‘The Mentalist’ lead actor Simon Baker, who stars as Patrick Jane, an unconventional consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation, is currently finalizing a new deal with Warner Bros. Television, TVGuide.com is reporting. Under the new contract, Baker will receive $30 million, which includes money already promised to him under his current deal.

As part of the agreement, Baker will add an additional year to his current six-season contract. He’ll also serve as a producer starting in season 5 in 2012. Warner Bros. has also promised Baker an additional piece of the show’s royalties, as it sold TNT its syndication rights in November 2009 for $2.2 million per episode.

Baker was offered the deal as ‘The Mentalist’ still averages 16 million viewers weekly in its third season. It’s also one of TVs most DVR-ed shows, pulling in an additional 3 million play-back viewers.

Written by: Karen Benardello

Simon Baker