Mega Buzz: Will The Mentalist's Series Finale Be a Happy Ending?

Wednesday's The Mentalistfeatured a tragedy that could very well end Patrick Jane's career as an investigator. But don't worry -- the show isn't looking to go out on a sour note.

"I don't think I'm giving away too much when I say it's going to be a happy ending," creator and executive producer Bruno Heller tells TVGuide.com. [Simon] Baker is a ferocious man and was pushing for: 'No, let's take him out!' [Laughs] But the beauty of being able to end a series when and where you want to is that you can deliver a happy ending. The last episode will be a kind of joyful encore, as opposed to a whimpering exit."

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While specifics of the finale are being closely guarded, Heller says that viewers shouldn't expect a grand departure from the theme of the show. "We didn't want to play any games with the audience or try to be too clever," he says. "We just wanted to do justice to what the show was always about, which was a man heroically finding light in the darkness and being strong enough to keep moving toward that light. The end of the show was consistent with the tenor of the show."

And will Jane move toward the light with longtime partner Lisbon (Robin Tunney) by his side? "We want to give the fans a great ending -- something that's worthy of all the time they've invested in the show," Tunney says. "I feel like [the finale] treads new territory and that the fans are going to be satiated. It gives it an ending, and it does give you an idea of what these people's lives are going to be after."

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