It's not going to be Harvey Keitel or Geena Davis or Michael Keaton or even Rosie O'Donnell. The new person in charge on Criminal Minds is Joe Mantegna.
The CBS show hired Mantegna over the weekend, ending speculation over who would replace Mandy Patinkin, who has already left the show and will not be making anymore appearances. Besides classic movies such as House of Games and Bugsy, Mantegna costarred on the USA series The Starter Wife earlier this summer, was on the gone-but-not-forgotten drama Joan of Arcadia, does the voice of Fat Tony on The Simpsons, and made a poor substitute for Robert Urich when they made those Spenser movies on cable (nothing against Mantegna, he was quite good, it just wasn't Spenser, you know?).
No word yet on how they'll write out Patinkin or how Mantegna's character will join the team, though some episodes are already done and Patinkin's abscence will be explained in the season premiere.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-13-2007 @ 1:43PM
Flutesong said...
He looks familiar, but I have no real memories of his acting that impressed me in anything. I wonder if they will have him portray an ethnic background - Italian? Hispanic? Jewish? Maybe he will come to the profiling section from violent crimes, RICO division? That would add something, I suppose. I will watch with an open mind, but I will miss Mandy, as I am sure everyone will.
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8-14-2007 @ 12:22AM
Michael said...
Joe will be an excellent addition to the CM team. He easily has the same sort of acting chops as Mandy Patinkin and he has a similar "low key" style of acting that is so good one almost forgets he is acting out a role. I've seen him handle some strong roles and he's a welcome addition in my book. It won't matter much to me how they explain the sudden switch between the two actors. After all, within one commercial break it is back to "business as usual" no matter what fanciful reason the writers come up with. There is enough background and enough drama already running in the CM world that one more story will mesh into their universe quite easily. I doubt that many viewers will give it more than a slight once over before moving ahead next season.
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8-14-2007 @ 8:24AM
Michael Moncur said...
Hallelujah! I never thought of Mantegna for the role but he's perfect. He's one of my favorite actors, and he has the same ability to switch from comedy to drama in a heartbeat as Mandy Patinkin.
The only thing they could do wrong is try to make him a clone of Gideon - instantly a loved mentor to the team. He should be a different character, and the team has no reason to trust him right away.
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9-08-2007 @ 11:36AM
Lynn said...
i watched the show mainly b/c of mandy......gideon's character makes the show what it is. not sure if this change will make or break the show but i'll watch the beginning season to see if they can keep me interested in the show. mandy will be missed. joe was good in joan of arcadia but the show didn't last long. CBS you keep messing your good shows up....
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9-11-2007 @ 11:01PM
Nabby said...
I agree with Mr. Moncur (3): Hallelujah! A surprise choice but good. He'll probably be low-key, like Mandy, but most likely with a more mellow demeanour -- he captured that jovial, laid-back quality perfectly in his portrayal of Dean Martin -- the Clown Prince of Cool -- in a recent flick about the Rat Pack.
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10-31-2007 @ 10:14PM
RPeters said...
I did not care for tonights episode with Joe Mantegna. He was overpowering the other characters/actors who have worked hard and mesh together very well. He has to earn his position. I miss Guideon.
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11-07-2007 @ 12:30AM
Sara said...
I am so disappointed with the fact that they added Joe Mantegna to the cast. In my opinion, he is very annoying. I think that the show was fine the way it was and they are making a mistake by adding him to the cast. I love the show and watch it every week, but with him there I don't think I will want to watch it anymore. :(
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