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EXCLUSIVE: Rachel Nichols is in negotiations to join the cast of CBS’ Criminal Minds as a series regular, the show’s first new regular addition since Joe Mantegna took over for Mandy Patinkin in 2007. Nicholson was originally tapped for a 3-episode arc, which will begin airing next week. CBS had said it would add a new female regular cast member this season following the departure of original co-star A.J. Cook. The character Alias alumna Nichols will play, FBI cadet Ashley Seaver, had been originally listed as a new regular but was eventually scaled back to 3 episodes. Seaver will first join the Behavior Analysis Unit when she is invited by Agent Hotch (Thomas Gibson) to consult on a case after learning her family history will bring a unique insight into the mind of a serial killer.
Meanwhile, I hear Paget Brewster has been asked to return to a status of a full-fledged regular on the show but will weigh pilot offers. Following the cast upheaval on the veteran CBS crime drama over the summer, Brewster was offered to return to the show this season as a regular but in reduced capacity, appearing in about 17 of the series’ 22 episodes. As part of the new deal she signed, Brewster was given a “pilot out,” meaning she could do a pilot for a new series while on Minds this season. Brewster has appeared in all 9 episodes of the CBS drama that have aired so far, and the network recently proposed a return to the original agreement. Brewster opted to adhere to her amended contract and take advantage of the option that allows her to do a pilot.
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The Rachel Nichols news is kinda odd.She plays a lead in next year’s Conan.She’s also a lead in G.I.Joe, which has a sequel coming in 2012.Why would she tie herself down to a TV contract when she’s apart of 1 franchise and another potential franchise?
Losing Paget as well be the last straw. The show is already starting to deteriorate and I could care less if Rachel Nichols is a good actress or not. Us hardcore CM fans since day one probably come across as douches, but CBS needs to stop F’ing with our show.
Word hun, this shit is so fked. WTF is wrong with CBS? They’re the douches, not the fans.
I disagree. I LOVE Rachel Nichols and think she is a great fit for this show…a show which I still think is fantastic. They were filming the new spin-off next to my house a couple months ago at the W Hotel and from what I could tell, it looked awesome.
This sounds like spence how can they mess with perfect team not impressed
so very true!
amen. we like jj and prentiss, and losing prentiss after losing jj would probably cause CBS to lose a hell of a lot of fans.
CBS has not been making sound and rational decisions when it comes to CM. First, they fire A.J. Cook, who was a true asset to CM. Secondly, they bring in Rachel Nichols who role is truly encumbrance in comparison to the other team member’s. Thirdly, they are talking about removing Paget from the show. CM had the ideal cast when JJ, Morgan, Reid, Rossi, Hotchner, Garcia, and Printiss worked together as the ideal team. Together, they brought passion, energy, great acting, synergy, a yearning to look forward to the following week’s episode, etc. With what I call the magnificent seven, they won number crime drama in the nation, so why change what doesn’t need to be changed. Why would CBS replace JJ’s character with Seavers, who is mediocre at best. She may be a great actress, but not for this particular show. CBS is going to lose out on a great deal of viewers because apparently their fans are not worthy enough of listening to and following the advice of. I pray CM do not end up like Law & Order and so many other shows that ended due to too many and sometimes disgraceful casting changes. It would behoove CBS to start listening to what their viewers are interested in conveying to them if they want to remain on the air.
I agree with what you just said.
I understand when characters SOMETIMES have to be replaced, but only if the actors WANT to move on. From what I understand, neither AJ or Paget wanted to leave the show until the executives forced it.
Rachel Nichols is a good actress and all, but her character on Criminal Minds just isn’t believable, realistic, and frankly, Seaver is just unlovable.
If Paget leaves for good, well, I’m sure it will cause a serious loss of fans. Especially after Cook’s departure.. I know I’ll stop watching.
PS: Did anyone else notice how Seaver is basically a clone of JJ? I think it’s ridiculous to bring in someone that looks almost exactly like the person they’re trying to replace.
Right on! I just started watching this show last year and watched all the reruns I could – on 4 different channels. I couldn’t get enough. It was bad enough to lose JJ and now Prentiss? The seven each contributed different attributes to make the perfect team. Seavers? Nothing. She can not replace what was taken. Not even close. I can’t stand to watch her. If this happens, they will short me as a fan.
