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EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Jane would have a good feeling about this: I hear The Mentalist star Simon Baker is finalizing a new deal with the series producer Warner Bros Television that would net him more than $30 million for his services on the CBS drama, including money he is currently paid. Under the pact, I hear Baker would add one additional year to his current six-year contract and would get an additional piece of the show’s backend. The Mentalist was sold in off-network syndication in November 2009 in a rich deal with TNT that is fetching Warner Bros. $2.2 million-$2.3 million an episode. As part of the new deal with Warner Bros. TV, Baker will also get a producer credit on the show beginning in Season 5.
The Mentalist launched as the top new series of the 2008-09 season. For the past 2 seasons, it has been airing on Thursday at 10 PM as one of very few dramas that perform solidly in the 10 PM hour dominated by DVR viewing. Season to date, The Mentalist has averaged 16 million viewers and a 3.5 rating among adults 18-49, down 6% and 15% from last year, respectively. The series, in which Baker stars as Patrick Jane, an unorthodox consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation, ranks as one of most DVR-ed programs on TV, regularly adding some 3 million extra viewers from playback viewing.
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Good for him.
As for the show, part of the reason that it ranks so high in DVR viewing is because you can’t watch full episodes on CBS’ website nor can you buy episodes on iTunes. It probably also explains why it does so well during it’s 10 PM timeslot–because if you don’t have a DVR and you miss it, you’re not seeing that episode until it repeats or comes out on DVD…
He deserves every penny. Good for him. The Mentalist continues to deliver every episode. Really haven’t been disappointed once.
Also happy for the co stars. I hope they are being compensated well
So what you’re saying is he’s negotiated episodic bumps for the next 5 years (unguaranteed) which if they shoot all 110 of those episodes, he’ll ultimately make around $30M including backend projections. Stretching for a headline huh? I’m pretty sure that there’s not more than at most $3M gauranteed in that entire contract (ie next year’s 22 episode commitment plus a tiny taste of syndication money – like tiny.) Great actor, good show, but come on, this is a ridiculous headline.
Yeah…it’s kinda’ like the incentive-laden ballplayer contract.(minus the upfront bonus money) Still beats waiting tables.:-)
So WB is convinced CBS wants this through 5 seasons? Despite the synd deal, at the current pace the ratings are dropping we could be having some interesting discussions as early as December next year.
Hey brainiac, the deal also covers DVD and Blue Ray sales, that will pay for about half of his paycheck.
Not worth it.
how?
Good for Simon.
He is a very good actor, but I like him better on The Guardian. Beautiful show, rare for the anti-American liberal Hollywood crap.
The Guardian opening credits, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c5WMUAHJkw “there’s trouble in my mind…”
Thanks for this post. I really like The Mentalist but The Guardian was a great show.
Also, Baker is worth every penny but the show’s success is really the result of and fantastic ensemble.
Agreed–THE GUARDIAN was terrific. And Baker was much better in it.
This man should thank god for Bruno Heller.
layla, don’t i know you? four legs, a tail, you hang out with a girl named nola?
I make 23 bucks a day.
Just saying.
about time a really good actor got rewarded for his brilliant acting..he really is not just a pretty face…the mentalist seems to give him the opportunity to show how adept he is at portraying emotions across the board..hope it`s true and we can enjoy simon for some time to come.
That’s great! Hope Simon Baker has enough $$$ to be able to pick and choose the quirky, interesting films to do instead of just whatever pays the most. Excellent actor and also seems to have some talent as a director. Looking forward to seeing what he does in the coming years.
As much as I love Simon Baker’s acting and The Mentalist, Acey does have a point in that those all important ratings which the big US networks rely on so much for The Mentalist have been dropping since its debut.
Season 1 started slowly but soon got 19-20 million viewers making the biggest hit of the 2008/9 season. Season 2 was getting 15-16 million and Season 3 so far has been getting 13-14 million. Although The Mentalist is not in any danger just yet with those numbers, it does skew high on the ages of those viewers being mainly a non 18-49 show.
If you compare those figures to another formerly big ratings show like House, MD where their bell curve was stretched over the first six seasons of that show, then what Acey says does have weight in that at some point next season, the viewing figures could/would/should drop to around 10-11 million, at which point CBS would consider it to be a “bubble show”.
So while this is good news for Simon Baker in that if The Mentalist finishes, CBS will still give him work, the news story is not really saying that The Mentalist will have at least another 4 seasons. Because as much as we all love The Mentalist, I don’t think even a writer as great as Bruno Heller can stretch the Red John storyline for a further time period longer than how long The Mentalist has already been on tv for. I was amazed Monk dragged their similar storyline out for as long as they did.
Definitely the best actor presently on a TV series. Worth every penny.
While I agree that Simon Baker certainly deserves a piece of the pie for having a hit network show…to even suggest that he’s “the best actor presently on a TV series” is hilarious. Network shows can’t even compete with cable when it comes to acting.
Bryan Cranston on Breaking Bad has deserved the Emmy three years in a row because he is the best actor currently on any TV show network or cable.
BluRay, brainiac.
I think Simon Baker is an excellent actor – I enjoy the whole nuclear cast – , and hope that the stories will keep the viewers engaged. I wish the writers would bring Red John to justice or kill him or something – it’s time to be shot of that one.
Merry Xmas Simon. You deserve every cent. Not just a pretty face, a great actor.
Give some to Robin Tunny.
Tunney is an excellent actress and fantastic on the show. She deserves a good deal as well.
Considering she can’t move her face at all, I’m not sure how her acting stands out as amazing.
Put down the Botox, Robin.
Obviously you have never seen or read an interview with her.Robin is one of the few actresses that are absolutely against plastic surgery and don’t care about the Hollywood callomania.I know her since she played in “Frogs” as a teen. Her face is still the same just that she got older.
Your comment is ignorant and stupid. Maybe there’s botox in your head.
Definitely the best actor presently on a TV series,
except, that is, for Terrence Howard – the only worthwhile thing about L&OLA.
The post is hilarious! Have you seen Iron Man?
i have to say i’m a lil surprised by this considering the steady decline in the show’s ratings since the first season. and it left off this december hitting a series low in viewers & 18-49 i think. and it skews very old. if the decline doesn’t stop, which i’m not convinced it will, the show will only be spending one more season in its thursday 10PM slot before either getting canceled or shipping off to friday night or something.
So he’s averaging out $195K/episode over 7 seasons, since the $30M figure is including money he’s already earned. Not bad – but not great either compared to other series leads on successful shows.
The two leads on SVU make better money. Not that they dont deserve it, just funny considering Mentalist is a higher rated show. However SVU is older.
The first season of the show aired at 9 PM…hence the bigger ratings…DVRs are KILLING 10 PM shows as people watch shows from earlier in the night at that time.
This show will get CSIs 9 PM slot next year and will be fine
When they relaunch the Superman franchise, they should cast Robin Tunney as Lois Lane. Assuming they depict Superman as being over 30! She’d be great in the part!
@Michael Appleton I couldn’t agree more about Tunney. You took the words from my mouth. LOL!
This show is incredibly bad. I don’t know anyone who watches it.
Good for him but the show is still a concept rip off of Pysch on the USA network. I find Psych to be much more enjoyable to watch. I guess the Mentalist fits into the geriatric audience that CBS seeks.
COMPLETELY agree about Psych. Love how they make ‘Mentalist’ references every now and then too. Roday and Hill are underrated.