of behavioral psychology with a unique insight into human nature who solves high-stakes cases. So far, during its run, it's been compared to shows like The Mentalist and House. However, one of the crew members that works on Martin's show explained how the series is taking a different approach compared to those other dramas.

It didn't take long for The Irrational to score a Season 2 renewal from NBC last year, as it became a near-instant hit for the network. Due to the series really focusing on mental-based concepts and analysis, it’s understandable that it's seen its fair share of comparisons to other popular IPs. The show's cinematographer, Vincent De Paula, spoke to No Film School about how the team behind the procedural is seeking to set it apart from The Mentalist and House. There's one specific way it's doing that, which relates to aesthetic, and you can definitely see it throughout the first season:

The Irrational certainly does have a cinematic feel to it, and that's the result of a number of factors such as lighting and staging. Just a little tweak with the camera work can make all the difference as well, and it shows. Thematically, the show also manages to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. That was evident amid the first season's bombing storyline about a bombing. Now, per Vincent De Paula's comments, it sounds like fans can expect that kind of high-stakes storytelling amid Season 2:

It seems it hasn’t been easy for the crew to make The Irrational as cinematic as possible due to the tight production schedule. The show was one of the few new titles to air during the fall 2023 TV schedule, because of the Hollywood strikes. It ultimately ended up getting 11 episodes for the first season when NBC extended the season by one episode. An episode count for Season 2 has not been announced but, hopefully, it will be a lot longer than its predecessor and that as a result, the production team has the opportunity to really experiment with the cinematography.

While TV show comparisons aren't uncommon, said programs do usually have traits that distinguish them from their peers. For The Irrational, it’s not hard to see that it's the cinematography and, with that cinematic quality, it joins a host of other network and cable shows that are shifting the paradigm from a production standpoint. I'm excited to see what happens on the show next and if any other real-life experiences will help inform storylines.

As of now, not too much has been revealed about The Irrational Season 2, but what is know is that the second season will premiere on on October 1. Anyone with a Peacock subscription can catch up on the series by streaming the first season now and, while you do so, take note of the beautiful cinematography.

One of the main things classic mystery shows like Columbo and modern crime dramas like Sherlock have in common is that they center around not just good detectives, but incredibly intelligent investigators who find unique ways to solve crimes or other mysteries.

But who are the smartest detectives to ever grace the small screen? Well, let us solve that mystery for you as we break down a few dozen of the greatest of all time.

Inspector Columbo (Columbo)

“One more thing” is a phrase that viewers of Columbo loved to hear just as much as the show’s various criminals and bad players feared it. Peter Falk’s titular detective often put on the impression that he wasn’t putting it all together, but in that brain of his, he had it all figured out, which makes him seem even brighter.

Theo Kojak (Kojak)

Telly Savalas’ Theo Kojak wasn’t just a tough-as-nails, no-nonsense detective, he was also one who had the perfect mix of street and book smarts. Don’t let his iconic lollipop fool you, this NYPD investigator didn’t mess around one bit and could stand up to anyone and everyone both with his brawn and his brain.

Luther (Luther)

John Luther, played by Idris Elba throughout the duration of the BBC series’ run plus a Netflix movie, wasn’t necessarily a morally superior detective, but the high-ranking and embattled member of London’s SCU was the best when it came to solving crimes. He always had a plan, as well as one on the back burner when stuff eventually hit the fan.

Jimmy McNulty (The Wire)

Dominic West’s Jimmy McNulty, a character from The Wire who appeared in the most episodes, could have probably been Baltimore’s greatest police officer if he didn’t allow himself to get in the way. Despite his relationship issues, insubordination, and morally questionable decisions, he was a cop through and through and an extremely intelligent investigator.

Batman (Batman: The Animated Series) 

They don’t call Batman the world’s greatest detective for no reason. Throughout Batman: The Animated Series, the Caped Crusader gets to the bottom of a myriad of crimes, disappearances, and strange happenings in his tireless fight to clean the streets of Gotham and put no-gooders in Arkham.

Jessica Fletcher (Murder, She Wrote)

There are countless reasons why we miss Murder, She Wrote, but at the top of that list is the intelligence, warmth, and pure likeability of the series’ main character, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). The idea of a mystery writer becoming a detective and solving all manner of crimes seems far-fetched, but the qualities listed above made Fletcher one of TV’s great criminal minds.

Rustin "Rust" Cohle (True Detective)

Do you think a big dummy could come up with something like “Time is a flat circle”? Nah, Rustin “Rust” Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) in True Detective’s first season is without a doubt one of the smartest detectives to ever take the screen. This guy spent decades getting to the bottom of what some thought was an unsolvable crime. Was he odd? Totally. Dumb? Not at all.

Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)

There have been so many different Sherlock Holmes movies and TV shows over the years, but one of the best representations of the iconic detective is Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal in Sherlock. Though rude and hard to deal with at times, this remarkably talented sleuth with an unparalleled intellect was in a league of his own.

Adrian Monk (Monk)

Tony Shalhoub’s Adrian Monk could very well be one of the greatest TV detectives of all time, no matter how you cut it. Tasked with solving all kinds of unconventional cases, this private detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder and a range of other issues could do just about anything unless his various phobias got in the way.

James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs (Miami Vice)

James “Sonny” Crockett and Richard “Rico” Tubbs from Miami Vice were good detectives on their own, but together they were the best South Florida had to offer. Throughout the series, the due balanced their personal issues with those of the department all while getting to the bottom of some nasty crimes requiring both their brains.

Olivia Benson (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson has been a major force on Law and Order: SVU ever since the show’s debut back in 1999, and during that time, she’s been instrumental in solving some serious crimes. Though she can sometimes lose her cool, the detective-turned-commanding officer can get to the bottom of some perilous situations better than most.

Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie's Poirot)

There have been some great portrayals of Hercule Poirot over the years, including David Suchet’s take on the famous character in Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Throughout the show’s 13 seasons, the legendary detective used his brains and wits to bring an end to all kinds of mysteries. And just when it looked like Poirot was about to be outdone, the mustached detective would pull off some trick and bring it home. 

Lennie Briscoe (Law & Order)

If there is one character from the original Law and Order series that folks remember the most (at least on the detective side of the show), it would have to be Jerry Orbach’s Lennie Briscoe. Despite his rough-and-tumble demeanor and hardened attitude, this homicide detective had no problem solving murders, even if he had to put someone in a corner.

Lester Freamon (The Wire)

Behind just about every great idea in The Wire was Clarke Peters’ Lester Freamon, an intelligent, wise, and loyal detective from the Baltimore Police Department. Though a bit prickly at times (aren’t they all?), Lester was essentially the father figure of the Major Crimes Unit and had decades of experience.

Frank Pembleton (Homicide: Life On The Street)

Frank Pembleton, played by the late, great Andre Braughter, was essentially the key member of the Homicide: Life on the Street ensemble cast and one of the smartest characters ever created by Tom Fontana and David Simon. Both eccentric and intelligent, the young detective constantly found new and unorthodox ways to go about murder investigations.

Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

Don’t let Veronica Mars’ (Kristen Bell) age make you think she’s not a capable, or smart, detective, as this crafty private eye is probably one of the best to ever do it on the small screen. Throughout the original Veronica Mars series, the film adaptation, and the revival series years later, this sleuth was wise beyond her years.

Jim Rockford (The Rockford Files)

On top of having a banger of a theme song, The Rockford Files also featured one of the best TV detectives with James Garner’s Jim Rockford. Brash, daring, and wildly smart, this private eye could hold his own both physically and mentally.

Bunk Moreland (The Wire)

Though prone to make mistakes and lapses in judgment alongside Jimmy McNulty, Bunk Moreland (Wendell Piere) was honestly one of the smartest and hardest-working detectives featured on The Wire. Plus, that one scene in “Old Cases” is perhaps one of the greatest TV moments of all time.

Virgil Tibbs (In The Heat Of The Night)

Taking over a role made famous by Sidney Poitier two decades earlier was no easy task, but Howard Rollins did a masterful job of playing Virgil Tibbs on In the Heat of the Night. Not only was he great when solving cases, but his mental chess with Carroll O’Connor’s Police Chief Bill Gillespie was about as good as it gets.

Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks)

Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is technically an FBI special agent on Twin Peaks, but there’s no way we could make a list of the smartest TV detectives and not include the iconic character. His idiosyncrasies, his love of coffee and pie, and his inability to let things go all make Agent Cooper someone anyone would want investigating a case.

John Munch (Homicide: Life On The Street)

Richard Belzer’s John Munch is undeniably one of the most annoying detectives to ever grace the small screen, but part of that is because he’s also undeniably one of the smartest. Throughout Homicide: Life on the Street and Law and Order: SVU. 

Thomas Magnum (Magnum, P.I.)

Thomas Magnum is up there in the rankings of the best Tom Selleck characters, and it’s not just because he looked cool and kicked a lot of butt on Magnum, P.I. Behind the mustache, behind the cool shirts, behind the great cars there was a big brain, one who knew that nuns don’t work on Sundays.

Shawn Spencer (Psych)

Did Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) actually have psychic abilities that allowed him to solve “unsolvable” crimes? It’s debatable. What isn’t though is the fact that this crime consultant was outrageously smart, had a photographic memory, and used unmatched observational skills to pull off some impressive feats.

Peter Burke (White Collar)

The more by-the-books and old-fashioned member of White Collar’s FBI White Collar Crime Unit, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) is as smart as he is thorough in anything he does. He definitely takes a more no-nonsense approach to his day-to-day than Matt Bomer’s Neal Caffrey, which makes them a dynamic duo.

Kima Greggs (The Wire)

When talking about incredibly smart characters from The Wire, Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) is near the top of the list. Throughout the show’s five seasons, she constantly pushed herself to the next level, both physically and mentally. One of the most dedicated members of the show’s core unit, she was also one of the most articulate and methodical.

Stella Gibson (The Fall)

Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) from The Fall is not only one of the smartest TV detectives, she’s also one of the best. Her tactics in tracking down serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) were both unorthodox and ahead of the curve, and it’s hard to imagine the killings would have stopped without her.

Sergeant Philip Fish (Barney Miller)

Though some will remember the late Abe Vigoda more from his portrayal of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather, for the sake of this story we’re going to focus on his brilliant take on Sergeant Philip K. Fish on Barney Miller and the spinoff series, Fish. He didn’t appear in every episode of the classic sitcom, but the wise-cracking detective did make his mark on the series throughout its run. Grumpy, smart, seasoned, and hilarious, Fish knew how to solve a case while also making us laugh. 

Danny Reagan (Blue Bloods)

Whenever the conversation comes up about the Blue Bloods cast, it doesn’t take all that long before Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan enters the conversation. One of the major characters throughout the show’s historic run on CBS, this hard-nosed NYPD detective has both street smarts and keen police skills up his sleeve and is ready to use both whenever and wherever needed. If there’s a CBS detective you’d want on your case (or not covering it if you’re a perp), this would be the guy.

Gil Grissom (CSI)

Even though Gil Grissom (William Petersen) is technically a forensic entomologist and not a detective, he’s still a worthy addition to this list. For the first nine seasons of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Gil was the man of the CBS crime drama. With a high level of expertise, an unmatched intellect, and attention to detail, this Las Vegas-based investigator could solve just about anything that crossed his desk.

Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)

Simon Baker, who was great in George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead, was also superb in his portrayal of Patrick Jane on CBS’ The Mentalist. Jane, a psychic-turned-consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, used his unique set of skills and mental abilities to help the CBI solve all kinds of murders, most of which couldn’t have been wrapped up if not for him.

Jim Brass (CSI)

Played by Paul Guilfoyle, Jim Brass was a dedicated Las Vegas Police detective who worked closely with the key team on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Though not soft on crime, Brass did play things by the book and preferred to use conversation and other non-violent police skills over more aggressive and violent methods. 

Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)

Portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler, Dr. Spencer Reid was a quirky and hyper-intelligent special agent who was crucial to the happenings of Criminal Minds. Though his personality rubbed some the wrong way, there’s no denying the fact that he was legitimately the smartest person in any given room.

As anyone who has ever watched it knows, Will Trent it is not just another crime procedural, but something special. From developers Daniel T. Thomsen and Liz Heldens, it stars Ramón Rodríguez as a Georgia-based special agent with a nearly unmatched solve record, but a personality that others find challenging and a secret that makes his job a challenge for him. Of course, despite what makes it unique, the series — which is now in its second season on ABC — does share a few elements with other great mystery TV shows that we believe fans should also check out if they have not already, which we have compiled below.

Pieces Of Her (2022)

A 30-year-old woman (Bella Heathcoat) witnesses a violent event that leads her to uncover long-buried, dark secrets about her own mother (Academy Award nominee Toni Collette).

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Will Trent is based on a series of best-selling novels by Karin Slaughter, whose other book, Pieces of Her, was adapted into a Netflix miniseries which might satisfy fans of her writing style who are looking for something a bit darker.

Stream Pieces of Her on Netflix.

Castle (2009-2016)

After being brought into questioning for a case inspired by his work, a famous mystery writer (Nathan Fillion), he teams up with a by-the-book homicide detective (Stana Katic) to solve unusual cases in Manhattan.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Instead of being based on a series of crime novels, Castle is an often funny and romantic ABC police procedural about a crime novelist-turned-police consultant partnered with a cop who initially can’t stand his arrogance, which is similar to Will Trent's relationship with his partner, Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson). 

Stream Castle on Hulu.
Buy Castle on Amazon.

The Mentalist (2008-2015)

After the murder of his wife and daughter, a con man (Simon Baker) comes clean about his fake psychic powers and uses the skills he once used for fraudulent purposes as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Like Will Trent, the Emmy-nominated CBS drama, The Mentalist, is also a popular TV show about a mystery solver with high intelligence, strong observational abilities, and a slightly arrogant disposition who was motivated to pursue a career in law enforcement by his dark past.  

Stream The Mentalist on Max.
Buy The Mentalist on Amazon.
Buy The Mentalist on DVD on Amazon.

Psych (2016-2014)

The son of a retired cop (James Roday Rodriguez) uses his astute observational skills to start a fraudulent police psychic consultation business with his childhood friend (Dulé Hill).

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: In addition to being kind of like The Mentalist in reverse, USA’s Psych is comparable to Will Trent for being another relatively lighthearted crime drama with a protagonist who often butts heads with his colleagues.

