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UPDATES CBS’ ‘Criminal Minds’ Cuts Female Cast
The controversy over CBS’ decision not to pick up Criminal Minds co-star A.J. Cook for next season and to reduce the episode load of another female cast member, Paget Brewster, is not blowing over as fans’ campaign to reinstate them is growing. An online petition in their support has garnered 15,500 signatures, with the number rapidly growing. Among those who have signed it are Criminal Minds co-star Kirsten Vangsness, who is returning full-time next season, as well as Kevin Pollak and Paul Tompkins.
Several other Criminal Minds cast members have voiced their opinion via Twitter. Brewster was the most blunt, taking an issue with the network’s description of its reasons for the casting changes as “creative.” ”"Creative Reasons” has been an Executive Bullshit excuse for DECADES,” she wrote. “It IS financial. AJ is a dreamboat. And yes, I am hurt, too.”
Here is Thomas Gibson’s tweet: “To say we’re all mystified and disappointed is an understatement…” Cook, who had been silent since I broke the story on Monday, sent out a thank-you Tweet today: “Your kind words and support have made me feel wanted and loved!” Meanwhile, fans are also emailing CBS executives and have called CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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In the economy where all shows are cutting back, especially long term shows where the per season raise is in effect x number of long term regulars, cut backs must be expected.
Are any of these mystified and disappointed co-stars willing to kick in a portion of their seasonal increase to cover the bottom line?
Only then will I believe their mystification and disappointment on the professional level. I do believe it on the personal level, you can’t spend 5+ years with someone and not miss them when their gone.
Neither cast member did a lot on the show, the women have always been an after thought. “Garcia” is the only woman who does anything and I’m wondering why she’s been kept, she’s easily replaceable though we all have our favorites.
And to correct my atrocious spelling – that should be …in effect times the number of long term regulars…
and
..miss them when they’re gone…
wish we had an edit button.
When did this blog’s comments section become a fan-page? What’s going on here? God, I go back to the Stone Age of reading the ‘trades’ in hard-copy for a month or two and all of the sudden all of the business chatter disappears. In place of the usual (often mis-informed and, more often than not, agenda-driven) discussions we now have only the clamorous whinging of deluded fans.
Fans: you love the show, you hate the show, yada-yada-yada, either learn how things work or go post on the “Entertainment Weekly” web-site — some people are trying to WORK here.
God, this is giving me a splitting head-ache that not even a tension-releasing laugh can make tolerable. I just read a post below in which a web-dungeon-blog-post-chat-room-Master or some such thing is boasting about the mighty power of “Criminal Minds” fans, and how a giant, vertically-integrated media business enterprise like CBS angers them at its peril. WHAT.THE.HELL?
Morons: your bus is leaving!
It appears that you have unresolved anger issues and could benefit from some therapy. May I suggest that you remember that if it was not for the fans of your blog and the entertainment business that you would not have a job? Get control of yourself–Ativan helps in these periods of stress.
CBS wouldn’t piss on an actor if she was on fire. They’ll choose a few extra bucks in their pockets over a stronger show every single time. I’m surprised they haven’t hired Ben Silverman to slash and burn their line-up…
@Grace:
In the economy where all shows are cutting back, especially long term shows where the per season raise is in effect x number of long term regulars, cut backs must be expected.
No, they shouldn’t. We’re the viewers of the shows, the ones who the advertisers want and by changing the cast, you’re fucking with what we want to see. So cutbacks must NOT be expected. You change the show for no good reason (ie: nothing even remotely having to do with the creative direction of the show or the actor’s continuing interest in the show) and you threaten the salaries of every single employee, actor, writer, director, DP, gripand everyone else on down to the caterer. They can’t get paid for jobs that they don’t have because people stop watching the show when the network fucks around with nickel-and-dime-ing the cast. (You’d think they would have learned this lesson from CSI and CSI: Miami, but nooooOOOOOOooooo.)
Are any of these mystified and disappointed co-stars willing to kick in a portion of their seasonal increase to cover the bottom line?
