SIMON BAKER, ROBIN TUNNEY, TIM KANG, OWAIN YEOMAN AND AMANDA RIGHETTI STAR IN "THE MENTALIST," A NEW DRAMA PREMIERING TUESDAY, SEPT. 23

"Pilot" - CBI consultant Thomas Jane, Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon and her team investigate the double murder in Palm Springs of a pro golfer's wife and her doctor, which has the hallmarks of a serial killer with a personal connection to Jane, on the premiere episode of THE MENTALIST, Tuesday, Sept. 23 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

THE MENTALIST stars Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents. However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon's team includes agents Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and rookie member Grace Van Pelt, who all think Jane's a loose cannon but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.

SERIES REGULARS:

Patrick Jane: Simon Baker
Teresa Lisbon: Robin Tunney
Kendall Cho: Tim Kang
Wayne Rigsby: Owain Yeoman
Grace Van Pelt: Amanda Righetti

GUEST CAST:

Michael Moradi: Shaun Toub
Alison Randolph: Mary A. Stiefvater
Jenny: Mandy McMillian
Price Randolph: Jeffrey Nordling
Tag Randolph: Tim Guinee
Dr. Linus Wagner: Zeljko Ivanek
Medical Examiner: Tara Karsian
Brett Partridge: Jack Plotnick
Kelly: Lana Asanin
Morgan Tolliver: Steven Culp
Juniper Tolliver: Gail O'Grady
Davis Kelvin: Han Yee
Lawyer: Michael Holden
LAPD Captain: D. David Morin
TV Reporter: Angela Martinez
Homicide Detective: Mark Llewelyn

WRITTEN BY: Bruno Heller, one of the series' executive producers

DIRECTED BY: David Nutter, one of the series' executive producers

RATING: To Be Announced