Stream Psych on Amazon Prime.
Stream Psych on Peacock.
Stream Psych on Apple TV+.
Buy Psych on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Monk (2002-2009)

Following the murder of his wife, a successful former police detective (Tony Shalhoub) instead becomes a private consultant to the San Francisco police, despite his obsessive-compulsive disorder and many intense fears often getting in the way. 

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: The Emmy-winning Monk is a USA crime dramedy with even more distinct similarities to Will Trent, considering how Trent also has a psychological disorder that affects his otherwise brilliant investigative methods: dyslexia.

Stream Monk on Amazon Prime.
Stream Monk on Netflix.
Stream Monk on Peacock.
Buy Monk on DVD on Amazon.

Perception (2012-2015)

A renowned neuropsychiatrist and diagnosed schizophrenic (Will & Grace cast member Eric McCormack) uses his unique perspective of the world to assist the FBI in complicated cases.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: The short-lived, but much-admired, TNT original, Perception, is yet another drama in which the protagonist suffers from a psychological disorder, which he actually manages to use for the benefit of solving crimes, in this case.

Stream Perception on Freevee through Amazon.

Lie To Me (2009-2011)

A body language expert (Tim Roth) and his team help assist in criminal investigations by weeding out who may or may not be telling the truth.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Trent has a decent ability to tell when someone is being dishonest, which might have made him a good fit to join the Lightman Group on Lie to Me, on which Will Trent cast member Erika Christensen once made a memorable appearance as a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Stream Lie to Me on Hulu.
Buy Lie to Me on Amazon.

Poker Face (2023-Present)

Forced to go on the run, a former casino employee (Natasha Lyonne) finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation at every stop, and uses her mysterious, unfailing ability to detect a lie to solve the crime.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Someone who would have thrown the Lightman Group for a loop is another refreshingly unique TV detective: Charlie Cale from creator Rian Johnson’s Poker Face, who may be a lot easier to get along with than Trent, but does share his refusal to back down from getting to the bottom of a murder case.

Stream Poker Face on Peacock.

Criminal Minds (2005-Present)

A team of experienced federal agents uses their psychological expertise to identify the most dangerous people in the country.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Will Trent may not specialize in criminal profiling, but would probably be damn good at it, meaning he would make a great addition to the cast of Criminal Minds, which is simply one of the most popular procedural dramas in recent memory. 

Stream Criminal Minds on Hulu.
Stream Criminal Minds on Paramount+.
Buy Criminal Minds on Amazon.
Buy Criminal Minds on DVD on Amazon.

Gang Related (2014)

A detective (Ramón Rodríguez) wrestles between his allegiance to the force and a gang lord (Cliff Curtis) who has served as a father figure his whole life.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Before Rodríguez was cast as the title character of Will Trent, one of his first lead TV roles was as another lawman with a dark past and secrets of his own on Gang Related — a short-lived drama that aired on Fox.

Stream Gang Related on Apple TV+.
Buy Gang Related on Amazon.
Buy Gang Related on DVD on Amazon.

Quantico (2015-2018)

An FBI agent (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) recalls the days of her training to try to figure out who framed her for a deadly bombing in New York City.

Why it is a great show for Will Trent fans: Before Jake McLaughlin was cast on Will Trent as Det. Michael Ormewood, he starred on another ABC drama called Quantico in the role of FBI Special Agent Ryan Booth.

Stream Quantico on Hulu.
Buy Quantico on Amazon.

Another way that Will Trent is similar to many of the TV shows above is that it can also be streamed with a Hulu subscription, if you don't manage to catch it on ABC, Tuesday nights at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CST.

Pedro Pascal may have only been the internet’s “daddy” for a little while now, but he’s been a beloved and recognizable cast member of many TV shows and movies for nearly a decade. Many actors have spoken about how hard it is to watch their own performances, and it turns out that Pascal has rewatched one clip of himself repeatedly, but it’s not from The Mandalorian, like I’d thought it would be.

What Clip Of Himself Has Pedro Pascal Watched Over And Over?

Though he was certainly a working actor prior to the role that made him famous, we all know that it seemed like Pedro Pascal suddenly burst onto the scene when he debuted in the life-changing role of Prince Oberyn Martell on the fourth season of Game of Thrones. Since then he’s been in a number of popular movies and television series, including pulling somewhat double duty on The Mandalorian and The Last of Us recently. He’s so adored for giving voice to Din Djarin that I thought, for sure, he’d rewatch something from that Star Wars show, but noooooo. He picked a scene from something I never would have guessed. As he told Vanity Fair: 

Lord, I love this man. Who else would, when asked to choose a scene of theirs that they actually watch over and over, pick one not only from a TV show that they were not the star of, but have the piano score of that scene as the reason for rewatching?

If you happen to not be hip to all things The Mentalist, the long-running crime procedural saw Pascal portray Agent Marcus Pike for seven episodes across Seasons 6 and 7, in 2014. Marcus dated and eventually became engaged to Robin Tunney’s Teresa Lisbon, providing a brief stumbling block in the burgeoning romance between Lisbon and Simon Baker’s Patrick Jane. 

It would seem that the new Fantastic Four star is more than capable of tuning out his own performance, the way he talks and/or looks when on screen (things that tend to trip up other actors when they watch themselves) and focusing on anything else besides himself. Now, I don’t know what scene in particular he was referring to, but considering that he played an important part during his brief time on The Mentalist, there are certainly some great scenes to choose from.

His giggles throughout his answer, though, tell us that even he knows picking something from his guest appearances on the drama, at this point and for such a great, music-nerd reason, is a bit odd. Take a look at the full clip, where he and his fellow Vanity Fair Hollywood issue cover stars ask each other questions, below:

I think that many of his fans would still be surprised that he didn’t choose a scene from The Mandalorian, though it might have something to do with the fact that he no longer suits up as Mando on a regular basis. But, you know, it could also just be that Pascal loves a good piano solo, and who doesn’t?

When you think of network television, a lot of behemoth procedurals may come to mind, including NCIS, Blue Bloods or even shows like Chicago P.D. A few years ago that list would have also included the Simon Baker-led The Mentalist, another drama about a team who took down some big baddies as part of the primetime schedule. The show aired from 2008-2015, with a shortened final season after the Red John reveal, after which Baker has tackled projects at an increasingly slow rate. So why haven’t we seen much from the actor formerly known as TV’s Patrick Jane since The Mentalist? He explained.  

As it turns out, it’s all about the grind, or at least about the time and sweat that Simon Baker put in earlier in his career in order to set himself up for more family and community time. It’s not that Baker has quit the acting game; in fact, he had a pandemic-era film High Ground come out in 2020. It’s just that he’s not acting as steadily or with as much of a push these days. But he spoke with CBS LA about why that is, noting, 

He also says what’s kind of “more [his] focus" these days is how television and film are becoming more and more melded. This gives entertainment a better opportunity to build a sense of community and camaraderie. That's his passion, and in short, it sounds like he's at a point where he's able to pursue that passion, rather than chasing those grueling network hours or looking to land those bigger network paychecks. His goal?

Prior to coming to America to work on projects like The Mentalist, Simon Baker was a working actor in Australia. He reportedly moved to Los Angeles in 1995, appearing in a slew of movies, including The Devil Wears Prada, The Ring Two and L.A. Confidential before he landed the coveted network TV gig as Patrick Jane. He may be working more at home in his native Australia since moving home in 2015, but he does fondly recall the sheer number of projects that were available in the U.S. versus when he is working at home.

Plenty of actors slow down when the time is right or they've made enough money to pursue roles they really want to take most. At one point Simon Baker's contract at CBS was guaranteeing him at least $30 million in salary, and if he didn't spend egregiously, there should still be plenty of that to fall back on. Plus, he is still a working actor and does have some projects in the pipeline, including an upcoming film called Blaze from director Del Kathryn Barton. What's next is anyone's guess, but it sounds like it won't have anything to do with chasing down serial killers on CBS. 

For those of you who do like the serial killer stuff, there is plenty like The Mentalist on the 2022 TV schedule. Or you can always relive Patrick Jane's best Mentalist episodes with an HBO Max subscription. 

2016 has been filled with showbiz tragedies as some big names have passed away in the past nine months. Famous faces ranging from famous singers to legendary actors are no longer with us, and now one of the most successful TV producers of recent years has died on what is a very sad day for fans of the hit show NCIS, as well as the team over at CBS. NCIS showrunner Gary Glasberg died today at the age of 50.

Gary Glasberg passed away in his sleep in Los Angeles, and no details have yet been released of what may have caused his unexpected death. Glasberg is survived by his wife of two decades, their two sons, his father, and his sister. He leaves behind a public legacy as a man with a magic touch for making procedurals with mass appeal.

The magic touch of Gary Glasberg began in an unexpected way. He kicked off his career by writing comic books, then moved into the world of TV as a writer for children's series like Rugrats. Glasberg thereafter moved to live-action adult television by joining the NBC police procedural Crossing Jordan as a producer when it premiered in 2001. He then carried on in a producer role until the end of its third season in 2004, later moving to Fox in 2006 to work as a co-executive producer to the pivotal first two seasons of Bones.

After leaving Bones in 2007, Gary Glasberg made the jump to CBS. He co-executive produced the legal drama Shark, then helped to launch The Mentalist as a co-executive producer in its first season. It was after leaving Mentalist in 2009 that Glasberg's career took off in a huge way. He joined the team at CBS' juggernaut procedural NCIS as a producer in 2009, and he was promoted to showrunner in 2011. NCIS has become the most-watched show in the world, and Glasberg was instrumental in keeping it as the most-watched broadcast drama in the years since he joined. He even went on to launch the NCIS spinoff NCIS: New Orleans, and he worked as showrunner for both show. A new contract in May signed him on for another three years of the NCIS franchise at CBS, and he would have presumably been at the helm of the series through 2019.

Fall 2016 started off well for Glasberg's projects.The Season 3 premiere of NCIS: New Orleans scored an impressive 1.4 rating in the valuable 18-49 demographic, with 11.12 million viewers. and the NCIS mothership scored a 2.1 rating with 15.6 million viewers in its Season 14 premiere. Gary Glasberg's family is requesting privacy at this time, but Variety reports that a memorial service for Glasberg is being planned for a date in October. Hopefully his shows will continue to do well in the wake of his death.

We at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to Gary Glasberg's family and friends in their time of mourning.

There once was a time, around 2007, when it seemed that all you needed to get a show greenlit was a premise along the lines of “exceptionally observant guy passes himself off as psychic, solves crimes.” From 2008-2014, there were two shows that both fit the bill: Psych and The Mentalist. However, Psych was a comedy, so only they could get away with making fun of the other show directly. Check out this hilarious supercut of every dig Psych ever took at The Mentalist and its star Simon Baker.

What's most entertaining in the clip is how even while making fun of The Mentalist, Psych's characters and creative team seem to feel the need to defend it. Like they take credit for the show in some small way, and so they feel the need to stick up for it when other characters on the show are criticizing it. In one clip, our leads are making fun of how the show is similar to their own, and later they’re chastising people for making fun of it. It’s even implied that Psych’s fake psychic is a fan of the one on CBS. Simon Baker is like your little brother that nobody gets to pick on but you.

Psych premiered on the USA Network in 2006, and was about a guy who was so good at noticing details others didn’t that everybody thought he must be psychic, so he went along with it and used those skills to help the police solve crimes. Two years later, CBS premiered the drama called The Mentalist, which was totally different because that guy used to pretend he was psychic, but he didn’t anymore, and instead used the skills that made him a great fake psychic to help the police solve crimes. See the shows were totally different. Totally. Different.

At the end of the day, Psych itself was hardly that new of an idea. The number of shows that involve an “outsider” with a useful skill helping the police solve crimes is a fairly extensive list. Besides, if we’re going to make fun of The Mentalist, we really should be making fun of their incredibly terrible California geography. Seriously people, Davis, CA is near Sacramento in the central valley. There are no palm trees there. The only palm trees in the entire town are in front of the In-N-Out Burger. Sorry, that one’s been bugging me for awhile now.

It’s truly unfortunate that both shows ended their runs around the same time, as you get the feeling Psych would have given anything to get a Simon Baker guest spot on their own show. Think about it. Simon is a guy pretending to be psychic. Shawn and Gus have to expose him without giving away their own secret. The script writes itself. The in-jokes would have been epic.

The following article features plenty of spoilers, so please stop reading if you haven’t caught the episode, yet. Are you still with us? Good, let’s talk about tonight’s shocking series of events.

It’s not often that a network procedural is gutsy enough to kill off one of its main characters. However, CBS’ The Mentalist is currently airing its seventh and final season, and there are no rules or restrictions tying the series down. With only three episodes left, the show featured a chain of events that will have ramifications for Jane and the team moving forward. In tonight’s startling episode, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” the team was forced to say goodbye to one of its newest and brightest team members. Unfortunately, new FBI agent Michelle Vega was killed in the line of fire.

Early on in the episode, it seemed like business as usual. Cho has been prepping to take over for Abbott in the office and was asked to take charge on the latest case, which involved tracking down some thieves who robbed an armored car. One clue led to another, and Agents Cho and Vega were tasked with looking into a diner that might just lead them to the robbers. Fortunately or unfortunately, the robbers were on hand when they arrived and things got sour when Cho and Vega tried to confront them. In a really sad scene, Vega was shot in the chest and then asked her mentor, Cho if she had ”messed up”. Then she faded away, as Cho held her wound and asked her to continue breathing.

The Mentalist actually has been cleverly leading up to Vega’s death all season. Since she first entered the office, she has had some trouble doing what she was told. For instance, Cho once asked her to stay in the car during a parking garage chase, but she got out and ended up saving the day. Moments like these have made her a valuable asset to the team, but this time, her intuition didn’t help the young character out of a sticky situation.

Though Vega just joined the team at the beginning of the season, The Mentalist’s writers had planted enough seeds to make Vega’s death particularly affecting for the team. Wiley had a pretty huge crush on Vega. Cho looked to her as someone he could mentor. And Jane himself was fond of the new FBI agent. But it’s Jane that has seemed discontent with his job for much of the season now. He and Lisbon are currently together, and now that Jane has someone he cares for again, he’s been working to be happy and make their relationship work. Part of this has included slowly trying to encourage Lisbon to quit law enforcement and move someplace warm and pleasant. He's worried about the dangerous lifestyle and losing someone again.