You know how the saying goes that the only dumb questions are those that aren’t asked? Well, Grace, your question is the exception to that rule.
The answer is that whether or not any of the actors would be willing to kick in a portion of their salary is entirely irrelevant. It’s not any actor’s job to have to pitch in to pay for a network’s fuckup toward even one of their fellow cast members, much less toward two cast members and much, much less toward two cast members who are the latest victims of a larger pattern of sexist behavior perpetrated by their corporate employer across several different series.
Only then will I believe their mystification and disappointment on the professional level. I do believe it on the personal level, you can’t spend 5+ years with someone and not miss them when their gone.
Fortunately, in the real world, people aren’t expected to prove their solidarity with their friends and coworkers by a standard that is so strict, so unreasonable that nobody would ever be able to live up to it. It’s not their job to prove their sincerity, it’s your job to prove your accusation of insincerity. But since your standard is so all-encompassing (and therefore so inherently, umm, insincere) that no one in this situation would ever be capable of passing your test, you’ve proven yourself so biased that you are not capable of proving your case. Or even that you have a case at all. You might have been able to generate something of a case if you had set your sights a little lower than “it’s not real emotions unless they throw money at it,” but that’s why a logical fallacy like yours’ is called a Straw Man.
Not to speak for any of the cast since I live waaaay over in the middle of flyover country, but IMO, that they don’t follow your unreasonable, cynical standards doesn’t make them any less genuinely mystified and dismayed by CBS’s deplorable actions than they say they are. Or any less deserving of voice those feelings and opinions in the reasonable way that they choose to voice them. Your objection to the absolutely reasonable manner that they’re voicing their opinions and otherwise supporting Cook and Brewster is profoundly insensitive — not to mention, idiotic.
Neither cast member did a lot on the show, the women have always been an after thought.
And there’s only one reasonable response to that statement:
BULLSHIT.
Paget Brewster, coming from the Comics/Sci-Fi/Movie & TV Geek subculture that I inhabit, is the reason that I even started watching Criminal Minds in the first place, midway through the second season, when she joined the show. On watching the show for the first time, in addition to Brewster’s Prentiss, I was instantly drawn to the characters of J.J., Reid and Garcia.
Prentiss is loads of fun to watch, starting with her and Morgan bonding over a shared affection for Vonnegut. She’s very kick-ass, and Brewster brings a crisp, bright energy, a very active spirit to the character that’s essential to not just making Prentiss jump off the screen, but also for keeping the show moving. The interplay between Brewster, Moore and Vangsness is a critical component to the chemistry of the show. They set the pace, they keep it moving — and they keep it moving specifically by interacting with each other. They set the pace and the rest of the cast keeps up with them as best they can. (And what they can do is still pretty damn good.)
J.J. by contrast, has a tragic family history that’s still slowly being revealed — and it remains a fascinating mystery that she’s been able to cope with it so well. However J.J. copes with her past and with her critical role in choosing the cases, she has a serenity about her — she’s probably the most Zen person on the team — that helps to keep the rest of the team centered when they’re out in the field, especially when she has to remind them of the reactions of the local police and press, or, more often, when she has to be the voice of the team to the local police and press. J.J. is the team’s necessary polar opposite in temperment from Prentiss, Morgan and Garcia.
“Garcia” is the only woman who does anything and I’m wondering why she’s been kept, she’s easily replaceable though we all have our favorites.
No, she isn’t. You don’t take away Abby away from NCIS and you sure as hell don’t take Garcia away from Criminal Minds.
Yes, we all have our favorites — it’s just that most fans’ favorites are the entire team as a whole, as a family. Heck, in most shows, the whole “surrogate family” thing is ephemeral enough a theme as to almost be an hallucination, but on Criminal Minds, where so many of the cases (if not all of them) are about families being torn apart by violence, that this is a surrogate family by necessity has grown from being mere subtext to text. Especially after episode 100, in which Hotch’s wife was murdered and even the boss who had been trying to get Hotch fired for years rallied behind him. Just like the cast is rallying behind Cook and Brewster now.
