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Ed Bernero will be pulling double Criminal Minds duties this fall. The executive producer & showrunner of the original CBS series will also serve as showrunner on the upcoming Criminal Minds spinoff for the offshoot’s original 13-episode midseason order. Chris Mundy, originally tapped to run the spinoff, is exiting the crime procedural starring Forest Whitaker. Word is Bernero was brought in to bring a steady hand to the spinoff a couple episodes into its production as the network was reportedly not happy with its creative direction. CBS and CBS Studios, which co-produces Criminal Minds with ABC Studios, employ a similar setup on NCIS and NCIS: LA, both run by Shane Brennan.
Additionally, Bernero is keeping busy on the development front through his ABC Studios-based Bernero Prods. run by Rob Kim. He has set up 3 projects at ABC: a spec, which he wrote; The Box, which he is co-writing with Norman Morrill (How to Make It In America); and a third project written by Laurie McCarthy (Ghost Whisperer), which is still in negotiations.
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No offense but how on earth did Mundy get the spin-off anyway?
Why wouldn’t Mundy have gotten it? You can’t be seriously asking this, so what’s your point?
This is awesome. Hopefully he will get the show together the same way he did the original. Smart move CBS! Loved Third Watch. Love Criminal Minds. Now I might watch spin-off.
Totally agree, Ed. Congrats.
Ed Bernaro has single-handedly run the Criminal Minds brand into the ground. He fired two of the strongest women characters on television and the garbage he writes/directs for the show belongs in graphic novels, not on that show. He has taken a nuanced show about profiling and turned it into a macho cop show. It may be what the unwashed masses want, but it’s been turned into just another formulaic procedural. God help the spin-off. With Mundy it had a chance to be unique.
I agree with this and would like to know how in the devil do you replace JJ? BRING HER BACK~~!!! Also, how is the casting done? I hear that you pay 40.00 to some guy at Universal. You read for him and go into his 40.00 class. Is this illegal? I thought we weren’t supposed to pay a CD so I’m confused and then he sends you to Miss W.
Explain to me how this works please. I love that show and watch it all of the time.
You Have Got To Be Kidding you’re a moron!!! Ed Bernero (get the spelling right) had absolutely nothing to do with the firing of AJ Cooke!! It was the network!!! Get your facts straight.
Bernero had nothing to do with the firing of A.J. Cook and the upcoming dismissal of Paget Brewster: that was all CBS’s sexist nickel-and-diming of women out of a number of their shows over the past year and a half or so that has also claimed Melina Kanakaredes and Emmanuelle Vaugier from CSI: New York, Liz Vassey from CSI and the series Ghost Whisperer and Old Christine, which under any other regime were bubble shows that would have gotten renewed.
Moreover, last week’s hopefully-temporary swan song for J.J., which was both written and directed by Ed Bernero, was a ginormous, blatant F.U. directed toward CBS, with Bernero speaking almost directly to us in the audience (and for us to A.J. Cook) via Garcia and to CBS via Hotch.
It’s a shame that CBS has so mishandled both Criminal Minds and its impending spin-off so badly over these past five months because so much of this BS could have been avoided with a few reasonable decisions. Choices such as, say, building the spin-off around Morgan rather than bringing in a new character, moving J.J. or Prentiss over to the spin-off rather than unceremoniously firing the actors or even simply ignoring the bean-counters in CBS’s accounting department altogether.
Instead, they’ve angered fans and saddened actors of the original series, broken the spin-off before it’s even aired and squandered a new character and actor (Rachel Nichols’s newbie that was originally supposed to replace Cook as a regular on CM) who under radically different, story-based conditions would have been a welcome addition to either show.
This is all CBS’s fault.
— Rob
Rob, nobody could have said it better than you just did. I’m tired of people blaming things on Ed, he’s one of the few showrunners out there who truly listens to fan opinion. If it wasn’t for his insistence, A.J. probably wouldn’t have appeared at all this season.
However, J.J.’s swansong was written by Erica Messer – not Ed.
Agree with almost all that you’ve said except two things:
1) Ghost whisperer and Old christine were not axed because of anti-women sentiments on CBS but because of terminal low ratings. Those shows could have survived on low rated NBC not on CBS. Even low rated ABC who produced those shows and are very women oriented network choosed not pick them up.
2) Minor correction, Ed Bernero didn’t write the ‘JJ’ episode but Erica Messer did.
Amen, Rob. I was surprised to see J.J.’s finale was allowed to be so bold as to give a middle-finger salute to CBS for their idiot decision. I mourn the loss of Paget Brewster even more. Why are women the minority in a cast more often than not? The show is hugely successful WITH multiple women cast members. Changing it in a nickel-and-dime effort? Ridiculous.
I want to work for Ed so badly. Everyone who works for him raves about how great being on one of his shows is. Is he hiring?
You can ask to work for Ed any time you want. He probably will hire you. With his help the network and he have ruined the criminal minds show without AJ and Paget. the new show suspect behavior stinks the acting is unbelievable and the characters suck.
I can nolonger watch this show. The person that replaced A.J. is no substitute. This was such a great series and now you ruined it for me. We all asked to bring A.J. back and now your sacking more people. You lost a loyal viewer in me.
I’m watching without a Trace now and I am going back to law and order. Hopefully enough people tell you off.I am sad that Forest Whitaker took that new part. I knew he was a great actor but you ruined him in this part as well. You had a good thing going and you have the opposite now.
Are you kidding me, Phew? Mundy basically carried Criminal Minds in season 3,4 and 5. He earned that job. I smell sabotage.
If Mundy did cary CM in season 3,4 and 5 why couldn’t he cary the spin off first few episodes?
