Mandy Patinkin only played the role of Jason Gideon in two seasons of Criminal Minds, but it’s a role the actor deeply regrets. Criminal Minds premiered 20 years ago, centering around a team of FBI profilers that get inside the psyches of the suspects to locate them and make an arrest. Using potential motivations and other mitigating factors, the team has spent 15 seasons of their original series, and two of the revived Criminal Minds: Evolution, taking down these gruesome killers. However, Patinkin, who played the former Behavior Analysis Unit Chief, opened up in a previous interview with New York Magazine about his shock at the show’s dark content.
“I thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year. It was very destructive to my soul and my personality. After that, I didn’t think I would get to work in television again.”
Despite reservations about continuing as Gideon, Patinkin filmed a second season of Criminal Minds, but it was after this that his exit became inevitable. Even though Patinkin exited after Season 2, the character wasn’t killed off until the tenth season of the police procedural. In a different interview with 92NY, Patinkin recounted the level of “darkness” he had to bring himself to play Gideon. According to the actor, he intertwined reality with twisted fiction to bring the series to life for himself. However, regardless of his reservations, the one thing he does not fully regret is the hefty paycheck that comes with starring in a hit series.
I’m glad I got the money… but I’m not proud of it.
Several Actors Left Criminal Minds At The Peak Of Its Success
Patinkin may have been the first significant exit in Criminal Minds, but he was far from the first actor to leave during the height of the series. Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore, stunned viewers when he left the show in Season 14 after originating the role of Derek Morgan in Season 2. Moore went on to star as the lead in his own series on the same network, S.W.A.T., which is still airing after avoiding cancelation twice. AJ Cook and Paget Brewster also left their roles, albeit temporarily, with both women returning to the series until the conclusion of Criminal Minds on CBS and the revival on Paramount+.
Thomas Gibson had perhaps the most infamous exit in Criminal Minds history, with his exit coming from an abrupt firing. Out of all the actors who either quit or were fired from the show, Gibson appears to be the one with the door being closed forever. According to Variety, the actor was fired after a violent incident with a producer on the set of Criminal Minds.
Patinkin’s character largely had minimal impact on the series after his exit, but his legacy was thrust into the forefront during the show’s latest season. Desperate Housewives alum Felicity Huffman joined the series earlier this year, playing the wife of the late Jason Gideon. It’s currently unknown if she will return for future seasons, but the door remains open.