Rob Jensen,
somewhere in Central Missouri
I wake up this morning and the first thought that comes to me is, “That’s not a Straw Man fallacy, that’s just a failed (and pathetic) attempt to demagogue against actors!” Okay, when the thought occurred to me, the second half of it wasn’t that elaborate, but still . . . Anyway.
About that whole demagoguing aganst actors thing: an attempt to steer the conversation toward populism only works when it’s not transparent — and when, unlike me, the other writer never realizes that he got his first analogy wrong.
Hmm . . . what type of person likes to demagogue actors — I mean, besides another actor, an agent or manager, a bitter backstage worker such as a grip or a caterer, or a fanboy or fangirl far more cynical than I am? Yes, it’s just a rhetorical question. ‘Cause I’ve left out “Suit at a television network” for a reason.
— Rob
Rob Jensen, thank you so much for your intelligent comments and your understanding of the true value of the show and characters.
Rob
THANK YOU! You took the words (and sentiment) right out of my mouth. Paget and AJ are the reason I watch CM. While I am of course, fond of the entire team, there is simply no escaping how wonderful those characters are, and how much they bring to the show.
Bullshit indeed.
Obviously rampant misogynism is not limited to the execs.
An afterthought? Wow, guess you haven’t seen too many episodes. Or maybe you’re just busy drooling over the men? A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster have created characters that are definitely intricate elements of the team. The whole chemistry of the cast and fictional “BAU Team” is being fucked – along with women in general. You just bought CBS’ predjidicial bullshit that women are just window dressings. Wake up.
Cutting the females has insured that loyal fans will boycott sponsors of CM for supporting sexist practices. There is already a petition and a twitter campaign to tweet sponsor: “You advertise on a sexist network.Make CBS keep strong female leads on criminalminds,or we will boycott. #savetheCMLadies”
Please, RT! Twitter accounts for companies that advertise on Criminal Minds. http://tinyurl.com/3y7n837
Petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/cmwomen/petition.html
There are 17,532 signatures as of June 17th, 8:30 am EST/DLS
As a public service, herewith a concise summary of the following comments.
1. Fans of “Criminal Minds” are bummed-out and are shaking their tiny fists with impotent fury at CBS for tampering with their beloved procedural (which I must say that I, too, find engaging from time to time).
2. Some people think that CBS is short-sighted, greedy and ultimately unconcerned with the preferences of its audience. (In other words: CBS is…A TELEVISION NETWORK.)
3. Some commentators think some other commentators are awesome, while other commentators think still other commentators are clueless idiots. Accordingly, there is some salad-tossing and some scolding.
There you have it. Thank you for letting me be of service. (Just Sayin’…)
are any of the execs willing to take a pay cut? In an ensemble cast where the emphasis IS on the male cast members it may appear the fans don’t care, however, we do. Garcia is a quirky character that is her appeal,take away the quirkiness…..? As for cook and Brewster- they can act and they do have their own following. I will bet you all the decision makers who decided to let Cook go and strongarm Brewster got more money this year than last! They have determined the women are expendable and that they will get away with it- they’re probably right. However, it will not be the same show and this is the beginning of the end and it will die a poor pathetic death just like CSI.
This is my favorite show. I only watch 2 and this is one of them. I am appalled that you would start to remove female characters. This is absurd and discrimintive. Maybe she should go see an attorney.
anyone who says “the womenh don’t do much on the show”, probably don’t watch it. aj cook is wonderful on the show. the quiet voice of reason. it is as though she holds the team together. now they want to get rid of her. why? it won’t be the same without her and i most likely won’t watch it anymore. you people have no loyalty or sense of reality. if you want to change someone, why don’t you put garcia on a diet and dress her in more flattering clothes. it is really hard to believe that morgan would feel such an affinity for this woman. and reeds? he explains things in such a breezy way, one would think he is in a classroom instead of dealing with someone who has been brutally murdered. paget is very good. i liked her from the start. she was a great improvement over elle, whom i could barely tolerate. now, back to aj. i know of at least 10 others who will not watch the show anymore. they didn’t like it when that girl came in to sub for aj when she had her baby, and they don’t like it now. what in the world is wrong with all of you. do you really watch this show???
