The Mentalist: When Will the Red John Killer Case be Solved?

Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) on The Mentalist may be one of television’s smartest characters but it’s going to take him quite awhile before he can solve the Red John case. The series’ producer is saving that little tidbit until the series finale. And, what about a relationship between Patrick and Teresa?

The Mentalist premiered on CBS last Fall and emerged as one of the season’s only breakout hits. The series revolves around an incredibly observant former conman (Baker) who helps the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) solve cases. Aside from Baker, the series features the talents of Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman, Amanda Righetti, Gregory Itzin and Maxine Bahns.

The creative brains of The Mentalist have learned a few things from television history, particularly Moonlighting. Though lots of fans of the popular series wanted the main characters (played by Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd) to get together, once it happened many lost interest. The series ended 20 years ago next month.

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It’s for that reason that you won’t be seeing Patrick and Teresa getting together any time soon. At the recent Mentalist spotlight at the annual Paley Festival, the actors said that the two characters have very different personalities and approaches to their work. Series creator Bruno Heller said that he believed putting them together would spell the end of the show. As a result, you won’t see any romance between the two — at least until the very end of the series.

You’ll also have to wait until the series finale to see the Red John case solved. A serial killer by the name of Red John murdered Patrick’s family five years before the series began. Those who follow the show religiously may have noticed that each episode’s title has some form of the color red in it (Redwood, Scarlett Fever, Red Rum, etc.) — a subtle way of indicating that the killer is always on Patrick’s mind.

When asked by the Hollywood Reporter, Heller confirmed that the Red John mystery won’t be solved until the very end. He said, “It’s something that will run throughout the series — it’s a series ender, not a season ender. There’s lot of wrinkles and twists down that path before we get to it. It’s the epic underpinning of the series that gives it weight. It’s the plot version of the darkness inside the lead character and it’s important it remain a part of the show.”

Though the series finale isn’t written yet, Heller knows how the story will end. He said, “I got the bones of it, yeah. I know where I’m taking it.” Though viewers would like to see the mystery solved, most are willing to wait a long time for The Mentalist to end.