It wasn’t necessary to write something as dramatic as tonight’s episode to get the point across. There are only a few episodes left of The Mentalist. But the effect Vega’s death had on Patrick Jane was seriously intense, and left us feeling almost as heartbroken as he was.

This time around, like everytime, Lisbon tried to console him, explain how she loves and is tied to her work. However, this time Jane didn't want to listen. The threat of losing someone was just too much for him to handle. And while we don’t know where The Mentalist will traverse through its final few episodes, there seems to be a clear endgame. All the heartbreak Jane has experienced, and all of the lonely feelings will either convince him to leave law enforcement once and for all, or it will cause him to come to terms with his demons and realize it's what he was born to do. Either way, he can't end the series with mixed emotions. He either needs to be all-in or all-out on solving crime. Vega's death will help push him to that decision, and while it's sad to see her go, that sadness is probably in the best interests of the series.

You can catch new episodes of CBS' The Mentalist on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Photo Credit@ Warner Bros. and CBS

With each new year comes new beginnings, whether in the form of resolutions to become happier with oneself, or in the form of frustration over trying to get taxes done. But, sadly, 2015 in particular will mark the endings for a slew of popular TV series all over the network-sphere. We’ll be saying goodbye to characters both young (the Knope-lets) and old-ish (Betty White), and settings we’ve wanted to visit for years, along with others we’ve gladly only experienced in small-screen form.

So settle down with your vice of choice and join us as we begin to bid farewell to 10 series that we’ll be missing once 2015 is complete. Assuming, of course, that creators and showrunners don’t bring all of these series back to life on Netflix or Yahoo! a year or two later. We’ll allow it.

Mad Men

Because AMC enjoys wringing its audiences of as much attention as they can for as long as possible, the “should have ended already” hit historical drama Mad Men is slowly approaching Season 7 – Part 2, in which we’ll find out what Don Draper is like post-Megan, how close Sally Draper gets to becoming her mother Betty, what kind of new disappointments await Pete, and the fates of the series’ stable of other drama-attracting characters. The ratings for the first chunk of Season 7 were as dismal as they’ve ever been, so here’s hoping the critically lauded series can close out the 1960s with class, style, and a record number of viewers.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Parks and Recreation

NBC’s always hilarious Parks and Recreation is coming back for its final season with some big changes – the Season 6 finale jumped forward three years to 2017 – and additions both new and old – Leslie and Ben have triplets, and many of the show’s recurring characters are returning in differing capacities. Another big change? Since NBC is defaulting on its Thursday night comedy lineup in 2015, Parks and Recreation is moving to Tuesday nights for six weeks of back-to-back episodes. Not the best way to treat yo self to one of the silliest comedies on TV, and it sounds like a decision only Gary could have come up with. But I guess a quick burn off is better than nothing at all.

Series Finale Date: February 24

The Mentalist

Now that show creator Bruno Heller is making waves with Gotham over on Fox, his CBS baby The Mentalist will be coming to a close this year after seven seasons of Simon Baker playing the most dashing psychic on TV. Currently in the middle of said season, The Mentalist now has Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon as a couple while they flip from case to case. Due to its procedural nature, it’s unlikely the rest of Season 7 will bring about many surprises or huge catastrophic moments, but it just might. What do I know? I’m not the psychic.

Series Finale Date: February 18

Justified

TV is losing one of its greatest good guy/bad guy combos in 2015 with the sixth and final season of FX’s Justified. While it’s arguable that the southern fried crime drama should have put Raylan and Boyd in a fatal head-to-head already, the impending showdown will hopefully be worth the wait, giving fans ample opportunities to plant their stakes with Team Raylan or Team Crowder. (Always go with Boyd, people!) Helping things along will be a stellar trio of guest stars, including Sam Elliot, Garrett Dillahunt and Jeff Fahey. Something tells me one or all of these people, Boyd’s crew included, will bring Raylan over to the darker side for a lot longer than he’d like. And it’s gonna be glorious.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Glee

Like everything Ryan Murphy touches, Fox’s once-beloved musical dramedy Glee has been the victim of shoddily melodramatic plotlines, cast switch-ups and plummeting ratings. So it should come as both comforting and non-surprising that the series is going back to basics for Season 6, which will put all of the focus right back on McKinley High and its crews. (Seeing characters coming back after seemingly going off to do bigger and better things should be more jarring, but whatever works.) Love, babies and Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” are in the air for these final ten episodes, culminating in a two-hour series finale that’ll hopefully be something to sing praises over.

Series Finale Date: March 20

The League

FXX’s The League is the perfect example of a series that takes a single, simple premise – childish adults obsessing over fantasy football – and pushes it to every conceivable place possible in order to draw laughs. (And yes, that “place” often involves genitalia.) The largely improvised series will hand out its final Shiva Bowl and Sacko Bowl trophies for Season 7, and my prediction is that Andre somehow wins them both. Because it’s on FXX, this last season will probably be watched by less people than televised high school football games, but here’s hoping we get to see another Rafi and Dirty Randy episode, and that there’s some narrative where Ryan Leaf guest stars as Johnny Manziel’s uncle.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Parenthood

With just four episodes left in its sixth and final season, NBC’s Parenthood has roughly 65,000 characters’ plotlines to conclude, but I think these families are ready for it. It looks like Zeek will be dealing with some health issues involving his heart, and that Sarah and Hank may finally get together and stick it out. That’s if they can hear each other over the sound of Amber going into labor for her and Ryan’s child. And after everything Adam has been through, he’s trying to end his time at the Luncheonette, but where will that leave Crosby? So many people! So little time left!

Series Finale Date: January 29

Two and a Half Men

What do you do when the title of your show has become irrelevant after the “Half” got old enough to publically rail on the series after quitting? You make your two straight male main characters begin considering the idea of getting married so that they can adopt a child together. At least that’s how Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre decided to guide his long-running ratings smash to its Season 12 swan song. Former star Charlie Sheen has expressed interest in returning to the show in some way for the last season, and social media has been idly standing by, waiting to see what kind of sparks fly should it happen.

Series Finale Date: February 19

Nurse Jackie

Though Nurse Jackie has done quite a bit of story-treading over the past six years, actress Edie Falco has consistently remained one of the most captivating actresses on TV, and it’ll be a shame to see her leave the Showtime dramedy after Season 7 is over. But it looks like it’s going to be a rough one for the addiction-prone Jackie, as she was last seen getting arrested following a fender bender that revealed her prescription pill jackpot to the world. Will she spend most of the season detoxing in jail, or will her family and friends figure out a way to save her? And we won’t really have to deal with Carrie and Coop approaching parenthood, will we? I’m going to need a lot of pills if that happens.

Series Finale Date: Unknown

The Late Show with David Letterman

No, The Late Show itself isn’t ending, as Stephen Colbert will pick up the reins later this summer, but one of the longest TV institutions ever is coming to an end, and we’ve got far more than ten top reasons why we’ll miss David Letterman in our daily lives. A legend in the game who has only gotten more wonderfully acerbic with age, Letterman has owned this slice of the late night talk show world since 1993, and we can only hope his final guest will be someone who inspires an equal amount of respect and chortling. (It will admittedly be slightly easier to come to grips with not having Paul Schaffer around.)

Dave’s Last Show: May 20

Head to the next page to see even more series that will say goodbye in 2015.

Cougar Town

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Continuum

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Kroll Show

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Falling Skies

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Hot in Cleveland

Series Finale Date: Unknown

Good news! The Mentalist has been given a premiere date and will officially return to the schedule. Bad news! The final chunk of 13 episodes will be the last the inventive and occasionally brilliant procedural will give us.

The handwriting has been on the wall for quite awhile now. During the lead-up to last season’s finale, a good percentage of TV observers thought CBS would give the show the axe. In fact, I even wrote a desperate column begging for more episodes. I’m not going to say I saved the day here, but my heroic actions clearly didn’t hurt. In the end, CBS decided to issue a half-season order. Like most diehard fans, I optimistically hoped The Mentalist would return to killer, first season level ratings, but it looks like the show won’t even get that chance.

When the press release was sent out today touting The Mentalist’s return on Sunday, November 30th, the 13-episode block was billed as “The Seventh And Final Season”. So, don’t get your hopes up, people. The decision has already been made. Besides, given creator Bruno Heller bailed for Gotham and doesn’t even work on the show anymore, it actually makes sense to let Patrick Jane and company float away.

The only really frustrating element here is how much better the show got in Season 6. Typically, procedurals hit their stride during year four or five and then slowly get a little worse every year. See: Bones. But The Mentalist made a location change and a bunch of character changes and completely reinvented itself. Our hero, Patrick Jane, started working for the FBI alongside Lisbon, Cho and some new characters. Rigsby and Van Pelt bolted, and suddenly, there was new blood pumping through the veins, especially with Red John gone…

It would have been nice to see where a Red John-less show could have gone over the long haul, but if the only option is 13 more episodes and a scheduled goodbye, I’ll gladly take it. Something tells me other fans will too.

The Mentalist will premiere on Sunday, November 30th. It will run for five consecutive weeks before switching to Wednesday evenings to run out the rest of its episode order until the finale on February 18th.

Let’s say something terrible happens to someone you know. For the sake of argument, let’s say a cousin who you’re kind of close to gets straight up murdered by some unknown hood. You need answers, and you want them quickly. Who should you go to?

If this is real life, the answer is obviously the real cops. If this is fake TV life, however, you need to choose carefully to figure out which detective is best. Since I can’t get enough of whodunits on television, whether in procedural or serial format, I’ve decided to lend my expertise by picking out the ones I think would be most likely to solve your poor fake cousin’s murder.

Here are 15 current television crime solvers, ordered by their murder-solving ability, complete with best and worst case scenarios.

#15) Hank Voight (Chicago PD)

Worst case scenario: Detective Hank Voight is a full blown dirty cop who lines his own pockets and does whatever he needs to do simply to advance his own career. He will not solve your case because there are other things he feels like doing. He may also intimidate and belittle you because he’s sort of a dick, or if all goes to shit, beat you up because you looked at him wrong.

Best case scenario: Detective Hank Voight is only a borderline dirty cop who has adjusted his behavior to live on the fringes in order to better help the city of Chicago. He sees enough outrage/ money/ fame in your problem and decides to pour all of his time and his loose morals into figuring out what happened. He makes it his personal, obsessive mission to solve the case and issues his own brand of street justice, saving you and your family from having to go through a trial because NO ONE FUCKS WITH HIS CITY.

#14) Seeley Booth (Bones)

Worst case scenario: There isn’t a body, meaning Booth can’t lump in his far more intelligent, probably autistic other half Dr. Temperance Brennan. Instead, he gives it a go on his own, but without his longtime wingman, Dr. Sweets, he makes a series of impulsive, incorrect choices based on his gut that leads nowhere. Associate Dr. Jack Hodgins hardsells the conspiracy, and a few months later, there’s nothing going on except a lot of questions about the Federal Government.

Best case scenario: Booth works the investigative angle. Brennan and the forensics team work on the body. Angela does some nonsensical, completely impossible horseshit with her multi-million dollar computer and you’re invited to work on a mid-investigation experiment with Hodgins in his lab. The whole case is wrapped up within a day.

#13) John Reese (Person Of Interest)

Worst case scenario: The machine freaks out and starts spitting out numbers at an uncountable rate. Overwhelmed, Reese’s mumbling problem gets even worse and his trigger-happy nature kicks into overdrive. He pistol whips a cab driver, gets arrested and winds up in super secret government jail for years to come.

Best case scenario: Reese and buddy Harold Finch actually got your cousin’s information a day ahead of time. Reese was able to save his life by convincing him to fake his own death. After the intended killer is brought to justice, your cousin emerges from hiding, completely fine with a hell of a story to tell his poker buddies.

#12) Leroy Gibbs (NCIS)

Worst case scenario: Gibbs’ fourth marriage goes South right around the time you ask him for help. He tries to stay focus on the case, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of updates and gets frequently distracted by beautiful redheads now that he’s back on the market.

Best case scenario: Gibbs immediately jumps on the case and uses his relaxed, relatable value system to endear himself to your family. He works long, effective hours and all of the witnesses give him information in clear English he easily understands. He’s eventually able to track the suspect, bring him in and get him to confess following a skillful interrogation.

#11) Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Worst case scenario: Peralta is given the case just moments after being challenged to a prank contest by co-worker/ love interest Amy Santiago. Unwilling to lose a bet that involves getting free tacos and a picture of Santiago from her 3rd grade yearbook, Peralta passes on the case to Boyle, who needing to grade some local pizza establishments, passes it on to Scully and Hitchcock who Scully and Hitchcock all over it.

Best case scenario: Fired up about topping Captain Holt’s old precinct record for total number of cases solved, Peralta jumps into your cousin’s murder with boss feet, putting in overtime and enlisting everyone else to help out thanks to a clever lie that will certainly get discovered by the end of the episode. With everyone working together, the perp is IDed quickly, and since you don’t work for the police, you don’t have to be involved in whatever goofy punishment he receives at the end of the episode.

#10) Emmett Carver (Gracepoint)

Worst case scenario: Following a particular stern case of complaining by Walter White’s wife, Carver goes into one of his spells and collapses. He’s rushed to the hospital where the out of town reporter brings up all of the previous issues he’s had with child abduction cases. The stress sends him into a rage and nets an automatic paid leave filled with counseling sessions with Tony Soprano’s Dr. Melfi.

Best case scenario: His dogged determination, good instincts and poor personality set him on the track of the killer like an angry bloodhound. Standard, yet thorough police work leads him to capture the killer in a pretty short amount of time. Perhaps more importantly, his irascible demeanor convinces him to give the perp one hell of a guilt trip/ blunt lecture during the car ride to the station.

#9) James Gordon (Gotham)

Worst case scenario: The investigation leads Gordon to a crossroads. In order to get the necessary information, he needs to torture a witness who is refusing to talk. He won’t do it, and his partner, Harvey Bullock, can’t because he’s sleeping off a wicked bender. Consequently, the case goes nowhere, and you’re forced to make a shady deal with Fish Mooney to get answers.