The show will most likely end after this season. The remaining cast members have to know this. They need to stick together – They all come back, or none of them should come back. They can’t give up pay, because then every producer will attempt to take advantage of other actors by threatening the same thing. I enjoy the show very much and believe that each and every character brings a unique quality to the team. I have been anxiously waiting for the new season to begin; however, if they make these changes, I won’t be watching. As much as I hate it for the remaining cast members – I won’t waste my time watching an average show – there are far too many of those on TV already!
A wise person said: Some people learn from their mistakes, others avoid making many mistakes by learning from the mistakes of others. How many great programs have prematurely died?
On CBS, Nash Bridges, The Agency, The Unit, and The New Adventures of Old Christine, are all some of my favorite shows that ended too quickly.
I have faithfully watched CM for the past 6 years. It is my favorite crime drama show. To see them do this to 2 of the vital cast members really pisses me off. Financial? So they’ll make 100.4 million instead of 100.6? Man I hope they don’t end up having to live in the shelter and standing in the bread line.
This sucks! Greedy bastards.
I love “Criminal Minds”. That being said; it seems like it is becoming like “Law and Order”. Let’s get rid of a pretty female character every year or two, and replace her with another one. I’m extremely upset that A.J. Cook, one of my favorite characters, will not be back. I was upset, when they wrote the character of “Elle”, out of the show. Then, when I thought that Paget Brewster was leaving, I was considering not watching anymore. I don’t care for the new female character.
I guess it’s time to find another favorite show. Very sad.
Thank you so much!! I hope the info helped. WE are tweeting the poo outta the sponsors tonight as well as flash tweeting savetheCMladies. You get my vote, bb!! Ali.
Paul F Tompkins! HUBRIS!
I am the author of the petition. Thank you for publishing this! The more press we get, the more likely someone at CBS will reconsider their decision.
Just want to say ‘thank you’ to Lena for starting this petition. It has over 17,000 signatures now but we will need many, many more. By the way, Lena, I thought you worded the petition perfectly so well done. I hope it helps change the minds of those who make these decisions.
Yes, THANK YOU for the petition! I’m spreading the word as many ways as I can. BTW…
Call CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler after hours to leave your message on her voice mail!
Fill up Nina Tassler’s voice mail before her asst Lori gets into the office tomorrow am. Call her at 818-655-1400
We can save their ladies jobs and stop the CBS sexist practices!
Online petitions are fine to start with, but they’re a dime a dozen. Start taking it into the real world. Call CBS, send them letters. That stuff matters and is noticed much, much more.
Thank you for starting this petition. Hopefully someone at CBS headquarters will listen to us and correct this ASAP.
CBS – Commonly a Bullshit Station
I’m going to miss when J.J (A.J Cook) called Spencer, Spenc. CBS and other networks are so stupid to get rid of the cast. CM has such a great chemistry with all of the characters, why mess it up. The show gets great ratings. Like everything else in this world, whatever is good it has to be downgraded to worse. Oh wait I have a great idea for season 6 of CM, Let’s change the whole cast and what the show is about. CBS or whoever made the choice to fire A.J. Cook is very stupid and needs to be set on fire.
I really hated to see AJ go. She was an important part of the team. Anytime you take away a cast member, you are taking away part of what makes the show….the way the people interact with each other is like family, and if you take part away the show loses something. I really don’t understand why they took AJ’s role away and then brought in a rookie agent with ..guess what…long blond hair and slight build!! Did they think that would fill the void left by the character of AJ? If they did, someone was way off the mark, cause it doesn’t even begin to fill the hole for people, it just makes them mad!!!
