Simon Baker on "Mentalist" Fame

(CBS)  "The Mentalist" was the No. 1 one new show of the past season, with 17 million viewers.

And it's back again for another season on a new night. Emmy and Golden Globe award nominee Simon Baker will reprise his role as police consultant Patrick Jane in the coveted 10:00 p.m. Thursday night time slot.

Photos: TV To Fall For

Baker, who is also known for his swoon-worthy good looks, told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez he's still not too pretty to drink in pubs.

In fact, Baker said he actually used to work in pubs in his home country of Australia.

"That was my acting school, really," he said.

Rodriguez remarked that he must have learned something in those pubs because his show has been so successful.

Baker responded that he was surprised how the show took off.

"You know, these things if they hit that sort of mass market in that way and people embrace it, then, yeah. ...It exceeds any expectation you have. You don't want to embarrass yourself when the thing actually premieres, you're hoping (that there are) more people watching it then were actually working on it. If you can hit that number, you're happy, and from anywhere above that is just gravy."

But now that the show's back, is Baker feeling the pressure?

"There's an element of pressure," he said. "It's not something that. There's no point in me taking it on. There are a lot of other people whose jobs are to worry about that."

This summer, Baker worked on a low-budget film in Oklahoma and New Mexico. He also went surfing in El Savador. He said his summer was relaxing in comparison to producing over 20 episodes of "The Mentalist."

"We have such a set infrastructure on the show," he said. "Everyone knows each other really well, we work a particular way. We have an enormous amount of work to get through each day."

In addition to his work in television and films, Baker is also a father of three, including one teenager.

Baker said his kids still see him as "dad," adding "I still embarrass them dancing at parties and stuff."

"The Mentalist" star recently turned 40. Reaching the milestone, he said, is "fine."

"It's inevitable, isn't it?" he said. "You can't stop the hands of time. I still feel like I haven't figured out what I'm going to do when I grow up."

But that works, he said, particularly because he acts for a living.

He said, "I can pretend I'm still Peter Pan."

You can see "The Mentalist" at its new time of Thursdays at 10:00/9:00 p.m. Central, on CBS.