I agree, the person making the decisions for this year’s cast is already let AJ Cook to leave and replaces her with a blond intern? I don’t think the fans are that stupid. If Paige gets what she wants with the pilot, than that would be great. If the program becomes weaker, the fault like with the director/producer.
It took me a while to get used to Paget and With Rachel its just gunna be so diffrent,A.J and Paget were 2/3 corky fun ones and the show might get alittle dull…….Lets see if Rachel does good
I’m not sure about Rachel Nichol’s character, how could an FBI cadet become a regular member of the BAU team ?
That said, I’m willing to give her a chance as long as she does NOT become a romantic interest for someone in the team. That’s the last thing I want to see.
I really hope P. Brewster stays on the show.
Reid became a member of the BAU at an unrealistically young age, but people seem to overlook that in this case…
Yes, but because he’s a genius who graduated High School at age 12 and has 3 PhDs. An FBI Cadet becoming a member of the team is unrealistic.
So becoming a full fledged FBI Agent in an elite unit just because he’s smart is realistic? It seems to me as if you’re just grasping at straws to justify your hatred for a new addition.
I went to university at 12 and have three PhD’s and it is possible for Reid to join the BAU at a young age. A new cadet could not. Reid explained on the show why he was indeed on the team. Him carrying a revolver in a brown leather holster in front is actually the least realistic aspect! If he waited until he was 18 when his mother was taken he would have speed learned and he was never meant to be in an aggressors capacity. Actually the BAU would not carry weapons at all and spend much more time in the office.
He’s not just smart, he’s a genius and as such that gives his character the credibility to become an agent because that gives a strong edge to this unit. Yes, Reid was green in terms of field experience, but again, he more than made up for that with what he contributed in terms of his intelligence, an intelligence that has proved to be a great asset to the team from the beginning.
I’m not forgetting Reid, but you can’t compare the two.
Reid is a true genius who must have had job offers pilling up when he got his third doctorate from Cal Tech at 21. Gideon saw his potential and he, understandably, wanted Reid on the team.
And Reid had finished his training at the Academy before joining the BAU.
This girl is still an FBI Cadet, so she’s still a trainee.
I’ll give a chance to that new character, but I would have preferred to see someone older joining the team.
At the time Reid was qualified to become a full fleged FBI agent wasn’t unrealistic. in the 1st season he was 23/24, now in 2004 you could become a fullfleged agent by 21.
“I’m willing to give her a chance as long as she does NOT become a romantic interest for someone in the team. That’s the last thing I want to see.”
Count on it. That’s the current MO. Take a perfectly good show and get more “female appeal” by turning it into a soap opera. It’s been done over and over and over. The Unit and Dark Blue ti name just two egregious examples of network tampering that leads to a demise.
The Unit always seemed like something that belonged on Lifetime.
The big guy and his wife sounded like Baptist preachers, the white trash couple were annoying, and Scott Foley’s yappy wife was just plain obnoxious.
Just because she is a regular doesn’t mean she’d be in every ep. They could have her doing office work a la Gina and Anderson for a bit while she does additional training ( remember the BAU is basically on the Academ campus). She could be in on phone/cam chats from time to time.
Or heck she could be at the field office and we see her from time to time because we find out that Garcia was right and Reid thinks she’s pretty and actually successfully asks her out.
Who knows at this point.
Just like who knows if Paget will do any pilots, they will be picked up etc. She is just choosing to keep the option open. Folks should be happy that the deal is this way (that this isn’t her last season period, but her last guaranteed one) as their I both a shot she could stay and CBS isn’t being jerks and blocking her from possible, immediate new employment
I believe that it was hinted that Reid was interested in the new girl. He does have a penchant for blonds, right?
Great news for the underrated Nichols. Her work from “The Inside” and “Alias” certainly gives her credibility in the genre.