I dont watch the show but CBS sounds very cheap. Isn’t it one of the top rated shows on TV? How can they claim its for financial reasons–when its probably the one of the few shows nowadays making money?
I’m a host of a Criminal Minds podcast, the BAU Bullpen, and I doubt this will blow over for a long time. I know my fellow fans, we may not be the most vocal fandom on the internet – but when you cross the Criminal Minds fans, you’re going to get some stick.
We don’t want them reduced. We don’t want a “new” character. We want JJ and Emily. We WANT AJ Cook and Paget Brewster.
CBS. Leave our show alone. If you need to cut costs, cut Charlie Sheen.
CriMibird~ Thanks for pointing out what I always knew:CBS would rather support a drug-using,abusive husband and pay him one MILLION+ per episode than support two terrific actresses in a terrific show.
Thank you for publishing this!
The fans love AJ and Paget and we will continue to support them and fight for them!! CBS messed up and they need to fix what they have broken!!
Damn right we’re backing the actresses. I love this show far too much to boycott it but if we don’t get our way but I’ll do everything in my power until then.
How about a link to the petition?
here is the link for the petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?cmwomen
Please everyone go and support AJ and Paget! We are not gonna back down until CBS makes it right. Lena, many thanks to you for starting the petition in the first place.
And Nellie Andreeva, thank you for posting this article and bringing to light the fans fight!!
WTG Kirsten! Kudos to you, Kevin and Paul. Nellie Andreeva, if you talk to any CBS reps let them know that the fans are not gonna back down and if they don’t reneg on this whole debacle then they better be ready to lose viewers!
You know there are very few shows that I enjoy watching. Criminal Minds, and CSI and CSI NY. These shows have wonderful writing, and the acting is wonderful and each person brings “honesty” to their characters it would be a shame to brake that up. Bringing in someone new is a bad idea. Its like a third cousin who don’t really know who comes to Christmas, you don’t want them there.
I started to write that television is a business and people need to get over these types of things, it’s a financial decision plain and simple. The truth is, I’d be lying to say that I haven’t felt emotional about characters, actors, or television shows. They do come into people’s homes and become part of people’s lives whether right or wrong. So it’s great to have passion out there. I doubt if these online petitions are going to change CBS’ mind in this climate though. I’m sure Tassler’s assistant’s are LOVE getting these phone calls. I can see the three phone logs now. And I’m sure Nina’s really going to be rolling calls to fans on her way home. Who knows? She might call one or two back – she’s probably the only entertainment president who might actually do that.
Sure networks need to take finances into account. But two things: one Criminal Minds is consistently one of the highest rated shows for CBS. We are not talking about a show that does poorly. This show probably brings in more revenue than most. They get this revenue from advertisers and dedicated fans who are willing to consistently watch the shows, plus purchase DVDs and the like. The fans drive how much revenue a show earns. Secondly, I MIGHT buy off on the finance argument if this was not the same network that just agreed to pay the criminal Charlie Sheen nearly $2 million dollar an episode for a half hour comedy. Clearly there is money stashed somewhere in the CBS’s cushions. Even if every show has a different budget. CBS pulled this crap last year by cutting CM writers, now they are trying to cut two beloved actresses necessary for cast chemistry. Just how do they expect to have a show if they keep cutting Criminal Minds?
TV101 – The decision to cut cast members may be a financial one. The decision to cut one of the female characters all together and to reduce the screen time of another (that’s two out of three female characters), while not touching the four male characters, seems awfully misogynistic of CBS. They are telling us that they view the women’s stories as being less important, more disposable, than the men’s.
AJ Cook’s character is ‘the normal one’, the one who humanizes the show. Paget Brewster’s character is a strong and confident woman, and important counterpoint to all the female victims on the show. Both of them are important. (On the other hand, the show features three experienced, alpha-male leaders as male characters.) More importantly, the ensemble works very well together and the team has a real ‘family’ feeling – this is essential to the atmosphere of the show and the character relationships, and it doesn’t make sense to mess around with that; if CBS wants to save money they should cut the unnecessary famous guest stars.