Best case scenario: Atop good morals and better common sense, James Gordon is able to figure out what happened to your cousin. Perhaps more importantly, he does it all in such a way that none of the evidence will get thrown out in court. No one bribes any of the jurors and a rare guilty verdict in Gotham is diligently earned.

#8) Richard Castle (Castle)

Worst case scenario: Castle gets distracted by a great idea for a new novel. By the time he snaps out of it, he’s in one of his goofy, whimsical moods and continually derails the investigation rather than offering helpful insights. By the time he actually gets around to focusing, the killer has fled. All of that, coupled with bitchy lovers quirrels between Castle and partner/ lover Kate Beckett keep the case from going anywhere.

Best case scenario: Castle descends on the crime scene, notices an out of place screwdriver, an unhitched window and one footprint and magically assembled all of that information into a weird narrative about an underemployed handyman who came in for a simple robbery and left a murderer. Simple policework leads to a carpentry shop and the killer promptly confesses for some reason.

#7) Dr. Henry Morgan (Forever)

Worst case scenario: The killer reminds Dr. Morgan of someone he knew back in the late 1800s. Haunted by continual flashback memories of what life was like during that period of time, he loses focus on the case, leaving his former Bones intern to carry the brunt of the investigation. At some point, his true identity is discovered by his partner Jo, which requires hours and hours of catch up conversations, leaving the killer time to escape justice. Or Forever gets cancelled before the murder.

Best case scenario: There’s some weird combination of food in the body that is only produced at one East African restaurant in New York City. Henry knows because he was best friends with the man who came up with the recipe back in 1913. An interview with the new owner reveals a regular customer who ate with your cousin on that day. At his apartment, evidence is placed in very obvious locations all around, and after a news story, the man turns himself in out of the kindness of his heart.

#6) Olivia Benson (Law & Order: SVU)

Worst case scenario: Your cousin’s murder does not have a sexual component. She refuses to investigate.

Best case scenario: Your cousin found himself the victim of some kind of weird sex thing prior to his death. She has a personal connection with this exact same weird sex things thanks to a former roommate in her younger days. She gets emotionally invested in the case and refuses to sleep until she hunts down the sex predator and makes him feel like a scumbag. Detective Stabler hears about what happened and decides to relive the glory years by putting the badge back on and hunting down this nefarious perp. After the two arrest him, he fires off a sucker punch that’s just hard enough not to leave a bruise. Benson keeps the secret to herself.

#5) Raylan Givens (Justified)

Worst case scenario: Your cousin’s murder has a connection to Harlan County. Raylan heads to his old stomping grounds to investigate and promptly shoots three people. They were (debatably) asking for it, but Art gets pissed off about what happened and suspends him for two weeks. He obviously can’t help himself and continues investigating, but without the protection of the law, all of his enemies go after him.

Best case scenario: Raylan interviews three people and eventually gets pointed toward a suspect. When he refuses to cooperate, Raylan breaks his nose. He eventually gives up the name of the real killer, who, in a fit of dumb rage, tries to drown on our hero. He’s promptly shot in the heart at close range and dies immediately. Raylan then utters some stoic quip about how he should have kept his hands away from his pockets.

#4) Aaron Hotchner (Criminal Minds)

Worst case scenario: The murderer isn’t a serial killer. He’s simply some dude who had a beef with your cousin. The Criminal Minds team tries to profile him, but because there aren’t multiple murders to establish an M.O., they can’t figure out what’s random and what is actually important. After weeks of waiting for another shoe to drop, they finally pick it in and give the case back to local authorities.

Best case scenario: Your cousin was murdered by a serial killer. Hotchner and his team are able to discover multiple crimes of a similar nature in the area, dating back to 1998. They use that information, along with the weirdo object that was left next to the victim, to look into his soul and realize the killer was an abused former student at a summer camp your cousin interned at. He’s quickly arrested, and following an investigation, it’s discovered your cousin was NOT abusing children like the other murder victims. He was just an innocent bystander.

#3) Sherlock Holmes (Elementary)

Worst case scenario: Sherlock plows back into the world of drugs. Watson gets pissed off and decides to end their arrangement. The one-two punch of addiction and losing his best friend/ possible future sister-in-law leads Sherlock Holmes to get philosophical about solving crime. He ultimately concludes he can’t stop pain and just gives up, leaving your cousin’s murder to be solved whenever his thinking patterns change.

Best case scenario: One of the books is out of alphabetical order on your cousin’s bookshelf. Inside, Sherlock Holmes discovers a cryptic clue, written as a riddle. The consultant stays up all night trying to solve the puzzle, eventually discovering it’s a cry for help/ middle finger pointed directly at a former business partner. His offices are raided, he’s arrested and millions of dollars is discovered, which is promptly put into a trust fund that passes to you.

#2) Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)

Worst case scenario: Moments after accepting your case, another call comes in. A woman was murdered and a red smiley face was drawn in the room. Jane is sure it’s a copycat. It has to be a copycat, but obviously, he needs to investigate to make sure. He vows to solve your case immediately after he solves the new Red John lead, whenever the hell that might be.

Best case scenario: Your cousin was staying in a hunting lodge alongside 9 other guests at the time of his murder. Patrick Jane immediately flies in, alongside his new FBI teammates, and interviews each of the other 9 people. Thanks to a traffic accident and the secluded nature of the property, it becomes clear only someone inside the lodge could have committed the murder. So, Jane sets up an elaborate ruse to trick the killer into coming forward, which happens with just enough time left for Jane to get in a few great quips about how stupid the killer is.

#1) Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)

Worst case scenario: A bored and increasingly irritable Sherlock Holmes who recently quit smoking again decides he will only take cases of an almost absurdly weird variety. Your cousin’s rather conventional gunshot death doesn’t fit his parameters. He yells “NOPE” really loudly when you ask, while Watson apologizes and sheepishly escorts you out of the room.

Best case scenario: There’s something really weird about your cousin’s death. He had recently spent most of his time working on a strange experiment he refused to talk about. All of the evidence from his home lab seems to be gone, but Sherlock Holmes isn’t any ordinary man. Using his keen sense of smell and a makeshift magnifying glass, he discovers a distinct residue. That, coupled with the pungent odor, leads Holmes to a professional laboratory specializing in hair loss. There, he uncovers a plot to steal your cousin’s prized work and put it in the hands of a dastardly corporation, owned by a shell corporation that traces back to…. MORIARTY!

The Mentalist or The Good Wife? That’s the way most network experts pitched CBS’ Sunday night dilemma. They could either renew the well-liked, moderately-rated crime procedural that does very well in syndication and overseas or they could renew the award-winning, moderately-rated legal drama that's routinely cited as one of the best programs on TV. It was supposedly one or the other. So, when The Good Wife was officially picked up, fans of Patrick Jane and his hyper-intelligent and zany shenanigans expected the worst. It turns out those fears were needless. In a surprise move, CBS decided to officially pick up The Mentalist for another season this morning, just days ahead of its upfront presentation to advertisers.

Unfortunately, what comes as great news to Mentalist fans comes as a sobering blow to supporters of a few other shows. In the wake of the procedural’s pick-up, CBS gave the axe to dramas Intelligence and Hostages, as well as comedies Bad Teacher, Friends With Better Lives and The Crazy Ones. Of the three, the Robin Williams weekly is clearly the biggest surprise. Because of a large budget and middling numbers, the show found itself firmly on the bubble. Many believed Williams and his co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar, both TV veterans, could make the show work with enough time to build an audience, but in the end, that hope apparently wasn’t enough to keep the show around.

Planning a network isn’t easy. It requires a delicate balance of forward-thinking and stability. It’s important to keep shows around that people love, that are proven money-makers. It’s also important to keep around some critical darlings, some award winners and maybe even a few niche productions, as well. Not everything can be vanilla, but balanced with that has to be a steady stream of new content. Waking up to suddenly discover every popular show is on the decline is a network’s nightmare. As a result, tough, unpopular choices have to be made.

As for where any of this fits into CBS' line-up, that information is still unclear. Entertainment Weekly had the scoop on the cancellations/ renewals, but we probably won’t know if The Mentalist is moving until the upfront presentations. Honestly, I hope not. CBS has a nice little lineup going with Amazing Race, The Good Wife and The Mentalist in that order, and since the weekly whodunit lost a good percentage of its viewers the last time it moved from Thursday to Sunday, I would hate to see it bleed off some more of its audience by going to another night, especially when it’s getting good.

Thanks to a complete overhaul in location, The Mentalist has spent this season producing some of its best plotlines in years. Lead character Patrick Jane now works for the FBI instead of the CBI. Cho and Lisbon are along the for the ride, along with several fascinating new characters, and Rigsby and Van Pelt are out. They may make the occasional cameo in future episodes, but basically, they’re done. In their absence, we’ve gotten a show that has returned to its procedural roots. A greater emphasis has been placed on eccentric, standalone cases, and the results have been nothing short of wonderful. Clearly, CBS noticed.

We’ll keep you updated as we hear more. Until then, here's a pictorial reminder of the shows that got the axe...

The Crazy Ones

The Crazy Ones was a half hour comedy starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Critical response was pretty good, and based on teh star power, hopes were really high. By the end of its run, it was able to build a pretty steady audience who was invested, but the total viewers just weren't high enough.

Hostages

This intense drama starring Dylan McDermott and Toni Collette ended in January, and with numbers in the four to five million range, it was a pretty sure bet it would get cancelled. The longer a program lingers, however, the more of a chance something flukey will happen. So, its biggest supporters were still holding out hope. No such luck.

Intelligence

There was a ton of excitement for this pilot. In fact, it drew more than sixteen million viewers, but unfortunately, that figure was more than cut in half by episode number to. Leads Josh Holloway and Marg Helgenberger actually worked fairly well as an on-screen duo, but not enough people fell in love with the material.

Friends With Better Lives

Friends With Better Lives was an emsemble comedy featuring a slew of people including but not limited to James Van Der Beek and E from Entourage. It followed a group of friends in that awkward late 20s/ early 30s middle stage in which some were married, some were still single and all were trying to find their place in the world.

Bad Teacher

An adaptation of the Jason Segal/ Cameron Diaz movie, the comedy featured budding star Ari Graynor, as well as a sweet supporting cast that included Sara Gilbert, Ryan Hansen, David Alan Grier and Kristin Davis. It actually seemed like a high level priority when it was first announced, but it didn't debut until after mid-season, and CBS didn't exactly put a ton of effort into marketing it.

For a long time, The Mentalist was the best procedural on television. Then suddenly, it wasn’t. The balance between whimsical and psychologically exciting mystery of the week episodes and serious, borderline disturbing Red John episodes swung sharply from the former to the latter, and with that transition, much of the what made the show so special sorta drifted away. That’s not to say the Red John finale wasn’t well done or even needed, but week after week of serial killer hunting just wasn’t the spirit of the show. It got draining, and even as a huge fan, I was ready to see the show drift away. Miraculously, however, over the last few months the show has somehow reinvented itself as a post-Red John procedural once again. To be frank, it’s better than it’s been in years, and that’s why it has to come back.

The Mentalist debuted to stunning, double take numbers back in 2008. It attracted more than fifteen million people during its premiere and somehow only grew from there. Thanks to a move to Sunday nights and perhaps some of the Red John-related problems mentioned before, that figure has slowly dwindled down to between eight and ten million an episode. On most networks, that would be good enough for an instant renewal. In fact, the show handily beats its competition in total viewers each week, but over at CBS a whole lot more is expected. The show was recently left off of the mass pick-up list, and many insiders are speculating it could get the big ugly axe. Sadly, those dire forecasts may prove correct, but even if they do, that won’t change the fact that quitting on The Mentalist would be a mistake.

In almost all cases, a show is what it is by Season 6 and any attempts to spice things up by bringing aboard new characters or different settings are best case scenario, pointless and worse case scenario, offensive and contradictory to the basic nature of the show. Yet, somehow, The Mentalist was able to turn back the clock and push in an exciting new direction while still keeping its basic spirit just a few months ago. In Red John’s wake, the show let lead character Patrick Jane and key supports Teresa Lisbon and Kimble Cho join the FBI (oddly believable). It then mostly rid itself of its least likeable characters (Wayne Rigsby and Grace Van Pelt), all while adding two characters (Dennis Abbott and Kim Fischer) that spice up the dynamic and add very real elements to the overall team. Fans are still getting the whismy and the playfulness of the original seasons, but thanks to all of these changes, it suddenly feels brand new.

It’s like the writers are churning out brand new episodes of Season 1 and Season 2 quality, but it doesn’t feel like same-old-same-old because we suddenly have new characters to get a small amount of personal life intrigue about each week. It’s a reinvention. It’s a return to the show’s roots, and it really deserves to be explored with a full season, especially since the show is still very competitive in the key 18-49 demographics. Television is a business. I get that, but there’s no guarantee whatever would be positioned in The Mentalist’s place will work out. Since the show is effectively treading water right now, it’s the smart play to give it one more season to coax back the dearly departed viewers who may have left because it got way too serious.

The Mentalist is getting better and better by the week, and it is in everyone’s best interests to see how high it can soar again.

Tonight was the big one. After five and a half seasons of a fascinating cat and mouse game between Thomas Jane and the serial killer known as Red John, The Mentalist finally saw fit to reveal the elusive sociopath’s identity and to offer our hero at least some measure of closure. Because of the nature of long-teased surprises, there will no doubt be some who are disappointed by the big reveal, but from where I’m sitting, it was actually a pretty fitting climax for more than a few reasons.

If you’re on the West Coast and haven’t yet gotten a chance to see the episode, or you’ve simply DVRed it instead of watching it live, I would highly, highly suggest holding off on reading this article until after you’ve gotten a chance to watch the events unfold. The twists and turns are far better experienced as complete surprises. Overanalyzing is always far better after something has aired as opposed to before.

One final warning: This article contains spoilers.

Still here? Alright great. Let’s start getting into specifics. Here are five reasons tonight’s Red John conclusion is the right resolution for the emotional and long drawn out story arc.

Lisbon Picked Jane Over The CBI

During The Mentalist’s hundred plus episodes, there have been numerous instances in which our main supporting character Teresa Lisbon has stood her ground in support of Jane when it comes to following procedures and/ or dealing with her bosses. She unquestionably has the consultant’s back, but that doesn’t mean she’s overtly defied orders that many times. In fact, her main objective is usually to get Jane to work just within the bounds of the rules enough to keep everyone happy.

