The Mentalist Has a Premiere Date *and* a Series Finale Date; The Good Wife Is Taking a Break

Jen Trolio
Updated


The Mentalist's swan song is about to begin. On Tuesday, CBS confirmed what we've long suspected—that the Simon Baker drama's upcoming seventh season will be its last—and announced a series of scheduling changes that includes sidelining the The Good Wife until January, among other things.

Let's start with Patrick Jane: The Mentalist will premiere on Sunday, November 30 at 9:30pm Eastern / 9pm Pacific after a new episode of Madam Secretary (the different start times account for Sunday Night Football on the East Coast). The procedural will air in The Good Wife's Sunday timeslot for five weeks in a row before shifting to Wednesdays on January 7, ultimately rounding out its seven-season run with a two-hour series finale on February 18.

But The Good Wife isn't the only CBS drama that's taking a short recess for the holidays. Madam Secretary will spend most of December on Tea Leoni's horse farm, giving up its Sunday-night seat at the CBS dinner table to three special broadcasts of Undercover Boss on December 14, 21, and 28. Undercover Boss will then move to its regular Friday timeslot on January 2, and both The Good Wife and Madam Secretary will return on Sunday, January 4.

Finally, once The Mentalist and Undercover Boss make their respective moves to Wednesdays and Fridays, CBS will use the two shows to bridge the gap between the current and upcoming seasons of Survivor and The Amazing Race. Survivor's Season 29 finale will air Wednesday, December 17, and The Amazing Race's Season 25 finale will air Friday, December 19; both shows will then return on Wednesday, February 25, with The Amazing Race switching to its regular timeslot on Friday, February 27.

Here's a full overview of CBS's upcoming switches and swaps, complete with exact airtimes:


Sunday, November 30 (football doubleheader)

8:30–9:30pm ET / 8–9pm PT – Madam Secretary

9:30–10:30pm ET / 9–10pm PT – The Mentalist (Season 7 premiere)

10:30–11:30pm ET / 10-11pm PT – CSI


Sunday, December 7

8–9pm – Madam Secretary

9–10pm – The Mentalist

10-11pm – CSI


Sunday, December 14

8–9pm – Undercover Boss (Season 6 premiere)

9–10pm – The Mentalist

10–11pm – CSI


Wednesday, December 17

8–10pm – Survivor (Season 29 finale)

10–11pm – Survivor live reunion show (live on the East Coast, tape-delayed on the West Coast)


Friday, December 19

8–9pm – The Amazing Race (Season 25 finale)

9–10pm – A Home for the Holidays

10–11pm – Blue Bloods


Sunday, December 21 & Sunday, December 28 (football doubleheaders)

8:30–9:30pm ET / 8–9pm PT – Undercover Boss

9:30–10:30pm ET / 9–10pm PT – The Mentalist

10:30–11:30pm ET / 10-11pm PT – CSI


Fridays starting January 2

8–9pm – Undercover Boss (time period premiere)

9–10pm – Hawaii Five-0

10–11pm – Blue Bloods


Sundays starting January 4

8–9pm – Madam Secretary

9–10pm – The Good Wife

10–11pm – CSI


Wednesday, January 7

8–9pm – The Mentalist (time period premiere)

9–11pm – The People's Choice Awards


Wednesdays starting January 14

8–9pm – The Mentalist

9–10pm – Criminal Minds

10–11pm – Stalker


Wednesday, February 18

8–10pm – The Mentalist (series finale)

10–11pm – Stalker


Wednesday, February 25

8:00–9:30pm – Survivor (Season 30 premiere)

9:30–11pm – The Amazing Race (Season 26 premiere)


Fridays starting February 27

8–9pm – The Amazing Race (time period premiere)

9–10pm – Hawaii Five-0

10–11pm – Blue Bloods


Wednesday, March 4

8–9pm – Survivor (time period premiere)

9–10pm – Criminal Minds

10–11pm – Stalker


What are you hoping to see in The Mentalist's final season?