As much as I feel like I was probably the only person over the age of 15 who enjoyed the 1st GI Joe film, I can’t deny the fact that the movie underperformed at the box office, and any future as a franchise just doesn’t seem likely. The toys may have sold like hotcakes, but they don’t require a movie. Plus, there’s been no concrete news about GI Joe 2, other than the Zombieland scribes are working on a draft, which is really old news now.
The viability of Conan as a franchise is a wait-and-see. I like what I’ve seen so far, but if they stick to the script, <<<<<<>>>>>> Nichols won’t being returning for any sequels.
My apologies, I meant to insert the word “SPOILERS” inside <<<<<<>>>>>>.
Who’s Nicholson?
Agreed. This show doesn’t need that.
why would CBS offer Rachel a full time slot when they have no idea how fans are going to react to her character in the first place? Fans can be fickle and if they don’t like her they may not watch….add her full time and you could be pissing off (more of) your fan base. Basically she is unvetted. CBS lately has made some really odd, odd management decisions.
And I agree, she is set to be very busy in the upcoming year why would she want to tie herself down to a TV franchise?
And if I read that right, kudos to Paget Brewster for sticking to her guns and seemingly making the decision to bow out gracefully after CBS’s not so graceful acts over the summer with her and AJ Cook. They say fame is a fickle thing…apparently so is CBS’s loyalty! Can’t wait to see what happens at the end of this season when 3 major cast members have to negotiate new contracts!!
Perhaps her upcoming year isn’t nearly as busy as you all believe?
Matthew Gray Gubler has shot several movies while still working on the show. She can do both.
As for not liking her? Most people hated Paget after she took over for Lola Glaudini, and most people hated Joe Mantegna after he took over for Mandy Patinkin. Guess what? People are still watching the show, and they have gotten used to those actors being there.
Actually I couldn’t stand Lola and much prefer Paget and I adore Joe Mantegna and was more than happy to see him replace Mandy Patinkin.
I miss Mandy but love Joe. Both would have been awesome together..or a disaster!
Agreed, I prefer Paget (did not like Elle as a character) – and totally support whatever she decides to do with CM or going to another show. CBS had no good reason to mess with such a strong female character.
As for Mandy and Joe I like them about the same. I am disappointed that they got rid of AJ. I guess I can understand that her character wasn’t always the most useful, but she had that unique motherly view of things, and with serial killers so often having “mommy issues” she had her moments.
i hated criminal minds with lola and mandy. elle was so freakin’ terrible! i’m happy that Paget declined the offer of staying in the show. i really, really, love Emily, but during the summer she was kicked in the ass by CBS, and now they want her back? go f*ck themselves. if they didn’t want her to leave they would’ve never reduced her role. after her departure, Criminal Minds is over, for me!
It might be that the viewing panels have received the new character better than CBS / the production thought they would. It can be as simple as that. Fans voice the strongest opinions but they usually make just a small portion of who watches the show.
I understand fans always think they have a strong say and they probably do to some extent but panels are still being used because fans are just a small portion of the big lump of people who watches the show from time to time.
CBS is very much aware of the viewer’s disposition on Seavers character. They wouldn’t put the forums on their web-site if our input was not welcomed, but it is another matter if they actually take them in consideration for the greater good. An overwhelming consensus let it be known that they do not want Agent Seavers character to remain on CM. Let’s wait and see if the viewers choice really matters to CBS or are these forums just to decorate their web-sites. Time will tell.
Rachel Nichols is resplendently awesome. Any show would be lucky to have her. Definitely underrated, with untapped star potential.
And kudos to Paget Brewster (who I still hope scores a comedy worthy of her brilliant talents).
Definitely happy about the Nichols news. She’s a solid actor. Let’s wait and see what happens regarding Brewster.
If the intention was to offer Nichols a fulltime role from the onset I don’t understand why CBS didn’t just leave things as they were, AJ & Paget were/are both solid members that make up this amazing cast on a winning show, I’m still staggered that CBS shot themselves in the foot this way even after the up row from fans.
As a loyal Criminal Minds fan who has watched the show from the very first episode I honestly don’t understand the logic & its ironic how much like AJ Nichols really looks. I respect Paget if that’s the decision she makes but I do hope she stays on full time, and more so I hope they don’t break up this cast any further. I especially hope they don’t take Thomas Gibson out because that’s the day they will have to cancel the show.