Forced to pick between the man she cares for so much (and obviously loves) and the job that’s her entire life, she puts her foot down and chooses Jane. In essence, she sacrifices the rest of her career and her good name in law enforcement to let Patrick step outside the law and do the only thing he cares about doing. He has to know how hard that was for her, and as viewers, it’s nice to see just how committed she has become to aiding our hero in his vengeful goal.

Red John’s Identity Makes Sense

Let’s face it. Deep down, all of us had some kind of crazy pet theory about who may have been Red John. Like many people, I was convinced it was Partridge, but in the end, Sheriff McAllister makes a lot more sense. Jane has spent his entire time at CBI obsessing over Red John. It doesn’t make any sense that he could have worked with the man and not realized it. He’s always on the lookout for clues. Up in wine country, however, Sheriff McAllister had enough of a buffer.

Plus, McAllister was in the second episode of the entire series, which offers a nice cyclical arrangement. He also has a very menacing voice, is the right age to have committed all of the murders and is very convincing as a sociopath once he gets rid of his cloak of secrecy and confronts Jane as himself for the first time inside the church. He might not be as sexy of an answer as some of the other choices might have been, but sexy and surprising any necessarily always in a series’ best interests.

The Way Red John Died Was Right

Jane has never been the world’s biggest fan of guns. He’ll carry one if he absolutely needs to, but in general, he’s not overly comfortable. Plus, shooting someone, apart from poisoning, is probably the most impersonal way you could possibly do someone in. It takes away the intimacy of murder and in some ways, the passion. Consequently, it makes a whole lot of sense that Jane would eventually take Red John down with his bare hands. That’s the most personal way possible to kill someone, and no doubt it would have been the most satisfying to Jane too.

As a viewer, it’s also nice to be able to live vicariously through Jane and stretch out the satisfaction of Red John dying a little bit longer. At times, this hunt felt endless. It went on for five-and-a-half years and even had one false ending. If it suddenly ended with a bullet, it may not have offered that prolonged satisfaction. This choke hold did.

There Were The Right Number Of Twists And Turns

We needed to be surprised. We needed to see a whole lot of layers, and we needed to get a few headfake psych-outs. Red John demonstrated way too many freakish displays of power over the years for a straight line to ultimately lead right to him. There had to be some kind of misdirections, and we get those thanks to the Sheriff’s fake death and the nonsense with Bertram just getting up and shot like some random redshirt. Besides, more twists isn’t necessarily better.

At some point, all of the craziness and all of the tricks had to stop. We needed to clear away the smoke and let Red John and Jane just talk. That’s what we’ve all been waiting to see all along, and the episode actually spaces itself well in allowing the final act to just be the two men inside the church and later in a full-on sprint through the park. From a writing perspective, there’s no way that balance was easy to find.

The Series Could Go Anywhere Moving Forward

Unlike the last time Red John supposedly died, this ending doesn’t necessarily guarantee Jane will find himself in court. He could disappear. He could stand trial. He could be immediately cleared of any wrongdoing because of the dangerous nature of the confrontation. We don’t know, and for the first time ever, the show is no longer angling toward the conclusion of one story arc. The options are totally open, and that’s liberating for viewers. It’s nice to be able to just breathe.

Episode descriptions seem to indicate we’re in for a very large jump in time starting next week. The show will apparently pick up in two years, but what exactly anyone involved will be doing at that point is unclear. Bravo to creator Bruno Heller and company for leaving the roads open. I can’t wait to watch, with full curiosity, as to what’s ahead.

If episode titles and cursory plot descriptions are any indication, we seem to be two weeks ago from finally knowing the identity of The Mentalist serial killer Red John. Whether Jane will straight up murder the bastard, kill him in self-defense or have him arrested is unclear at this point, but regardless, the clock is ticking until we finally have answers to the primary question that was first posed during the pilot: who murdered our main character’s family?

At the end of Season 5, Jane was able to whittle the possible RJs down significantly thanks to the big reveal that he’s met the serial killer before. That, coupled with all of the clues he’s compiled over the years, narrowed the suspect pool to seven names, all of which have been investigated to some extent this season. Thanks to murders and some complicated issues with tattoos, the list now stands at three, though there’s always the possibility of misdirection.

Over the years, I’ve watched every single episode of The Mentalist, read more than my share of wild Internet theories (Van Pelt?), examined creator Bruno Heller’s quotes on the subject and actively tried to follow along with the investigation. In truth, I have no idea who the hell Red John is yet, but there are certain candidates I like a whole lot better than others. So, without further ado, here is my list of Red John suspects, followed by my ultimate prediction on the final page.

Gale Bertram

As director of the CBI, Bertram has the law enforcement contacts and the power to be Red John. He also has the three dots on his arm that signify he’s a part of the shady police conspiracy organization the serial killer is allegedly intermixed with. He’s also old enough to have committed the Visualize Barn Murders all the way back in 1988, though he would have been a bit old for his first kill at 26. Beyond that, we’ve known for years that he hasn’t really trusted Patrick Jane and has readily kept others informed of his comings and goings, especially as related to the Red John investigation. He’s also an excellent whistler and is a big fan of William Blake, who, of course, wrote “Tyger, Tyger”.

It seems a bit odd, however, that Jane could have worked so closely with Bertram for so many years without figuring out his boss’ real identity. He eats and sleeps the case. Beyond that, we know Red John is willing to manipulate situations to bring himself closer to Jane, but it’s hard to imagine he willingly lost at poker for years in order to potentially give himself a chance to play cards with our hero once. I can’t imagine he’s the type of guy that would enjoy losing week after week. Plus, Red John has always been described as of average height before, and Bertram is 6 feet, 3 inches tall.

Reede Smith

Reede Smith is a bad guy. The question is just whether or not he’s the bad guy. We know he’s afraid of heights. We know he shot Bob Kirkland in cold blood. We know he’s a member of the Tyger, Tyger conspiracy and that he’s no fan of Jane. He certainly has the law enforcement background, the lack of conscience and the connections to be Red John, but the specifics of him actually being the serial killer don’t completely add up.

He was extremely young when the first murders took place. We know Red John is fascinated by Jane; yet, Smith seems to be very antagonistic toward him. He also just comes off more as an enforcer or a second in command rather than a man who makes all of the decisions. Yes, his persona could all be an elaborate front, but I would like to think we’ve gotten at least shades of his personality thus far. If so, he’s far from the most likely candidate.

Thomas McAllister

We know McAllister is a member of the shady police organization thanks to his tattoo. We know he’s more than old enough to have committed the Visualize Barn Murders, and unlike some of the other suspects, he seems to be amused by and enjoys the company of Jane. We know Red John is fascinated by Patrick and would probably behave the same way. Beyond that, McAllister appeared in the second episode of the series, which means he could have been planned as the killer all along, and unlike many of the others on this list, the writers haven’t really worked very hard to sell him as Red John, meaning he would be a big surprise.

It’s a fine line between a big surprise and a giant slice of randomness, and there is great worry that McAllister could potentially be too strange of a pick. For years, he was just the random Sheriff of Napa County. It feels like, if he were actually Red John, he would have popped in a little bit more. Besides, I highly doubt the fans would be okay with McAllister being the big bad. Heller may as well just have drawn someone out of a hat.

Brett Partridge

Brett Partridge is a better suspect than every other person on this list combined. He’s in the first episode of the entire series, and there are few things he seems to love more than espousing outlandish opinions about the serial killer so Jane can shoot them down. I’m not convinced Red John could willingly fake incompetence for years, as Bertram would have needed to do, but I am convinced he could put on an over-the-top act a la Brett Partridge every time he was in Jane’s presence. He also knows the phrase “Tyger, Tyger”, has appeared on a fair number of episodes throughout the series, is frequently referred to by Jane as “ghoul” and is the right age (mid 40s).

But he’s dead. That’s the big elephant in the room here. Partridge was killed during the first episode of Season 6, assumedly by Red John. No one on the show has ever mentioned the possibility of him faking his own death, and Jane, who believes in conspiracies like it’s his job, hasn’t even hinted that he’s concerned about a rising dead situation. Maybe he checked the body for a pulse. Maybe he knows the coroner. We don’t really know the specifics, but because of all of the reasons he’s a great suspect, he will remain that way until we find out someone else is for sure Red John. After all, faking his own death would be far from the greatest trick RJ ever pulled off.

The Field

There are more than a few people on the Internet who believe Jane’s list is a fake, nothing more than a ruse to give Red John a false sense of security. Then again, there are others who believe he’s genuine but is still wrong about who Red John is. Humorously, there are even some who believe Red John is Jane himself and he simply murdered his own family and dedicated his life to solving their murders as some kind of elaborate ploy to prove his own innocence. Most of these theories are utter nonsense, but there are actually a few people who either haven’t been mentioned or have seemingly been ruled out.

For example: what about CBI Ron? Or Walter Mashburn? Or even acting Visualize head Jason Cooper? The writers can swear up and down that Red John is someone on Jane’s list, but people in show business lie all the time to protect a big reveal. Even if they’re telling the truth, it could easily be someone who we’ve given up on too like Ray Haffner or Bret Stiles. After all, it’s not as if we’re one hundred percent certain Red John himself has the tattoo with the dots. He could easily have merely sent one of his henchmen to commit the most recent murder.

My Prediction: Brett Partridge

Yes, being dead is a bit of an obstacle, but from a viewer perspective, you would like to think Heller and company knew exactly who Red John was from the minute they went into production. If that’s the case, Partridge is the one that makes far and away the most sense. He’s done a fair amount of pop-ins throughout the show’s history. He’s got a very memorable personality. He’s blended in as almost a non-threat for years, and he’s always had almost a sly affection for how creative Red John is.

A very high percentage of Internet rumors have long singled out Partridge as the most likely candidate for years. As such, it’s entirely believable the writing staff may have come up with a way to throw viewers off his scent in order to make his grand reveal as our secret antagonist more of a real surprise. If I had to put money down in Vegas on one possibility, I would without question pick this one. That being said, I definitely wouldn’t bet my house.

Upon first glance, the format of The Mentalist isn’t a whole lot different from other procedurals. Each season contains a majority of bottle, mystery of the week episodes interspersed with a few attempts at catching the big bad. What sets The Mentalist apart, however, is that the so-called big bad has been the same killer since the first episode of the first season. In fact, the title mentalist, Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), only spends time solving cases with the CBI in order to hunt for Red John, the serial killer who murdered his family.

Throughout the show’s run, Jane has slowly gotten closer to catching his nemesis. Thanks to Lorelei Martins (Emmanuelle Chriqui), our hero is now closer than ever. During Season 5, she off-handedly mentioned him shaking hands with Red John, though she refused to divulge his identity. Using timelines of the killings and other clues he’s previously gathered, Jane locked himself in his upstairs office at the CBI and was able to narrow the list of suspects down to seven: Bret Stiles, Gale Bertram, Ray Haffner, Reede Smith, Bob Kirkland, Sheriff Thomas McAllister and Brett Partridge.

Heading into the end of the season, Jane was convinced he finally had the upper hand on Red John, but in the final episode, the antagonist murdered Martins and revealed he’s well aware of the list.

As you can tell from the above promo, the Red John hunt is coming to an end. Season 6 is even subtitled Red John: The Final Chapter, which is perfect timing. I’m all for teasing out a storyline and making loyal viewers really earn it, but five seasons of hunting the same man was getting a little tiresome. More importantly, since each season increased Red John’s power, he’s now almost too scary, manipulative and intimidating. Far better for creator Bruno Heller to end the madness this year and allow future seasons to be dedicated to Jane trying to move on and perhaps meeting a new villain to obsess over.

Obviously, the Red John resolution is what people will tune into Season 6 for; however, I would like to see the show continue to offer some bottle episodes. Programs start to get into trouble when they drift away from their basic format, and the basic format of The Mentalist has always been a mix of Red John and routine murders. After all, in real life, it’s not as if Lisbon (Robin Tunney) and company would be allowed to avoid the basic responsibilities of their job in order to focus on one serial killer exclusively.

The new season of The Mentalist premieres on Sunday September 29 at 10 PM EST/ PST on CBS. You can check out the official description of the first episode below, or you can thumb your way through the gallery of still images...

I love procedurals. Love them. On any given week between September and May, I watch Bones, The Mentalist, Elementary, Person Of Interest, Criminal Minds and quite a few more. When I’m bored, I like to watch old episodes of Law & Order: SVU, Murder, She Wrote and Columbo. When I have a random forty-five minutes or so to spare, there are few things I enjoy doing more than sitting down and getting myself wrapped up in a mystery. When I was a kid, I watched old episodes of Dragnet on Nick At Nite. When I was a teenager, I read every single Agatha Christie mystery I could find, and as an adult, I consume a lot of procedurals.

I watch shows like The Americans, Parenthood and Game Of Thrones to be surprised. I watch procedurals when I want the familiar. Unfortunately, there’s one thing that’s a little too familiar about random episodes of procedurals: killers who are way the hell more famous than every other random guest star. Let me give you an example from a Season 1 episode of Elementary.

Have you ever heard of David Costabile? Probably not, but you’ll recognize his face. He plays Daniel Hardman on Suits, Gale on Breaking Bad and one of the editors in The Wire. He was also in Lincoln and a ton of other movies. You can check out a picture of him below…

On a Season 1 episode of Elementary, he plays a janitor inside a hospital. At the beginning, we meet him for all of about twenty seconds when Sherlock intentionally spills something. Later, he winds up being far more important to the story. As viewers, we’re meant to be shocked that such a lowly janitor has become a central focus of the episode. Unfortunately, anyone with even a lick of common sense should know instantly that a familiar actor would never be paid for, nor sign up for a twenty second walk on role in a random procedural episode. That would be a complete waste of time and money. Consequently, the surprise element should be completely removed for anyone actively engaging their mind, and since the whole point of watching a “mystery of the week” is to try and play along and figure out what the hell is going on, that should be damn near everyone. So, instead of looking for clues the rest of the aforementioned episode, I just sat there and waited for Costabile to either get killed and have an epic death scene or be exposed as the killer.

