“The Mentalist” Comes To Five In The UK Through Licensing Deal With Warner Bros. International Television Distribution

(October 1, 2008 – London and Burbank, CA) – Five has acquired the rights to the highly anticipated U.S. drama series “The Mentalist” through a licensing deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, it was announced today. The 13 X 60 minute series will air on Five and Five US in the UK in 2009. Katie Keenan, Five’s Deputy Controller of Acquisitions, said: “Top-notch storytelling combined with a charismatic lead made ‘The Mentalist’ the best show by far of the LA screenings. ‘The Mentalist’ is the perfect complement to Five’s drama slate.” Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television, said: “‘The Mentalist’ was one of the most highly anticipated series of the fall season in the U.S., an accessible hour featuring the best elements of a procedural coupled with character-based drama focused on a charming yet haunted protagonist played by Simon Baker. The show is off to a great start in the U.S. with a strong premiere. We feel that Five, which is home to some of the best-produced procedural dramas from the U.S., is the natural place for a show like ‘The Mentalist’ to grow and flourish with UK audiences.” Created by Bruno Heller (“Rome”) with a pilot directed by Emmy® winner David Nutter (“The Sopranos,” “Band of Brothers,” “Supernatural,” “The X-Files”), “The Mentalist” stars Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker (“The Guardian,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation, who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. The series also stars Robin Tunney (“Empire Records,” “The Craft,” “Prison Break”), Tim Kang (“The Forgotten,” “Two Weeks Notice”), Owain Yeoman (“Generation Kill,” “Troy”) and Amanda Righetti (“The O.C.,” “Return to House on Haunted Hill”). 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 faked. 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. “The Mentalist” is from Warner Bros Television. Bruno Heller is the executive producer. About Warner Bros. International Television Distribution Warner Bros. International Television Distribution is one of the world’s largest distributors of feature films, television programmes and animation to the international television marketplace (broadcast, pay cable, basic cable, satellite, pay-per-view, video on demand, digital platforms etc.). It licenses some 50,000 hours of programming (including more than 6,000 features and 70+ current series), dubbed or subtitled in more than 40 languages, to telecasters and cablecasters in more than 175 countries. # # #