That’s probably because Mundy was actually working with a unique and brilliant crew and cast for the real Criminal Minds. Everything they came up with was original. This spin-off is as it sounds, a “spin-off”. For me it will never have the sparkle that the actual Criminal Minds had and originality that it had.
Without Mundy…well they’re pretty much screwed. Not that the original is doing so well either. CBS seems intent on screwing around with perfectly fine shows. Brewster and Cook were definitely screwed over for “financial reasons”. More like sexist reasons.
My question is: Why mess with something that is perfectly fine?
I couldn’t agree with your more. You said it all. But nobody is listening to us sadly.
Carl, your name bespeaks great wisdom. Sabotage totally. When you’re dealing with 4th and 5th string writers, it’s hard to get a direction going. The network is just trying to pour syrup on their waffles. Maybe if Ed was, how do you say, more lucid, they’d still be going strong as a team.
C.M. took JJ and we also lost The Unit. I wish Dennis was back w/The Unit. I watch the re-runs and like CM it is well written, cast (until JJ left).
What night are is the spinoff coming on. I love Criminal Minds. Is it scheduled yet?
you will be sorely disappointed in the new show. Don’t waste your time
Chris Mundy is an excellent writer and an excellent manager. I couldn’t speculate as to what caused his exit from the show but I doubt that he was the problem. Despite being a raging homophobe, Ed Bernero has had success running Criminal Minds so the spin-off is probably going to be fine.
I worked for Ed for a long time and he was/is a great guy that often tries to do more and go deeper than your typical show.
Chris Mundy is a talented writer and completely great to work with. I am happy to see him moving on from Criminal Minds, looking forward to whatever he does next.
Yet another Dumb*** move by CBS – and here comes the “CREATIVE” reasons again what the hell would they know. I seriously believe that CBS want Criminal Minds orig and Spinoff to fail. The original lost alot of good writers at the end of season 4 then Chris Mundy left for the spin off now Eds time will be concentrated with the spin off leaving underrate writers who dont understand the characters working with the original at a time when fans are considering switching off after AJ/JJs unnessesary exit!!!
HERE! HERE! I’m going to write the sponsor to make them bring her back and I understand that a lot of people want her back but CBS is ignoring the public. Now if we stop watching…WHAT?
I hope it was not personal.
God bless you! I hope you have more luck than I had. Nobody answers you back. I started complaining as soon as I found out about A.J. Cooks departure. They don’t care what we think, they figure there are plenty other people left to watch it. I loved all the characters in the original Criminal mind shows and I am actually heartbroken because now I wont watch anymore, it’s just not good anymore.
Her character had a kid and a good man. My guess is that her replacement will be single and free to have a romantic storyline with one of the guys…
Ed is such a great writer. Please make it as good as the original. I love watching a thriller every week and Forrest has so much potential. CBS air it soon. Big fan.
I’m not a Forrest fan and hated the direction of “Waiting to…” I felt that a woman should have directed it. Sorry, I just don’t think he’ll be an asset on this one although he is talented as an actor and a few directions. CM is special and I look at the way they got rid of Courtney B. Vance on L&O:CI..Also the way 3 top actors exited that show recently! What in the devil is going on?
Vincent and Katheryn were great w/Courtney. These personalities…
Thanks for the site because I’ve wanted to hear about AJ/JJ..she is wonderful and her presence so needed.
Lol. Nuanced show ..two of the best female characters. Good One. What are you talking about? Mad Men? Boardwalk Empire? Sons of Anarchy?
Criminal Minds was never more than a run of the mill procedural that entertaint with torture porn light. After Mandy Patinkin left there was not 1 character with at least a little depth. The rest of the crew are just bland walking caricatures. The two women were never more than pretty background noise. Especially the blonde one had almost nothing to do. It’s a shame that Paget Brewster is still stuck in this mediocrity. She was so good in Huff. Same goes for Forest Whitaker. He shouldn’t waste his time in a procedural.
You HAVEN’T watched CM since what the pilot?
Geez keep watching Mad ‘is the paint dry yet’ Men that is slow enough for you to get it all.
Seven episodes into production isn’t a few. The show has no direction and the cast has no chemistry.
I had the pleasure of working with Chris Mundy for a brief period of time. He’s a great guy and a total gentleman. I wish the spinoff success and I know Chris will do more great work soon.
Well, CBS just fired their only chance this show had of being in any way fresh or original… Which I guess makes a lot of sense, since the last time CBS did anything fresh or original was ‘The White Shadow’ thirty years ago… okay, maybe ‘Wiseguy’ in ’87.
Fresh and original???? have you watched the episode that did introduce the spin off on CM? If not get the season 5 dvd’s and watch ‘the Fight’ that was so bad that as CM fan I felt sorry for the CM actors whose characters had to play the fools to make the spin off characters look good.
DUMB! JUST PURE DUMB! HAS NO ONE AT CBS HAVE ANY SENSE WHEN IT COMES TO FIRING A VERY ESSENTIAL AND TALENTED CHARACTER? IT TAKES ALL KINDS OF CHARACTERS TO MAKE A SHOW SUCCESSFUL. ONE OF THESE WAS JJ ON CM. SHE NOT ONLY IS TALENTED BUT BEAUTIFUL. MAYBE CBS PREFERS UGLY UNTALENTED ACTORS! THEY SHOULD LOOK AT THEIR STAFF AND PROGRAM MANAGERS FOR THEIR CHARACTERS FROM NOW ON, MAYBE THEY WOULD SEE WHAT BAD ACTING REALLY IS.
I am really unhappy with AJ Cook’s departure. Why mess with such a strong cast? What was CBS thinking? I wish I could get the message to them. Bring her back!