Take away his charm and The Mentalist's Patrick Jane is one of television's most disturbed characters. His wife and daughter were murdered and he is consumed with finding their killer, the brilliant Red John, who taunts one-time phoney psychic Jane with horrific games and always eludes capture. Jane blames himself for his family's demise.

 

And even if his shrewd powers of observation and acute understanding of human behaviour make him something of a star consultant in the homicide division of the California Bureau of Investigation - at least when it comes to solving crimes; his arrogant self-confidence and complete lack of tact annoys just about everyone - he is still no match for his archnemesis after three seasons of the hit show.

 

But what if Jane finally cornered Red John? Would he find peace?
"Well, that's the question isn't it?" says Australian actor Simon Baker, dressed in Jane's signature three-piece suit, on the set of The Mentalist in Los Angeles.

 

"It's a silly kind of cop show, really, but underneath what we're dealing with is this guy that is really flawed. He's trying to redeem himself as a human. The essence of the character is a really dark character; he just doesn't wear that close to his skin."

 

"Some of the things that he does - you take the jokes out of it and the sort of glossy network TV show element out of it and it's more of a cable show in that sense. It's just all in network TV show packaging.

 

"There's a real difference between what you can get away with on a cable show and what you can get away with on a network show [in the United States], and I know that in Australia and New Zealand you get a lot of cable shows on network television because it's a lot looser as far as content. [Broadcast] Standards and Practices here are full on, so I find it fun trying to get away with as much as you can. I can't help it."

 

Given Baker's reported US$30 million (NZ$35m) contract, high ratings and Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, his network bosses seem happy to let him do what he wants.

 

Baker, who once had a stint on Australian soap Home and Away, won acclaim for another American television series, The Guardian, in the early 2000s. His film credits include Red Planet, The Devil Wears Prada, and the upcoming Wall Street thriller, Margin Call, with Kevin Spacey. He is the new face of ANZ bank, and counts fellow Australians Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts among the godparents of his three children with actress-wife Rebecca Rigg.

 

It is a world away from the small coastal Australian town in which Baker grew up. Not that he saw his place in Hollywood as a given. "I came here with a wife and a child, so my approach was always just about, 'If I can make a living that's a good thing', " he says. "I couldn't starve my family and wait for the right sort of job that was going to turn me into a big movie star to come along."

 

Inside a chilly soundstage Baker shoots a scene from the fourth season of The Mentalist (to be screened in New Zealand next year) over and over as every angle is captured. Between takes he is keen to talk about the Tri-Nations rugby tournament with the visiting Kiwis on the set.

 

The scene being filmed is a lighter moment in the CBI office. Humour, Baker says, is just as important to the series as the themes of revenge and redemption. "We can do a show that leans towards the drama, then we do a show that really leans towards the humour. And I think that the Red John thing - would it sustain as a device for a show if that's all the show was hanging on? I don't think so.

 

"It's really more of a device to develop [Jane] and to offset or balance the kind of flitty, irreverent nature of the character. "When the show really works well, for me, the episode has a sense of tension and drama to it and it has humour. "They're my favourite episodes where they balance both of those things."

 

Although Baker admits it can be tricky to parody police dramas while also being one. "I think sometimes we get too broad and too cartoony and sometimes we're too earnest. I think we've got to learn to meld them. "You can never make the perfect cake."

 

Some fans think there is still one missing ingredient for Jane - a romance with feisty colleague Special Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney). During a break inside his trailer, Baker says he and show creator Bruno Heller constantly weigh up the pros and cons of new directions for Jane, including the will-they, won't- they dynamic with Lisbon.

 

"There's more stuff to play out in that relationship, " he says. "I think there's obviously an affection between the two of them. "Whether that is a lust or a love or just a mutual respect . . . I think there's been little moments in the show.

 

"I always intended that you could play around with it. But then you have to ask the question: is the Jane character a sexual character? "There are episodes where he has flirtations with women, " Baker says. "He asked that woman out at the end of the second season, which was really awkward and kind of heartbreaking for him. "You do want some sort of development . . . but you have to be careful with what steps you take.

 

"How do you set up the idea that maybe Jane and Lisbon could really be together?

"I think you'd first have to establish that Jane is able to explore his sexuality and I don't think that should be with Lisbon. I think that should come through something else, " Baker says.