Two major cast members of "The Mentalist" will make their departure this upcoming season. Amanda Righetti, who plays Grace Van Pelt, and Owain Yeoman, who portrays Wayne Rigsby, will be exiting the show due an issue that is connected to the unmasking of Red John.
Before they make their exit, fans are hoping that the on-again, off-again couple will have a happy ending. Series creator Bruno Heller told TVLine that although the solving of the six-year-old Red John mystery will not necessarily have a happy ending, Van Pelt and Rigsby's relationship will end on a high note. The couple will take a blissful walk down the aisle before the killer is revealed.
"I don't think I'm giving away too much to say that by the time [that story line ends], they are husband and wife," Heller says. "[Episode 3] is the Rigsby-and-Van Pelt episode to watch. I don't know your views on marriage, but [it's] most people's happy ending."
While the couple is enjoying their matrimonial happiness, Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) will continue narrowing down the Red John suspects. TVLine recently reported that that Jane will stare down over half of the Red John suspects in the second episode of the sixth season.
The second episode is titled "Black-Winged Redbird." In the eipsode, Jane will inspect three of the suspects that were on the list at the end of last season: CBI director Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston), Sheriff Thomas McAllister (Xander Berkeley) and G-man Reede Smith (Drew Powell). CBI agent Raymond Haffner (Reed Diamond) will also appear in the episode.
If Jane crosses these men off his list, only Bret Stiles, Bob Kirkland and Brett Partridge will remain as the possible killer. The reveal of Red John, the madman who killed Jane's wife and daughter, will be revealed later on in the season.
"It's less like 'Seven little Indians' and more like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Heller told TVLine about hunting down Red John. "Some of [the seven] will knocked out as suspects early on, others will remain."
The promo for "The Mentalist" also shows that Red John may have captured Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), Jane's on-again, off-again love interest.
Some new characters will be replacing Van Pelt and Rigsby next season. "Prison Break" actor Rockmond Dunbar will join the cast as Dennis Abbot, a tough FBI Supervisory Agent. Another new character will be FBI agent Kim Fischer, a hardline ex-homicide detective who hails from Texas. The role of Fischer has not yet been cast.
"The Mentalist" season premiere airs on Sunday, September 29 on CBS.