There is a show called Criminal Minds?
I really enjoy watching crime busting series and i’m looking forward to see a new series like this. thanks for the blog here
How can a show be #1 in the ratings and the network need to cut actors for financial reasons? Just don’t buy their excuses. They want fresh and chaeaper blood and think the ladies are the most expendable. Well they may think so, but I for one do not.
And I do not agree that AJ and Paget’s characters don’t do much! They are integral to the story and play large parts, They are both intelligent and can kick ass with the biggest man there!
This is not about them just throwing inanother female actress to shut us up..we want AJ Cook and Paget Brewster! No one else will do!
I have sent so many emails I lost count, called Tessler a number of times, and will mail out letters as well.
I usually don’t care when there is a character change on any goven show,but I love this show! And I care about AJ and PAget and JJ and Emily! This is one of the few intelligent shows left on TV and has been worth watching for the past 5 seasons.
But if they go through with this I will miss it, but I won’t watch it anymore!
We ar not going away! We will not stop fighting for our CM Ladies!
Paget Brewster adds something special everytime she appears on this show. Maybe the studio and network dont want something special. I get that. They want it to be like every other show that nobody wants to watch.
CBS used to be my top favorite network, but, after this year, I’m beginning to like them less and less: they cancel Ghost Whisperer and a good chunk of their shows and now they’re letting two of the best actors of this generation go and it’s just all such a joke. “Creative reasons”? Firing one person and cutting another person’s hours isn’t a “creative reason”; if they wanted to be creative, they should be adding cast members, not subtracting.
I beg of you CBS, please reconsider your decision or, this time next year, you’ll have one less viewer.
I really enjoy watching crime busting series and i’m looking forward to see a new series like this.thanks for the blog.
Why not just move both characters to the Criminal Minds spinoff? They’d be a HUGE improvement over the supporting cast introduced in the pilot.
Thank you for this article. We, fans, are writing and calling and twitting, everything to not let them ruin a show. I’m writing from Argentina and I can tell you, I’m as mad as any fan. They can choose who to cut but we also can choose what to watch. We can make them succeed or fail. Thank you very much.
CBS is making a terrible decision. To cut AJ Cook and to reduce Paget Brewster’s hours is going to ruin the show. Both Prentiss and JJ are integral parts of the cast, and I don’t see how the show will be able to survive without them. Financial, creative, whatever reason it is, it’s BS, because they’re planning on adding in another female character to the cast. Now, if you get an outburst about this decision, how is adding a new character going to help this predicament any? She’ll be hated, and fans will be angry about the fact that she, in essence, replaced both JJ and Prentiss.
I’m not going to lie and say JJ is my favorite character; she’s not. But she has been on the show since the first season, and I cannot see it without her. Prentiss has been on nearly as long, coming in only during the second season, but I cannot see the show without her either. Prentiss is the character that can provide some comic relief at times, while also being a hard-ass. She’s the epitome of a working woman in the FBI; strong, but not manly. She’s stood up to being slammed in the head with a 2×4, beaten by a psychotic cult leader, and being in a car that’s flipped over. Now, what other woman can go through that and still come out of it like Emily Prentiss?
CBS, you’re making a huge misake.
Move the characters to the spin-off?! oO’ I don’t think that would be a good idea… It’s the chemistry inside the team that makes me, and i guess i’m not the only one, that makes me love this show. All members are connected, love each other and contribute with something different to every single episode.
Well… if it would be financial reasons, my option would be cancel the spin-off and keep AJ and Paget –’
If there is “creative reasons”… ahah… they’ll see how creative next season’s number of viewers will be…
“Move the characters to the spin-off?! oO’ I don’t think that would be a good idea… It’s the chemistry inside the team that makes me, and i guess i’m not the only one, that makes me love this show. All members are connected, love each other and contribute with something different to every single episode.”
