The Mentalist has had a surprising resurgence on Netflix, and the chances of a revival are candidly addressed by one of the show’s stars.

Led by Simon Baker and running on CBS for 7 seasons, from 2008 to 2015, The Mentalist was recently added to Netflix in several locations on March 1st, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and others. It has already become a Top 10 hit in several countries. In the United States, the crime procedural is available on Hulu and has likewise enjoyed increased visibility.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan for the SXSW premiere of Ugly Cry, in which she has a starring role, Robin Tunney candidly addressed the chances of reviving The Mentalist. Tunney, who played Teresa Lisbon throughout the CBS drama’s run, begins by saying that when she was first offered the role on The Mentalist, she wasn’t sure she was the right person to play a cop. She also jokes that she’s afraid of cops, that the gun looked huge on her, and that she even questioned whether she should be playing the boss.

In the quote below, Tunney says the role ended up being a gift because it gave her the freedom to pursue other projects, and the show and its fans have been very good to her and her family. She’s happy people still watch and enjoy it, including on Netflix. At the same time, she says she prefers to move forward and do different things rather than revisit old roles, which is why she had no interest in participating in a reboot of The Craft, another one of her notable projects:

I don’t know that it would, and people love dead bodies and like procedural things, and it was so funny. I got offered the part, and I was like, “I’m afraid of cops. Do you want me to play a cop?” The gun was really big on my body and I was like, “Are you sure I should be the boss?” Look, it was like a gift, and I have so much freedom now to do things like this because I did it, and the fans of that show have been so good to me, and that show has been so good to my family. I’m glad people are watching it. I’m glad they enjoy it, but I was having a conversation with Ryan earlier, like The Craft reboot, I had no interest in doing it. I’m like, “I’m just looking forward to do different stuff,” and I’m glad for all the gifts. This business has been so good to me, but I’m always about like looking forward and trying to do something different. And I don’t begrudge anybody who likes to do it, and like we do it. Obviously they’re like recapturing it and having a great time, but it’s not what I’m into. But I’m glad they’re watching it on Netflix because my kids go to private school.

Created by Bruno Haller and lasting for 151 episodes, the CBS drama tells the story of the former so-called psychic Patrick Jane (Baker), who is a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation. It also zeroes in on Jane’s boss, the senior agent Teresa Lisbon and other Mentalist leads. Over the course of the series, Jane uses his observational skills to read people and help solve murder cases. It is very much in line with the popular procedurals of today, such as High Potential.

The Mentalist evolved over its seven seasons, welcoming Pedro Pascal late in its run as Special Agent Marcus Pike. Fans can relive it all on streaming, in addition to catching up with Tunney in Ugly Cry. It’s a horror film from writer-director Emily Robinson that had its debut at the 2026 Southwest Film & TV Festival, focusing on an actor who goes down a dark path after losing out on a dream role.