It was a solidly popular venture that lasted for seven seasons, but the axe finally fell on “The Mentalist” in 2015. Why? It seems the show’s death can be connected to a downturn in the show’s ratings precipitated by fake psychic turned real police profiler Patrick Jane’s (Simon Baker) finally tracking down the man who killed his wife and child, Red John, during Season 5. In the wake of a villain reveal that would turn out to be devastatingly underwhelming, Patrick subsequently began working for the FBI during Season 6, and audiences weren’t up for that big narrative change. This caused a further slide in the show’s ratings, which had already been on the ropes since Season 5, where it went from 14.22 million viewers for Season 4 to 11.06 million.
Corporate juggling also seems to have played a part in the show’s cancellation, with CBS executives suggested the Season 6 changes that would ultimately lead to the show’s downfall. The cast and crew have since moved on, with Simon Baker seeming to disappear from Hollywood, taking a break from the acting world himself.
Simon Baker also took an acting sabbatical after The Mentalist ended
While Patrick Jane got to walk off into a happy sunset with his lady love, Simon Baker took a little break from Hollywood after “The Mentalist” ended. But that turned out to be an intentional gesture from Baker, who moved back to Australia to spend time with his family.
“I’m in my early 50s now so I’m kind of — I have a different attitude and outlook about things now because I was able to work pretty consistently as a younger actor and provide for my family, etc. Things are a little bit different now for me. I’m not as hungry about work as much so now I’m a little choosier about the sort of stories I want to be involved in,” he told CBS Los Angeles. The actor also underwent some legal issues and was arrested in July 2024 for a DUI.
But that doesn’t mean Baker’s quit acting. Since “The Mentalist” has wrapped, he’s appeared in a variety of independent films, including “Blaze,” “Limbo,” “High Ground,” and “Breath.” Baker also popped up in the miniseries “Boy Swallows Universe” for Netflix and “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” on Prime Video. Looks like he’s just as enduring as everyone’s favorite fake psychic.