The same thing happened recently on Criminal Minds with Michelle Trachtenberg, and it’s happened dozens of other times with a litany of really famous and semi-famous people over the last decade. I get the idea of wanting to cast the best available actor for the biggest role. Often, that best available actor is famous and will be more famous than the other guest stars, but if his or her presence is going to give too much away, it’s simply not worth it. As such, producers should either a) cast someone who isn’t any more famous than everyone else, b) cast two actors who are equally well known in order to confuse those watching at home or c) occasionally shell out to cast a bigger name for a witness or nanny or neighbor that actually turns out to be nothing more than a witness or nanny or neighbor.

Can you imagine? Sweet mother of Dick Wolf, I would probably have a heart attack if I ever saw someone like Jimmi Simpson in a procedural, and he turned out to be just some random dude on the street who found a dead guy’s body. That would be the ultimate middle finger to all the procedural viewers like myself who overthink everything, but until that happens, every time I see someone like Costabile or Simpson in a random episode of Crossing Lines, I’m going to assume they’re directly involved in whatever the hell happened.

Ready for the fall? Yeah, me neither. The summer TV season is only just getting started but CBS is already getting their ducks in a row for the Fall and those who want to plan ahead can get a look at what the Eye has in store for their viewers come September.

Check out the schedule below. New series are in caps and you can click the links for those to watch the trailers and check out the information that was released for each new series during the up fronts last month.

CBS' fall season begins with the 27th season of Survivor, followed by the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. But it's not until the last full week of the month that the network will really start rolling things out, beginning with the altered Monday-night comedy line-up on September 23, which begins familiarly enough, with the returns of How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls, which are accompanied by new comedy Mom, and eventually (starting September 30) We Are Men. That newcomer is arriving a week late to the party to make room for How I Met Your Mother's hour-long (final) season premiere. CBS' other comedy night is Thursday, which will host The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men along with The Crazy Ones and The Millers. All of those premiere September 26. Among the returning series, it's mostly business as usual, apart from Hawaii Five-0 moving from Monday to Friday, joining Blue Bloods and Undercover Boss, beginning Friday, September 27.

For the dramas, CBS has the exciting looking thriller-drama Hostages set to premiere on Monday, September 23, while they've already locked Intelligence down to take over the time-slot come midseason (February 24). Not on the list yet, but presumably slated for midseason is Bad Teacher, which did receive a series order.

At its best, The Mentalist balances the comfortable formula of a police procedural with the intellectual aggression of television’s most brilliant mind. It offers viewers a mystery, a generic, standard whodunit they could just as easily encounter on a dozen other shows but this whodunit gives its title sleuth extra room to work his magic. Through fascinating mental tricks and unorthodox schemes, Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) always sniffs out the guilty party, although, ultimately, his or her identity is far less interesting than how he discerns it.

Like Season One through Three, Season Four of The Mentalist offers mostly bottle episodes. Jane and his four associates at the California Bureau of Investigation, Cho (Tim Kang), Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), Grace (Amanda Righetti) and team leader Lisbon (Robin Tunney), are given a dead body and an initial lead during the introductory scene. The rest of the runtime is spent interviewing witnesses, tracking suspects, engineering one clever ruse to make the killer come out into the light and if there’s time, giving fans a few minutes of non-case personal life intrigue. The lack of emphasis on week-to-week carryover will likely annoy viewers who prefer more forward momentum, but for this show, the lack of emphasis is definitely the right call.

Apart from the times in which Jane hunts and interacts with series-long antagonist Red John (which is, incidentally, the whole point of the title character working at the CBI), the personal lives of the other agents are far less interesting than their cases. During Season Four, Cho is given some time with his girlfriend Summer. Rigsby is given a new love interest. Grace is allowed to deal with the trauma she suffered during Season Three, and Lisbon runs into a few people from her past. I suppose these are the tidbits that distinguish the episodes from other seasons, but for the most part, all they do is reduce the time the team has to solve the case from forty minutes to twenty-five or thirty.

Some shows are better when they deal with the larger picture and cast a wide net. This is not one of them. The Mentalist thrives when it lets Jane relax and try different angles to get to the killer. It’s best when it gives him an unclouded mind to pick at his opponent and a web of fresh characters he can study, manipulate and exploit. With a group of fashion designers, a cult leader and cabaret performers, Season Four offers Jane plenty of exciting targets, and when it keeps his co-stars personal lives out of his way, it works pretty well.

It’s unlikely anyone will look back on Season Four and claim it was the best of the show’s run. There’s nothing that really makes it stand out from what we’ve seen before, but given The Mentalist has long been one of the highest-rated programs on television, more of the same is far from the worst thing in the world. In fact, it’s probably exactly what seasoned fans were hoping it would be. So, job well done, I suppose.

Given Patrick Jane’s tidy, elegant and un-flashy clothing choices, there’s something fitting about the clean lines and easy appearance of The Mentalist’s box art. Apart from a color swap, it looks like the other seasons, and it gives the entire thing a pleasing uniformity. The basic navigation of the discs is just as effective and quaint, though pessimists will likely argue simplicity is easy to accomplish without many extra features.

Beyond subtitles and a menu, The Mentalist only offers one bonus feature called the "CBI: Behind The Badge Featurette." The segment interviews various law enforcement officers and asks them to comment on the believability of the main characters. In case you were wondering, Cho is the best at handcuffing, and Jane is a lot closer to how FBI criminal profilers actually behave than you might imagine. There’s also some solid info on Lisbon, Grace and Rigsby, as well as a humorous complaint from some of the officers that the office at the CBI is way too nice compared to the conditions in which their counterparts often work.

It’s pretty disappointing that this release doesn’t offer any commentary tracks or even a gag real, but with acceptable picture and sound, as well as solid episode content, fans should still be pleased with the offering.

Length: 1013 min.

Distributor: Warner Bros

Release Date: 09/18/12

Starring: Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang

Directed by:Charles Beeson, John F Showalter, Chris Long

Created by: Bruno Heller

CBS’ The Mentalist is a procedural through and through, but part of the show’s intrigue doesn’t come from its weekly ‘catch a killer’ plot. Instead, many fans follow the drama to see how the serial killer, criminal mastermind, and personal tormenter of the show’s lead, Patrick Jane, will pop up and wreak havoc. So far, Red John has managed to thwart not only any attempt the CBI crew has put into effect to catch the man, but he’s also managed to hide nearly every clue to his identity. According to executive producer Bruno Heller, all of that will change in the show’s upcoming episodes.

Heller says Season 5 of the hit show will give fans many more clues to who Red John is and why he behaves the way he does. Heller recently caught up TV Line to announce fans who have stuck with the series since its inception will finally be validated with some serious Red John information.

Heller also noted fans who enjoyed Entourage’s Emmanuelle Chriqui’s performance last season will be happy to learn the actress's very bad character will still be on board during Season 5. She’ll pop in several times throughout the season, no doubt doing some sort of evil bidding or other. I’m sure she won’t be the only Red John minion we will meet, but she should be one of the more fun figures to watch.

CBS’ The Mentalist is moving to a new timeslot this season. You can catch the show in its new Sunday slot beginning on September 30 at 10 p.m. ET.

Once again, we're tackling another show in TV Blend's weekly series "___'s Best Episode." Each week a different writer will pick out a different episode of a TV show and argue why it is definitively, absolutely the best thing the show ever did. Arguments will be started, tears may be shed, but we're here to start some conversations and make some arguments for really, really good TV. This week Mack makes a case for The Mentalist’s “Strawberries and Cream” Read below, argue with us in the comments.

Patrick Jane spends his life at the CBI sleepwalking through cases, three steps ahead of bozos stupid enough to murder someone on his watch. He is a self-indulgent puppet master, trying no harder than he has to until boredom convinces him to coax loose cannons out through unnecessarily elaborate schemes. The mental chess match is rarely competitive, and Jane always prefers to let his opponent beat himself, at least whenever the foe isn’t Red John.

Red John’s power doesn’t lie in his savage nature. It lies in his ability to turn Jane into a reactionary character, one of those loose canons the consultant spends most of his time apathetically hunting. The bloody face on the wall doesn’t just signal carnage, it signals a role reversal, a cat and mouse game in which Jane is the one more often being toyed with. It’s in these episodes that The Mentalist, both the show and character, are at their best, and no single moment better illustrates that frenzied battle of wits than Strawberries And Cream’s ingenious trap.

There’s a mole inside the CBI. Through clever foreshadowing and a brilliant introduction of new characters throughout Season 3, Jane, and by proxy, viewers are left with five suspects. Each is casually told a different location where former director Hightower is hiding, and video cameras are hidden in each room to detect which is broken into. The scheme is Jane at his best, a perfect blending of the calm tactician found in his best moments and the rogue vigilante found in his most human.

Through miscalculations, misreadings of situations and clever guess work by Jane, the consultant winds up face-to-face with a man claiming to be Red John. Their conversation is calm and vicious, eerily controlled by the serial killer. Jane asks for proof, and when his nemesis recounts the odor of strawberries and cream he smelt during the murders, our hero fires two bullets directly into his chest before coolly sitting down and finishing his tea.

It’s one of the most satisfying checkmates I have ever seen. It feels earned and fitting. Had the series ended at that moment, I would have been absolutely elated. Obviously, it did not. New information emerged this season which calls into question how we’re supposed to interpret what happened and who exactly the exchange was between. I suppose I should probably recalibrate my thoughts based on the facts, but I choose not to do so.

For me, a wonderful television episode should be taken in the context it was delivered in. It should be analyzed knowing only the information that was available at the air date, and in the exact moment when I saw Strawberries And Cream, I was blown away by how perfectly The Mentalist’s broad story arc had come together. It was moving, and it was flat out incredible.

I don’t know where The Mentalist will take us from here, but even if it’s all downhill, I’m still happy to know, for a single instant, it all played out as it should have.

CBS renewed more than a dozen TV series, which join the previously renewed The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. Not all of the network’s shows made the list, but it looks like most of the network’s Monday night comedy line-up will be left intact.

CBS made the announcement today that they’ve renewed a number of series, including NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife, Mike & Molly, and of course, 2 Broke Girls. No surprise there, given the new comedy series’ strong ratings. Here’s the full list of comedies, dramas and unscripted series set to return next season...

Renewed:

NCIS

NCIS: Los Angeles

Hawaii Five-0

Criminal Minds

CSI

Person of Interest

The Mentalist

Blue Bloods

The Good Wife

The Amazing Race

Undercover Boss

Survivor

2 Broke Girls

Mike & Molly

The Big Bang Theory

How I Met Your Mother

60 Minutes

48 Hours Mystery

According to TV Guide, talks are in the works between CBS and Warner Bros. on the fate of Two and a Half Men. And absent from the list are CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Unforgettable, A Gifted Man, Rob, Rules of Engagement and NYC 22, which doesn’t premiere until next month. I suppose it’s possible some of those shows could receive late pick-ups. CBS may be waiting to see how things look on the pilot front before they make final decisions on the remaining comedies and dramas.

This Friday’s Captain America: The First Avenger, an origin story directed by Joe Johnston, is the final piece in the puzzle waiting to drop before Marvel Studios can start hyping next summer’s all-star Avengers film, directed by Joss Whedon. Yet with Comic-Con happening the same weekend as Cap’s premiere, it is creating a perfect storm of superhero rumors and news items that promises to rain down Avengers items on a charged-up fan base.

First, there was news that a full Avengers trailer would be the post-credit sequence on Captain America. Then there were the trailer leaks, which are gone (but can still be found if you dig around). And now we have fresh casting news, namely that Amanda Righetti, star of The Mentalist amd Marcus Nispel’s Friday the 13th reboot, will appear on both Johnston and Whedon’s films as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Daily Blam, which has the story, couldn’t confirm which character from the Avengers universe Righetti would be playing, though speculation tied her to either Carol Danvers (who’d go on to become Ms. Marvel in the comic books) or Sharon Carter. The latter makes much more sense as that character is niece to Peggy Carter, who is the character Haley Atwell is playing in Johnston’s Captain adventure. And we’ve already seen the studio’s proclivity toward keeping things in the family. Look for Howard Stark, Tony’s father, in the pivotal scene where Chris Evans is transformed from meek Steve Rogers into massive Cap, after all.

But how much screen time can Righetti hope to coax from Mr. Whedon? He already has to juggle the likes of Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner Samuel L. Jackson, Stan Lee (in a cameo) and whomever else walks by the film’s set. If she gets a line, she’ll be lucky. Expect even more Avengers news as the week progresses.

CBS unveiled their summer schedule, which includes the 65th Annual Tony Awards, the return of the Julie Chen hosted reality series Big Brother, and the premiere of a new unscripted series involving celebrities called Same Name.

Julie Chen will return to host the competitive reality series Big Brother, which premieres its thirteenth season on Thursday, July 7th. The series will air three nights a week as usual (Sundays, Wednesdays and the live eviction show airing Thursdays). Big Brother is an elimination competition series that features a group of people locked in a house and competing against one another to avoid eviction each week. Unfortunately, no additional details about the format of the show, the theme or any additional twists were mentioned in CBS’ announcement today.

Same Name is set to premiere on Sunday, July 24th and will feature celebrities as they trade places with strangers who happen to have the same name.

As for the upcoming award shows, Neil Patrick Harris will help celebrate the current talent on Broadway as he hosts the Tony Awards on June 12th. Wayne Brady is lined up to host the Daytime Emmy’s, which air live from Vegas on June 19th.

Below is the full schedule, with times as posted by CBS.

With CBS’ The Mentalist continuing to crush on Thursday nights, the Tiffany Network has come to terms with lead actor Simon Baker on a new extended contract. The handsome, forty-one year old Australian reportedly agreed to add an extra year to his current deal in exchange for a salary bump and a bit of a larger taste of the syndicated backend.

According to Deadline, the new agreement could net the star more than thirty million dollars in total over the life of the deal; however, considering CBS is picking up about 2.3 million from TNT in guaranteed money per episode, that’s really not as inflated a lead actor price tag as it might seem. I won’t point any fingers, but there’s a fair number of network stars that make more than half this figure in one year, and their shows certainly don’t attract more than sixteen million viewers a week.

At the end of the day, this is good news. While The Mentalist may not be the best show on television, it is a polished, well put together hour that deserves its cushy Thursday Night 10 PM timeslot.

We’re at the midway point of August and while that might mean the countdown to cooler weather and the return to school or work has already begun for some, it also means we’re just a few weeks away from the start of the new TV season. Up ahead is the primetime schedule for the Fall 2010 season.

