How good news gets disseminated in Hollywood

Last week, CBS picked up "The Mentalist," the fall season's most popular new show, for the whole season. It joins Fox's "Fringe," The CW's "90210" and NBC's "Knight Rider" as the new shows thusfar to breathe a sigh of relief. Producers and stars explain the protocol behind the issuance of such good news.

"There's always a bit of a competition as to who gets word to you first," noted series creator Bruno Heller. CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler gets to deliver the good news, but also, Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television Productions (who's producing the series), gets a crack at spreading the love, as well. "There was a rolling out of the announcement."

Co-executive Gary Glasberg recalled that he received calls telling him to expect to hear official word from the network, but that news of the pickup was actually posted at variety.com before he got the good news first hand.

Robin Tunney, who plays CBI Agent Tibson on the show, recalls, "Simon (Baker) and I both found out at the same time - we were in the van (on location) headed back to base camp. It's weird, I think some people thought it would happen sooner because the numbers were so good, but there's a part of you that is sure that something terrible is gonna happen."

Series star Simon Baker said, "We were kind of expecting it. I wasn't so excited about the pickup as I was that the second show rated as well as the pilot. That's when I felt relief. Anyone will watch a pilot, but will they come back for the second episode?"

Heller reveals a dirty little secret: "The amount of work that you have to do to get these things running, a lot of people will secretly tell you - not on this show, but there are many shows where they'll in the privacy of their office say, 'Yes! We didn't get the back nine! I can go home now.' And then walk out of their office and go, [and here, Heller fakes a discharged showrunner's dispirited grumbling and muttering]. When you're still on the air but you're not meeting your potential, that can be a living hell. It's big big big business, but what it comes down to is writers typing sh!t."

- "The Mentalist:" 9 tonight, CBS (Channel 2).