Is Joe Mantegna's Character A Rip-Off of Mandy Patinkin's on Criminal Minds?

Last Friday on the Criminal Minds Fanatic Blog, Criminal Minds Executive Producer Ed Benero announced that Joe Mantegna would be replacing Mandy Patinkin, who unexpectedly left the show earlier this summer.

In the CBS press release regarding the addition of Mantegna, it was stated that Mantegna will be playing Special Agent Rossi. Rossi is described as "an original member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit who took early retirement to go on lecture and book tours, and has volunteered to return to the unit."

Let's flash back to how Mandy Patinkin's character, Jason Gideon, originated on the show:

In the premiere episode, Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) secretly evaluated SSA Jason Gideon to verify if he was ready to come back to work after a six-month leave of absence. Granted, Gideon's leave of absence was due to his breakdown after six of his agents were killed, leaving Gideon with a strong sense of guilt; Rossi's character is returning voluntarily after retirement. Either way, both of these characters are older, extremely experienced, and returning to the unit after an absence.

As my readers know, I love Criminal Minds (it's one of my favorite shows) and it's my strong affinity for it that craves the best from the show, which is why I'm being hard on it now. Criminal Minds had an opportunity when Patinkin left, and now it's a question of whether or not they truly jumped on it and seized it.

I'm not sure they did. I'll also be the first to say that maybe I'm jumping the gun here as I obviously haven't seen Mantegna in an episode yet. (According to CBS, Mantegna will join the cast in the fifth episode.) This is my initial reaction. Who knows - maybe the character development will blow me away. Midseason I promise to reflect on Mantegna's character and admit whether or not I'm completely wrong here. But for now, I'm not too sure Criminal Minds made the best decision.

Why did these circumstances have to be looked at as "Who will replace Mandy Patinkin?" Why couldn't it be, "We have a character opening. Let's build a brand new character." OR what about, "Let's not cast someone else right away. Let's develop our awesome six leads even further and see what they can do alone."

It would make more than enough sense for Hotchner to move up and become the single role model and leader of the current BAU team. He could confidently fill Gideon's shoes. The new character doesn't have to be someone who is young and new to the FBI world, but it didn't have to be a close replica of Jason Gideon either. Mantegna is a great actor. It's just that he emits the same mysterious, dark sense that Patinkin did. The characters are too similar.

Some fans wanted to see a woman in the role, while others have argued it wouldn't be too accurate as the BAU is a heavily male dominated field. Yet this is TV, not real life, and it wouldn't be too bad to have another strong female role on TV. Take Glenn Close on Damages - she is beyond extraordinary - imagine having another woman of her caliber on Criminal Minds?

Or there's situation two, which was to not pick anyone. I'm confused as to why a replacement had to happen so quickly. Mandy Patinkin does have quite a fan base and originally he may have been the reason why so many people tuned into Criminal Minds. But the show was brilliantly written and the other actors - Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, AJ Cook and Kirsten Vangsness - more than held up their ends of the show. While Patinkin's Gideon was a role model and mentor to those characters, he didn't solely hold the show together. Those talented actors could more than carry a season alone. We've only been let in on little parts of their characters' lives, so it's not as if their stories are used up. We still have so much to learn. In addition to that, each episode is mostly about a case and the unsub, with bits and pieces of the main BAU team scrambled in. Who said seven is a lucky number? Why can't it be six?

The Jack Myers Emotional Connections® Research Study shows that 78.2% of Criminal Minds viewers watch the show frequently, and 72% of the viewers also say that the show is relevant to them and reflects their viewing interests. Mandy Patinkin wasn't exclusively responsible for those high numbers. It's the cast as a whole, as well as the stories, that contribute to its high regard among viewers. And, one new character won't make those numbers crumble either.

In the end, I trust Criminal Minds that they have made the right decision, or at least through the show's writing, that they will turn this decision into the right one. The fans, myself included, love the show and are sure to continue to remain loyal. If nothing else, our friends Hotchner, Prentiss, Morgan, Reid, Jareau, and Garcia will keep us watching until the very end.