TV Guide has a print-friendly calendar here. Below is the list of the returning shows this season, starting with September. Dates are subject to change as the networks make additions and last-minute shuffles. If we’re missing something, post a comment and we’ll get it added!

All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

10:00 PM

Sons of Anarchy (FX)

8:00 PM

America's Next Top Model (CW)

NFL Kickoff (NBC)

9:00 PM

Hellcats (CW)

10:00 PM

Terriers (FX) New

8:00 PM

The Vampire Diaries (CW)

9:00 PM

Nikita (CW) New

8:00 PM

Cops (Fox)

9:00 PM

America's Most Wanted (Fox)

7:00 PM

Football Night in America (NBC)

8:15 PM

Sunday Night Football (NBC)

8:00 PM

90210 (CW)

9:00 PM

Gossip Girl (CW)

8:00 PM

One Tree Hill (CW)

9:00 PM

Life Unexpected (CW)

10:00 PM

Parenthood (NBC)

8:00 PM

Survivor: Nicaragua (CBS)

10:00 PM

Outlaw (NBC) New

10:00 PM

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

The Apprentice (NBC)

10:30 PM

The League (FX)

8:00 PM

Boardwalk Empire (HBO) New

8:00 PM

Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

House (Fox)

Chuck (NBC)

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

8:30 PM

Rules of Engagement (CBS)

9:00 PM

Lone Star (Fox) New

The Event (NBC) New

Two and a Half Men (CBS)

9:30 PM

Mike & Molly (CBS) New

10:00 PM

Castle (ABC)

Chase (NBC) New

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) New

8:00 PM

Glee (Fox)

The Biggest Loser (NBC)

NCIS (CBS)

9:00 PM

Raising Hope (Fox) New

NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

9:30 PM

Running Wilde (Fox) New

10:00 PM

Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC) New

8:00 PM

Hell's Kitchen (Fox)

The Middle (ABC)

Undercovers (NBC) New

8:30 PM

Better With You (ABC) New

9:00 PM

Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Criminal Minds (CBS)

Modern Family (ABC)

9:30 PM

Cougar Town (ABC)

10:00 PM

The Whole Truth (ABC) New

The Defenders (CBS) New

8:00 PM

My Generation (ABC) New

Bones (Fox)

Community (NBC)

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

8:30 PM

30 Rock (NBC)

S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) New

9:00 PM

Fringe (Fox)

Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

The Office (NBC)

CSI (CBS)

9:30 PM

Outsourced (NBC) New

10:00 PM

Private Practice (ABC)

The Mentalist (CBS)

8:00 PM

Smallville (CW)

Medium (CBS)

9:00 PM

The Good Guys (Fox)

Supernatural (CW)

Dateline (NBC)

CSI: NY (CBS)

10:00 PM

20/20 (ABC)

Blue Bloods (CBS) New

10:00 PM

48 Hours Mystery (CBS)

7:00 PM

America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

7:30 PM

60 Minutes (CBS)

8:00 PM

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

The Simpsons (Fox)

8:30 PM

The Cleveland Show (Fox)

The Amazing Race (CBS)

9:00 PM

Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Family Guy (Fox)

Dexter (Showtime)

10:00 PM

Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Bored to Death (HBO)

10:30 PM

Eastbound & Down (HBO)

8:00 PM

No Ordinary Family (ABC) New

The Good Wife (CBS)

9:00 PM

Stargate Universe (Syfy)

10:00 PM

Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC) New

8:00 PM

Human Target (Fox)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Syfy)

9:30 PM

American Dad (Fox)

10:00 PM

CSI: Miami (CBS)

9:00 PM

Scare Tactics (Syfy)

10:00 PM

Caprica (Syfy)

School Pride (NBC) New

10:00 PM

Sanctuary (Syfy)

9:00 PM

Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (Syfy)

10:00 PM

Hollywood Treasure (Syfy)

9:00 PM

Lie to Me (Fox)

CBS has announced dates for their premiere schedule for the fall and you’ll find no surprises. We already knew that Medium was making the jump to CBS from the Upfronts. The big eye is keeping things flowing at the end of September, which has long been a traditional fall season starting point. The only major discrepancy is new drama Three Rivers, which will premiere October 4th to allow for a two-hour premiere of The Amazing Race.

Scroll down to see the full premiere schedule for CBS’ fall lineup:

Thursday, Sept. 17

8:00-9:00 pm Survivor: Samoa (19th Installment Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 21

8:00-8:30 pm How I Met Your Mother (5th Season Premiere)

8:30-9:00 pm Accidentally on Purpose (Series Debut)

9:00-9:30 pm Two and a Half Men (7th Season Premiere)

9:30-10:00 pm The Big Bang Theory (3rd Season Premiere)

10:00-11:00 pm CSI: Miami (8th Season Premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 22

8:00-9:00 pm NCIS (7th Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm NCIS: Los Angeles (Series Debut)

10:00-11:00 pm The Good Wife (Series Debut)

Wednesday, Sept. 23

8:00-8:30 pm The New Adventures of Old Christine

(5th Season Premiere)

8:30-9:00 pm Gary Unmarried (2nd Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm Criminal Minds (5th Season Premiere)

10:00-11:00 pm CSI: NY (6th Season Premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 24

9:00-10:00 pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (10th Season Premiere)

10:00-11:00 pm The Mentalist (2nd Season Premiere)

Friday, Sept. 25

8:00-9:00 pm Ghost Whisperer (5th Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm Medium (Network Debut)

10:00-11:00 pm Numb3rs (6th Season Premiere)

Saturday, Sept. 26

8:00-9:00 pm Crimetime Saturday

9:00-10:00 pm Crimetime Saturday

10:00-11:00 pm 48 Hours Mystery (Season Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 27

7:00-8:00 pm 60 Minutes (42nd Season Premiere)

8:00-10:00 pm The Amazing Race (15th Edition Premiere)

10:00-11:00 pm Cold Case (7th Season Premiere)

Sunday, Oct. 4

9:00-10:00 pm Three Rivers (Series Debut)

We’re in the final run for the network Upfronts as CBS has announced their fall primetime schedule. There’s nothing really notable here…oh wait, is that Medium I see on the new schedule? Just yesterday it was announced that NBC was pulling the plug on the series. It makes sense for CBS to grab Medium since they produce the show, but I have to wonder if putting a not very popular show (that was already cancelled) on Friday nights is really going to be a win for CBS.

Then again CBS has been riding high in the ratings recently, and if any network can afford to float a mediocre show it’s that big unblinking eye. Old Christine, which was on the verge cancellation, has been moved from CBS’ Monday night comedy lineup to help establish some comedy time on Wednesday nights along with Gary Unmarried.

CBS TELEVISON NETWORK 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

(N=New, NT=New Time, all times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (NT)

8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (N)

9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN

9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (NT)

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM NCIS

9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (N)

10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (N)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE

8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED

9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR

9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (NT)

FRIDAY 8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER

9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM

10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES

8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE

9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS (N)

10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE (NT)

Am I really that guy who would rather watch mediocre singing than hear what our president has to say? The Barack Obama Power Hour is returning to television next Tuesday, March 24. And you know what? I kind of am that guy. My problem with Obama preempting the prime time lineup is not that my “stories” are so much more important than the economy. It’s that I don’t know what he has to say so soon after his last network news conference.

If this policy of constant news conferences is to continue I think Obama needs to find a better way to achieve his goal. Why not do a deal with Hulu where the filler “episodes” get featured there? Then save the big announcements for a network special. Or perhaps taking 10-15 minutes of time each week on Meet the Press would be beneficial. Although I suspect the goal is for the president to reach the widest audience possible, and neither of those suggestions would satisfy.

But here’s how the networks have decided to deal with the situation:

ABC will not air According to Jim in the 8pm hour, no real loss there. CBW is bumping NCIS and The Mentalist back one hour, and the likely to be cancelled anyways Without a Trace won’t air this week. Fox is moving American Idol once again to Wednesday and Thursday nights, leaving the rest of the schedule alone. NBC is pushing Biggest Loser back and won’t air Law & Order: SVU this week.

Enough time has passed since the fall season started for us have a pretty good idea of which shows we love and which ones we’re just not into. We at Blend Television put together a list of some of the new fall shows that have left an impression on us one way or another. There are also a few series that some of us haven’t made up our minds on just yet.

Before we get to the list, if I had to pick a winner for new fall shows this season, it’d have to be Life on Mars. Of the shows we discussed, those of us that have been watching Mars are all pretty much in agreement that so far, it’s fantastic. So we’ll start out with that one and then move on to some of the other new series, listed in no particular order.

Life on Mars

Love It:

If there's one thing I've made clear during my time writing for this site, it's that I love cop shows filmed in New York. Life on Mars takes the New York cop show and puts a twist on it. Not only is it set in the 70s, but there's a time travel element that makes it unique, without being too sci-fi. Add in a cast that includes the utter badassness of Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli, and what you get is probably the best new show of the season. - Kona Gallagher

Love It:

Seriously. Can I transport back to the 70’s? With sharp writing and an interesting concept, this show had me at the first commercial break. The clichés of the past work with, instead of against, the new ideas of the lead character. There’s a true blending as these two conflicting times that is truly remarkable. - Erin Dougherty

Gary Unmarried

Love It:

Gary Unmarried isn't Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's not The Office or Arrested Development either, but in a world where Two And A Half Man gobbles up more viewers than Charlie Sheen does hooker snatches, a semi-original half hour of Jay Mohr yelling at his ex-wife and complaining about his children deserves an entire season to flesh itself out. I like the idea of watching a show where two people selfishly bicker about a pool table. It may not be Ann Landers parenting, but someday, God willing, I'll get that goddamn pool table back from my harlot of an ex-wife too. - Mack Rawden

Hate It:

Honestly, this show didn’t have a chance with me. I watched it, and the slight entertainment that I received from it was completely cancelled out by my strong hatred of Jay Mohr. Seriously, this guy is so not funny that I even forgot he did a stint on SNL back in the early 90s. That was when I started watching, and I remember virtually every skit! Death to Gary Unmarried, and Thank God they replaced Jay Mohr as the host of Last Comic Standing with Bill “I’m-A-Has-Been” Bellamy.- Amanda Krill

Kath and Kim

Hate It:

Michael Higgins is the most underrated comedic actor working today. Too bad he's not a trained ninja. Then maybe he could have used surreptitious, Bruce Lee shit to stop Molly Shannon and Selma Blair from obnoxiously smothering this could-have-been-brilliant adaptation to death with their obstreperous, unfunny prattles. Kath & Kim could have been 2008's Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. Instead, it's The Hills with more potbellies, less glitz, and the same amount of pathetically insipid tediousness. Fuck this show. - Mack Rawden

Hate It:

I love Molly Shannon, so I really, really wanted to love Kath & Kim, but it was doomed from the start. Not only do I find Selma Blair supremely annoying, but she is only seven years younger than Shannon, who plays her mother. This is just one example of how ridiculous this show is. The comedy in this sitcom is nearly non-existent. The jokes are half-assed at best, with one of the big laugh lines in the premiere comes after Kim's estranged husband says that she'll never see him again after he walks out the door. Kim snarkily replies that that's not true because it's a glass door. Uh, zing? Bottom line, Kath & Kim makes the craptacular Worst Week seem like the Shakespeare of sitcoms. - Kona Gallagher

Fringe

Love It:

Being a former X-Files junkie, this show is nothing but freaking awesome. I was actually semi-skeptical because though I am a current Lost junkie, honestly, how many good shows can J.J. Abrams really be involved in? But, I was seriously happy with the results. The fact that there is a character named Astird – I mean Astrid, is just a bonus. - Amanda Krill

On the Fence:

I understand the void it’s filling (I miss you, early X-Files), but Fringe isn’t quite doing it for me yet. The show’s riding a see-saw of good-bad-better inconsistency that’s giving me nosebleeds. All I need to see right now is plain, old-fashioned “freak-of-the-week” horror-suspense. More 80 year old newborn “babies” and exploding heads! Less convoluted conspiracy theories and (sorta) back from the dead company men. At least not for another season or two. - Charmaine Dennis

My Own Worst Enemy

Love It:

Time to break out the hot buttered popcorn and Milk Duds! My Own Worst Enemy reminds me of the way I felt the first season of Alias: like I was watching an action thriller mini-movie each week. Henry, the reluctant spy woken from blissful ignorance and thrust into a world not his own, along with his devious alter-ego Edward are/is (a) compelling character(s). I love the psychic struggle and can’t wait to see how each learns to live with the other’s deeds and mistakes. - Charmaine Dennis

Love It:

My Own Worst Enemy is like that girl you know is only going to give you a nasty rash but you still just have to hook up with. It may just be my huge mancrush on Christian Slater - my favorite movie of all time is Pump Up The Volume, for the love of god, but I’m really enjoying his portrayal of two different people who are really one person and honestly don’t even have that big of a difference in their personality. Ok, so it’s not really that great, and maybe even kinda bad, but I still love it, just like that girl who gave me the clap in college. - Dustin Christian

On The Fence:

I don’t know if it’s the crush I’m still harboring for Christian Slater or the slight Alias-like feel to this new series but I think there’s a chance it could turn out to be really good. The pilot was a bit iffy but not so bad that I wouldn’t give it a chance for at least a few more episodes to see where it goes. - Kelly West

90210

On The Fence:

Honestly, I just don’t care enough about 90210 to keep watching. At least when the characters from the old series were on, I had enough interest to tune in and see what happened to them, but without them I’m indifferent. Well, other than my completely inappropriate crush on Silver, but we don’t speak of that. - Dustin Christian

Hate It:

I jumped all in to this spin-off out of devotion to the original, even though they did choose the hypocritical, insipid Kelly Taylor as their carryover character. I should have known then. Poor character development, shallow storylines and an overall lack of intelligence has driven me from my beloved 90210. Damn you. Damn you all. - Erin Dougherty

Worst Week

Hate It:

While watching the pilot episode of this series, I felt increasingly more awkward and uncomfortable with each passing minute. I haven’t felt this bad for a main character since Gaylord Focker tried to win over his fiancé’s family in Meet The Parents. Only in the case of Worst Week, there wasn’t enough funny to make up for all the pity. - Kelly West

Hate It:

Maybe I’m too empathetic but I just can’t get into a show about one guy constantly having a bad day. Add to that a lack of clever problems for the hero to overcome (really, diapers at his parents-in-law?) and you’ve got a recipe for a sitcom where the laugh track is the only laughing going on.

