Q: I read in your column that “The Mentalist” would be renewed. When is it going to return? It’s one of my favorite shows. — Sissy U., via email
A: “The Mentalist” will be back for a seventh and final season on CBS, but not until midseason 2015, and only for 13 episodes. If you need to catch up on any episodes, seasons one through six are now available on DVD for your viewing pleasure.
* * *
Q: I am so distraught that “Parks and Recreation” hasn’t premiered its new season yet. I thought you said it had been renewed! — Kallie F., via email
A: NBC’s hit sitcom has been renewed. And, like “The Mentalist” mentioned above, this will be its seventh and final season, which will consist of 13 episodes and premiere midseason 2015. Leslie Knope and company have not left us dangling, and will be back to tie up any loose ends.
* * *
Q: Can you tell me what Jesse Ventura has been up to? I miss watching him on his previous show, “Conspiracy Theory.” — Stanley G., Omaha, Neb.
A: Gov. Ventura is still in the public eye, but not on network TV. He has his own Internet show called “Off the Grid,” which is filmed from his home in Mexico. It can be seen on his YouTube channel and ora.tv. A big selling point for Jesse is that he can talk about whatever the heck he wants on his new show; he told me: “That’s one of the reasons I think ‘Conspiracy Theory’ got canceled after only three seasons, because in many ways, we were going where they didn’t want us to go, and we were asking questions they didn’t want asked. I love the Internet because there are no FCC regulations. There’s no government hanging over my shoulder. If I want to say ‘bulls — -,’ I can without getting fined or anything like that. For me it was like getting the handcuffs taken off and being able to speak freely. That’s what I love about ‘Off the Grid.’”
The governor hopes to help change the mindset of people who blindly follow what the government tells us, and to pick up where his generation failed, in his words. “I lived through the ’60s, through the hippie generation, and through Vietnam, when I truly thought change was in the wind and that we were the same way. Our generation was questioning authority, much like the New Millennium young people are doing today. I’m encouraging them to stay the course. Don’t drop the ball like my generation did. I’m hoping to help correct that by keeping them on track. I want to be the Timothy Leary of this generation. I want to be the older guy that this generation turns to in order to learn the truth. That’s kind of what I’m working to do.”
Write to Cindy at King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475; or e-mail her at [email protected].
© 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.