I just started watching Criminal Minds (via reruns on Ion) but other than that, I completely agree with your comments. I don’t understand CBS wanting to mix things up when the cast was solid.
I was also thinking how much Nichols looks like AJ Cook. So what was the point of replacing a solid cast member who the audienced liked with someone who resembles her so much?
FBI cadet consults on serial killer case? Kinda like Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs?
Hell, no, I’m not excited. Why bother getting rid of JJ just to replace her with a virtual clone. As someone else here said, the episodes have already started to go downhill. Quite frankly this latest bit of casting news makes me wonder how much longer I’ll bother watching.
I knew this was going to happen.
“She’s only here for 3 episodes”… pfff. I knew they had in my mind to replace AJ since day one. Furthermore, don’t you think Nichols looks just like AJ? What is CBS trying to do? Ruin the greatest show since “The X-Files”.
I’m disappointed, sad and angry. CM is not what is was. Total shame.
Don’t even get me started on how Chris Carter ran X-Files into the ground. One of the best shows in TV history…and it went down in flames.
This isn’t really fair. Why fire AJ only to have her replaced by Rachel Nichols. Quite honestly, I know nothing about Rachel Nichols, I’ve just seen her in G.I.Joe and wasn’t overly impressed. Furthermore, as someone pointed out how can a cadet become a full fledged member of the BAU? It just beggars belief. I hope they are not ruining the show by introducing all these changes. Why give Rachel Nichols a contract?! Just get AJ back! The fans would be happy as well as the cast. I really hope the show doesn’t go downhill from here because I really love it and it’s my favourite, but some things going with the casting just seem illogical.
Sorry for the rant!
I agree, I wish they’d bring AJ back. You can tell things aren’t right without her. I have no problem with Rachel Nichols. I think she’s a fine actress, it’s just odd that you’d get rid of not only a great actress in AJ Cook, but a great character in JJ. They should have never messed with the cast to begin with.
I would hate to see Paget go. I am for new characters. I think Joe replacing Mandy worked out well. Adding new characters allow for more story development.
Somehow, I think this was always in CBS’ plans. The original news back in the summer was that she was coming on as a semi-regular, and the fan uproar then lead to it being “only a 3 episode arc”. Now CBS thinks that things have died down, so let’s just offer her a full contract, fans don’t care that we fired A.J. and replaced her. Sorry to say, the show has changed this season and not for the better. Just another boneheaded move on the part of CBS.
I will say, good for Paget though. They tried screwing her over too, and it’s good to see her sticking to her guns. She rules!
The new character is not a “replacement” for AJ Cook’s JJ – It’s a new character that will add something different to the show.
Clearly the network liked what they’ve seen so far to make Rachel Nichols a regular.
Paget is smart to keep her ammended contract – she’ll be free if she picks up a pilot or two,or available for additional episodes if she doesn’t.
Every CBS show has had made budget related changes either in front of or behind the scenes – AJ Cook was the eaziest to drop as her contract was up. (Don’t forget she was added to the show AFTER the pilot so odds are her contract was slighty different than the original cast members)
I wish the die-hard fans would look at the situation as a whole rather than be over-emotional about a cast member being written off the show – There’s not a single hit show in the history of tv that hasn’t had a change big or small with cast members – main,supporting or reoccuring – it’s a fact of television
I wish most people were as level headed regarding this situation as Herb here, instead of letting blind rage fuel your opinions.
Those are certainly valid points and yes shows have changed over the years cast members have been added and droped in every major tv show but it is also a fact that people tend to like a show for two reasons,a) story and b) characters so when a favoured character disapears people don’t necessarily like that and if it’s done poorly well let’s just say that doesn’t help. And getting angry and maybe vent here and there is really the only thing a fan can do because it sure won’t change
Truth be told, no amount of good acting will make this show any better. It’s a terrible show through and through. Stories are cliched and unnecessarily over-sensationalized; the majority of their “educated” psychological analyses is common sense; and finally, each actor spews one speculative obseration right after another, as if they’re all waiting turns and reinforces the fact that most acting in procedural dramas like CM are all about reading from a script, with no real wiggle room for personal touches from the actors.
