Before 'The Rookie,' Eric Winter Played Against Type in ‘The Mentalist’s Major Serial Killer Storyline

Everyone loves a stern, reserved character that eventually evolves into someone more open and vulnerable, and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) in The Rookie is no exception to this rule. Winter's performance won hearts everywhere, especially next to his scene partner Melissa O'Neil, who plays Lucy Chen, with their grumpy-sunshine dynamic constantly cracking us up. But before Winter was a strict training officer in the hit show, he briefly donned an FBI uniform as a guest star in CBS's cop procedural The Mentalist. He was introduced as Special Agent Craig O'Laughlin and was the complete opposite of Bradford: friendly, flirty and crooked. Despite his brief appearances, O'Laughlin also became a turning point for the show, impacting its major storyline involving Red John and flipping the dynamics of the team completely.