The third season of The Mentalist premiered on September 23, 2010 and concluded with its 2-hour season finale on May 19, 2011. The season consisted of 24 episodes.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Notable guest cast

Episodes

International reception

In the UK, the season premiered on Friday 15 October at 9 pm on Channel Five to 2.18 million viewers, nearly 1 million less than the second season's premiere. Overall, the season averaged 2.08 million viewers (21% less than the previous season), making this the least watched season of the series so far. The most watched episode was Jolly Red Elf (2.62 million), and the least watched episode was Pink Chanel Suit (1.74 million). The season ended on Friday 10 June.

DVD release

All 24 episodes were released on the five disc complete third season set. It was released on September 20, 2011 in Region 1, October 10, 2011 in Region 2, and October 26, 2011 in Region 4. It included the featurettes "The Mentalist: Portrait of a Serial Killer- Red John" and "'Red Moon' Directed by Simon Baker" as well as unaired scenes.