But from what I’ve seen from AJ Cook and Rachel Nichols, Nichols is leaps and bounds better as a way more versatile actress.
I am a huge fan of this show, and I still miss JJ/AJ every single week. Now CBS thinks they can swap her out for a new model? Fat chance.
Sorry but I am predisposed to hate Nichols’ character on sight. I don’t care if she performs like Meryl Streep; the way she got this job was totally an insult to both AJ and Paget.
I hope Paget leaves CBS for good, and to be honest I wish the rest of the cast would quit too. And I hope the people at CBS responsible for this mess get some kind of burning itch that can’t be scratched.
Kudos to Paget Brewster for having the backbone to stick to the original contract. The best of CM is now a distant memory – each week the shows writing becomes weaker & weaker. CBS could axe this show along with Two & Half Men (Charlie Sheen’s a dirt bag) and nobody would miss them. Showing AJ Cook the door was the last step in this show’s final spiral into the black abyss!
I am sorry, I love this show but it is slowly turning into the destiny’s child of crime shows. Changing solid cast members every time you blink. After Mandy and Lola left fans really liked the whole family unit these charecers created. The family unit was great and you really belived these peple loved each other. Now there is talk that the new girl may become a love interest of Reid’s (snooze) will totally change the dynamic. If your gonna give him a love interest give him one that is NOT on the team…so soap opera. I love this show but I would rater see it cancelled than turn into some dry, soap opera with a whole different team dynamic. The charecters and the dynamic make the show and CBS keeps messing with it…..oh well there is always re-runs
I like Rachel Nichols as an actress – she was great in both ‘The Inside’ and ‘Alias’. Why oh why though leave AJ Cook go due to budget reasons and then hire a new actress as a series regular. Obviously they just wanted fresh blood (when it wasn’t needn’t) and used the age old excuse – money. Good too for Paget for not being used and trying out for pilots. That said since the show now has Nichols can they hire Jay Harrington – I’d love to see them together again.
Too bad they can’t just bring back The Inside instead. Then add Brewster, since that show had more room for humor. There’s no point adding more guys to CM.
Hotch I am in total agreement with you. The whole situation just sucks. What else are they going to do? Hook her up with one of the main male characters?! If they go the soap opera way then it’s the beginning of the end for CM, it hurts me to say this, but this is how I feel.
And where is Rachel Nichols’ class?! Before anyone jumps on me I just want to say that she’s been gloating on her twitter account about her promotion…AJ just tweeted about feeling expendable when she is amazing and rightfully deserves to be on the show and then I see Nichols gloating as if she’s won an Oscar, it’s just really sad :’(
Just seen Rachels tweets – insensitive or what. Considering she had previously tweeted “I love JJ and Prentiss – i’m doing 3 episodes and will not be replacing anyone. I promise” – woman of her words i see!! The show is Dead to me now and if Paget had any sense she would tell TPTB where they can put there new contract offer!!!
She has not been gloating. She’s excited and has been very gracious about AJ and Paget’s situations. Direct your anger at CBS and the show, not Rachel Nichols who has done nothing but say great things about the cast.
Exactly! Rachel is not the villain here. She is nothing but respectful towards her fans, and in general. She has only merely been expressing her excitement – not gloating.
With all the goings on at CM no-one’s answered the most important question – will Rachel be a redhead in the series ????
As a regular viewer of my favorite show, Criminal Minds, I couldn’t understand why they let “J.J.” go…the show was tight and the team clicked. Now that I see that it was to hire this girl (I’ve never heard of her before reading this article) who looks so much like her I am disappointed in the show. The last several episodes have been so obvious, a 6 year old could figure them out in the first 10 mins. That better get fixed or they will lose this loyal viewer. And I thought something was up when they put Garcia out with the team. Thank goodness she is back to being the cyberwhiz she is! I look forward every week to how she is going to look and act.
As for what CBS thinks of a show’s viewers/fans, it is obvious to me that they don’t give a hoot about what they think. Look how they killed off the venerable soaps Guiding Light and As the World Turns!
Sigh…I guess the Almighty Buck wins another one.