On-set altercations and a moral crisis: How Criminal Minds lost its three leading men
After 15 seasons and 324 episodes, Criminal Minds finally came to an end in February. Whether you were a fan or not, the CBS drama’s long run is impressive. But over the years, the series became as known for its off-camera drama as it was for its wildly gruesome crime scenes. In fact, the show was back in the news this week after California’s Department Of Fair Employment And Housing took steps against what it characterizes as an “unchecked” environment of “intimidating, hostile, and offensive” behavior from Gregory St. Johns, the show’s director of photography. And it’s not just behind-the-scenes talent that had issues on the series. Here’s how Criminal Minds lost its three original leading men.
Mandy Patinkin leaves the show
When Criminal Minds launched in 2005, Mandy Patinkin was the draw. But the former Chicago Hope star left the crime drama at the start of season three, citing “creative differences.” But in a 2012 interview with New York magazine, the actor revealed it was the personal toll the series took on him that led to his departure: “The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do Criminal Minds in the first place. 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.”