The Mentalist

Love It:

I heart Simon Baker but that isn’t even a factor in my love for The Mentalist. Creative storylines and an incredibly charming ensemble cast have ensured this show’s spot on my DVR list. And can I just say, the sexual tension between all the characters almost makes me blush. - Erin Dougherty

On The Fence:

The Mentalist has been described as a grown-up version of Psych. A fake psychic uses his powers of observation to help the police solve cases. I was blown away by the pilot, in which a woman shot her husband because Patrick Jane helped her admit to herself that she knew he had killed their daughter. We were also introduced to Red John, the serial killer who killed Jane's family and helped put him on his current path. While the second episode was just as good, the third and fourth episodes really dropped off from the first two. While I'm still interested in seeing where it's going, I'm not as excited by The Mentalist as I originally was. - Kona Gallagher

Knight Rider

Hate It:

I didn’t care much for the Knight Rider TV movie that aired earlier this year but I thought I’d give the TV show a chance. I turned it off partway through the first episode right around when Michael and the hot chick started stripping down to their undies in the car in an effort to not die. Seriously cheesy (and not in a good way). - Kelly West

Hate It:

I didn’t watch the original Knight Rider, so I am in no way tainted on this show. My husband loved the original, so he was all about this show. Since I am generally stuck watching whatever he watches, I sat through a couple of episodes. This show was so not good that I would rather go empty the dishwasher and do laundry than sit through it. I sit through a lot of crap (American Gladiators for example), but this was not even that good. - Amanda Krill

We join our intrepid team of The Mentalist (Patrick) and Debra from Empire Records (Teresa) at the murder of a young girl, Mercy, whose father is Rex Van de Kamp/Congressman Haffley and whose mother is Donna Abandondo. The neighbor boy is arrested for the murder, but Patrick suspects from some rather creepy photos on the fridge of Rex and Mercy in a photo booth that perhaps it was the father who killed her. Patrick asks him if he killed his daughter, as the mother starts to cry. The father gives some half-hearted blustery denials and then the mom shoots him.

Okay, so far… unimpressed. I had the dad pegged by the demeanor of him and the mom at the press conference on the lawn. This does serve to get Patrick suspended, though, so Teresa tells him to leave when he shows up at the double-murder of a married woman (Allison) and a male doctor (Gregory) who is not her husband. Patrick argues that this is his case because it looks to have been done by the serial killer Patrick hunted but never caught called Red John, so named because he leaves a smiley face of blood on the wall by his victims.

There is a weird flashback to Patrick’s former job as a hack TV psychic, assisting people in a Crossing Over with John Edwards type of thing. He fills the show hosts in about his hunting of said serial killer. Back at the crime scene, however, he tells the team that this wasn’t Red John’s work because the smiley face would have been put on the wall as the first thing for people to see before the bodies are found. A calling card, so that the survivors know what horrors they are about to find. Creepy.

The team questions Dr. Wagner, the family practitioner, about the murders, who happens to be a colleague of Gregory’s. He reveals he prescribed off-the-book birth control to Allison, but that her husband had a vasectomy 6 years ago. Whoops. Patrick then squeezes the doctor for some sleeping pills but the doctor won’t fork any over without a consult.

At dinner, Patrick tells the team the husband couldn’t have done it because he’s a choker as a professional golfer and wouldn’t have the stones to go through with it. So I guess Chris Evert is safe from Greg Norman. Good to know. There is then a fairly pointless conversation between Patrick and team member Grace Van Pelt about the other side and communicating with dead people. Grace thinks it’s real while Patrick says it’s all a sham.

Back in his hotel room, Patrick is slipped a note under the door. I hope it doesn’t start “My Special Agent” because then he’ll probably get shot and have visions of a giant. It turns out to be from Red John and Patrick gives chase but cannot catch the mysterious note-leaver. Patrick spends the rest of the night in a diner, writing in a red diary. The next day Teresa knows he didn’t sleep and makes him an appointment with Dr. Wagner.

In a throwaway red herring, there are tests done on the note Patrick received and a hair matching the golfer’s brother is found in the envelope. Patrick then goes to see the doctor and when asked what keeps him awak at night, we flashback to Patrick telling the TV hosts that Red John is true demonic evil and that he burns bright, which will help Patrick find him. That night, Patrick arrives home to a note on his bedroom door telling Patrick not to slander him on television and wait until he sees what he’s done to Patrick’s wife and child. Interesting. Patrick, of course, has told Dr. Wagner nothing of this.

Back in the present, the doctor gives Patrick a prescription for sleeping pills, even though he knows everything Patrick told him was a lie. Patrick asks after Gregory’s diary, saying he could’ve sworn somebody said Gregory kept one. He makes an analogy to Dr. Wagner of a magician using a beautiful woman as an assistant to distract the audience and says he’ll have Gregory’s office searched the next day for the diary, then hugs Dr. Wagner goodnight.

Dr. Wagner immediately ransacks Gregory’s office, only to be surprise by Patrick, who took the doctor’s keys when they hugged goodnight. Snerk. Patrick immediately “finds” the red diary under a bookcase and thanks Dr. Wagner for his help. Dr. Wagner draws a gun and demands the diary, but realizes it isn’t Gregory’s when flipping through it.

Upon being asked how he started to suspect Dr. Wagner, Patrick Scooby-Doos that the doctor said he didn’t know who Red John was, yet has books about him in his office, that as the family doctor he could get access to the brother’s hair, and that as the doctor he’d be able to hack up another human with no problem. The doctor confesses that Gregory was going to destroy Wagner’s work in Africa by embezzling money, so he killed Gregory for the greater good. Allison was just the Magician’s Assistant, meant to distract the audience. After a short chase, the team arrests Dr. Wagner.

At the office the next day, Patrick flirts a little with Teresa, but then that night goes back to the same house where his family was murdered. He sleeps in his same room, only devoid of furniture, on a twin mattress on the floor, underneath the bloody smiley face on the wall. Okay, that was sufficiently creepy and sad.

Nice. This is like House, only not as misanthropic and not as complicated with the medical jargon and rare diseases. I’m down so far. I give it a B+ for this week. There is huge room for improvement, but it was a strong start.

Fall’s not that far away and as the summer shows are beginning to wrap up, I’ve been finding myself wondering when to expect some of my favorite shows to return from the summer hiatus. So I figure now’s as good a time as any to get started on the big premiere schedule. We’ll be posting previews for all of the new and returning shows this season and as always, the schedule is a work in progress. We’ll probably be adding shows and updating dates/times as the fall approaches. In the meantime, get your calendar's out!

Monday, August 25

9:00-10:00 PM - AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS (series premiere) (NBC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Deal or No Deal (NBC)

Tuesday, August 26

9:00-10:00 PM - Greek (ABC Family)

Thursday, August 28

9:00 PM - MTV's Top Pop Group (Casting Special) (MTV)

Monday, September 1

8:00-10:00 PM - Prison Break (2-Hour Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:00-9:00 PM - Gossip Girl (The CW)

9:00-10:00 PM - One Tree Hill (The CW)

10:00-11:00 PM - Raising The Bar (TNT)

Tuesday, September 2

8:00-10:00 PM - 90210 (Two-Hour Premiere) (The CW)

10:00-11:00 PM - The Shield (FX)

Wednesday, September 3

8:00-10:00 PM - Bones (2-Hour Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:00-10:00 PM - America’s Next Top Model (Two-Hour Premiere) (The CW)

10:00 PM - SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)

Thursday, September 4

8:00-10:00 PM - Kitchen Nightmares (Fox)

Friday, September 5

8:00-10:00 PM - Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (2-Hour Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:00-10:00 PM - Samurai Girl (ABC Family)

9:00-11:00 PM - DogTown - Saving The Michael Vick Dogs (National Geographic)

Saturday, September 6

8:00-8:30 PM - COPS (Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:30-9:00 PM - COPS (Season Premiere) (Fox)

9:00-10:00 PM - America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back (Fox)

Sunday, September 7

10:00-10:30 PM Entourage

Monday, September 8

The Oprah Winfrey Show (Syndicated)

8:00-9:00 PM - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox)

Tuesday, September 9

8:00-10:00 PM - FRINGE (2-Hour Series Premiere)(Fox)

9:00-10:00 PM - PRIVILEGED (series premiere) (The CW)

Wednesday, September 9

9:00-9:30 PM - ‘Til Death (Fox)

9:30-10:00 PM - DO NOT DISTURB (Fox) (Series Premiere)

Thursday, September 11

8:00-9:00 PM - Hole In The Wall (Fox)

Friday, September 12

9:00-10:00 PM - Don’t Forget The Lyrics! (Fox)

Saturday, September 13

11:00 PM-Midnight - MADtv (Fox) (Season Premiere)

Midnight-12:30 AM - Talkshow With Spike Feresten (Fox)

11:30 PM - 1:00 PM - Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Tuesday, September 16

8:00-10:00 PM - The Biggest Loser: Families (NBC)

8:00-9:00 PM - House (Fox)

Thursday, September 18

8:00-9:00 PM - Smallville (The CW)

9:00-10:00 PM - Supernatural (The CW)

10:00-10:30 PM It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

Friday, September 19

10:00-11:00 PM - 20/20 (ABC)

Monday, September 22

8:00-10:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars (special two-hour performance show premiere) (ABC)

8:00-8:30 PM - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

8:30-9:00 PM - How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

9:00-11:00 PM - Heroes (NBC)

9:00-9:30 PM - Two and a Half Men (CBS)

9:30-10:00 PM - WORST WEEK (series premiere) (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - CSI: Miami (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - Boston Legal (ABC)

Tuesday, September 23

8:00-9:00 PM - NCIS (CBS)

8:00-9:00 PM - OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS (series premiere) (ABC)

9:00-10:00 PM - THE MENTALIST (series premiere) (CBS)

9:00-11:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars (special performance show) (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Without A Trace (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)

Wednesday, September 24

8:00-9:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars Results Show Special (special day and time) (ABC)

8:00-8:30 PM - The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)

8:30-9:00 PM - GARY UNMARRIED (series premiere) (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - Criminal Minds (CBS)

9:00-11:00 p.m. David Blaine Special (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - KNIGHT RIDER (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Lipstick Jungle (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - CSI: NY (CBS)

Thursday, September 25

8:00-9:00 PM - Ugly Betty (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - My Name Is Earl (NBC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Survivor (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - The Office (NBC)

9:00-11:00 PM - Grey's Anatomy (special two-hour season premiere) (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - ER (NBC)

Saturday, September 27

8:00-9:00 PM Crimetime Saturday (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM Crimetime Saturday (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - 48 Hours Mystery (CBS)

Sunday, September 28

7:00-9:00 PM - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

7:00-8:00 PM - 60 Minutes (CBS)

8:00-8:30 PM - The Simpsons (Fox)

8:00-9:00 PM - The Amazing Race (CBS)

8:30-9:00 PM - King of the Hill (Fox)

9:00-10:00 PM - Cold Case (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - Desperate Housewives (ABC)

9:00-10:00 PM - Dexter (Showtime)

9:00-9:30 PM - Family Guy (Fox)

9:30-10:00 PM - American Dad (Fox)

10:00-11:00 PM - Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - The Unit (CBS)

Monday, September 29

8:00-9:00 PM - Chuck (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Life (NBC)

Tuesday, September 30

9:00-10:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars Result Show (regular day and time period premiere) (ABC)

Wednesday, October 1

8:00-9:00 PM - Pushing Daisies (ABC)

9:00-10:00 PM - Private Practice (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

Friday Night Lights (DirectTV's The 101)

Friday, October 3

8:00-9:00 PM - Wife Swap (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Ghost Whisperer (CBS)

8:00-8:30 PM - Everybody Hates Chris (The CW)

8:30-9:00 PM - The Game (The CW)

9:00-10:00 PM - THE EX LIST (series premiere) (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - Numb3rs (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - Supernanny (ABC)

Sunday, October 5

7:00-8:00 PM - America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (regular time period premiere) (ABC)

Thursday, October 9

8:30-9:00 PM - KATH & KIM (series premiere) (NBC)

9:00-10:00 PM - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - ELEVENTH HOUR(series premiere) (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - LIFE ON MARS (series premiere) (ABC)

10:30 - 11:00 PM - TESTEES (FX)

Friday, October 10

10:00-11:00 PM - THE STARTER WIFE (series premiere) (USA)

Monday, October 13

9:30-10:00 PM - Samantha Who? (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - MY OWN WORST ENEMY (series premiere) (NBC)

Tuesday, October 14

10:00-11:00 PM - Eli Stone (ABC)

Friday, October 17

8:00-10:00 PM - CRUSOE (series premiere) (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Crash (Starz)

Thursday, October 30

9:30-10:00 PM - 30 Rock (NBC)

Sunday, November 23

8:00-10:00 PM - 24: Redemption (Fox)

CBS’s 2008 fall schedule is up and I don’t know about anyone else but I’m extremely pleased to see that How I Met Your Mother is on it. Unfortunately for the, the same cannot be said for the recently cancelled Moonlight but CBS has added a handful of new series to the lineup.

The schedule is currently posted on CBS's website. The network could make changes to the schedule between now and the fall but here’s the line-up as it is right now (new shows are in all caps):

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes

8:00-9:00 PM Amazing Race

9:00-10:00 PM Cold Case

10:00-11:00 PM The Unit

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory

8:30-9:00 PM How I Met Your Mother

9:00-9:30 PM Two and a Half Men

9:30-10:00 PM WORST WEEK

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: Miami

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM NCIS

9:00-10:00 PM THE MENTALIST

10:00-11:00 PM Without a Trace

WEDNESDAY

8:00-8:30 PM The New Adventures of Old Christine

8:30-9:00 PM PROJECT GARY

9:00-10:00 PM Criminal Minds

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM Survivor

9:00-10:00 PM CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

10:00-11:00 PM ELEVENTH HOUR

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM Ghost Whisperer

9:00-10:00 PM THE EX LIST

10:00-11:00 PM Numb3rs

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM Crimetime Saturday

9:00-10:00 PM Crimetime Saturday - continued

10:00-11:00 PM 48 Hours Mystery

To view the other Fall 2008 network schedules, CLICK HERE