Very true. It’s not just about the characters in isolated bubbles but how they connect to the team feel. Also, if the tone of the spin off remains the same as the episode of Criminal Minds that introduced the characters, JJ and Prentiss wouldn’t fit into the show. Not unless they changed the personalities and working styles of those characters. And, what would be the point of that? I want JJ and Prentiss, and that means them in character. And, on this show.
I realise different shows have different budgets but surely CBS is the one to allocate which show gets what budget. If they can afford to give Charlie Sheen millions & spend a lot of money on a spin-off with a star I assume is also extremely expensive in these difficult financial times, why hasn’t CBS been able to allocate sufficient funds to maintain a stellar cast integral to the success of a consistently top show?
It seems to me this decision speaks volumes of the beliefs and attitudes of CBS rather than being an understandable business decision based on the current financial climate.
CBS seems to believe that they can save money by firing AJ Cook and reducing the number of episodes Paget Brewster appears in and still have a top show. They believe established strong female characters played by talented actresses are expendable. After all there are four male characters on the show that have not been fired or offered only part time employment.
When faced with the initial backlash from viewers/fans of Criminal Minds they rushed out a correction that this decision was not financial but was for “creative reasons” in order to “refresh a veteran drama”. I believe CBS were also trying to refute the other bone of contention that their decision was sexist by announcing they would be adding a new regular female cast member to Criminal Minds.
I do not believe CBS has successfully refuted either claim.
Replacing AJ Cook with another regular female cast member for “creative reasons”could be seen as reasonable in terms of CBS’ statement, regardless of whether you personally agree with the decision. However not when you also take into account what basically amounts to the demotion of Paget Brewster. How does having Paget Brewster in only some of the episodes “refresh” the show? How is that not a financial decision considering the only benefit (that I can see) is it would save them money? A new regular and a part time Paget Brewster still amounts to less money being spent and the impression that CBS believes female characters are less important than their male counter parts. That CBS sees the female characters are either expendable, interchangeable or only required some of the time. At least that is the impression I get.
I would also like to say what are the odds that this new regular female cast member will be younger and cheaper than AJ Cook? I hope I am wrong but if I’m not how exactly does CBS believe this statement refutes the claims that this decision is not financial and sexist?
In response to the comment doubting that the fellow cast members are offering to take a cut to retain their colleagues have the CBS execs taken a pay cut during these difficult financial times?
Assuming Criminal Minds is profitable given the ratings success & DVD sales why should the cast and crew have to take pay cuts for their successful hard work if the execs haven’t? Why should the cast of a successful show have to work for less when millions is being thrown at Charlie Sheen? Why isn’t working hard & being successful not enough to justify their salaries and continued employment? Is it really necessary to make cuts on a show as successful as Criminal Minds? Or is it as simple as CBS believing they can make these cuts and the only consequence will be bigger profits for them on an already successful show?
There are a few things I would love to know the facts and figures of. How does Criminal Minds compare to other CBS shows for ratings and revenue? Is Criminal Minds currently profitable? Is any of this affected by the amount of ad revenue each show can generate? Have the CBS execs taken a pay cut during these difficult financial times?
^ No kidding, Matt. The only way I would watch the spin-off (especially now)would be if they spun JJ and Prentiss to it. I honestly wouldn’t want that to happen though. I want the original mother show to remain intact. The 7 of them form such a great team with everyone doing their part. Not to mention that the 7 actors/actresses that make up this show all seem to get along great and seem to be family.
We want AJ and Paget on the original show. We don’t want their apprearances reduced, we don’t want them to be part-time. We don’t want any changes over what we’ve been given over the last few seasons. A balance! Some episodes are Hotch heavy, then one will focus on Reid, then one will focus on one of the ladies. That’s CM…that’s the CM that we know and love.
Do not make any changes to our cast. You want JJ to have a storyline…tell the writers to write her one. Don’t bring in some new actress that you have no idea how she will effect the chemistry of the show and give her what hasn’t been given to AJ/JJ in 5 years. That’s wrong. Don’t cut Prentiss out of some episodes. She brings so much to the team and to the show.
CBS needs to leave our original show alone!!