TVSquad

If I were an executive at CBS, I would never want to do business with actor Mandy Patinkin again. Even though Mandy is a terrific actor and one of my personal favorites -- I loved him on Broadway in Evita and Sunday in the Park with George, not to mention on screen in The Princess Bride and Yentl -- his history with CBS is abominable.

He was an Emmy-winning star on Chicago Hope, then left after a couple of seasons to be closer to his family in New York. Okay, that was understandable. Then after getting Criminal Minds off to a great start, he walked out of that show, citing creative differences.

Apparently, someone has said let bygones be bygones because Mandy Patinkin will be a guest star on Three Rivers. Maybe because this is a very personal issue with Mandy, he's convinced the powers that be to let him return to the network, albeit for just a guest appearance.

In real life, Mandy suffered from keratoconus, a degenerative disorder of the eye. He was afraid of losing his sight. He received a corneal implant to improve his eyesight and now is an advocate of organ transplant. He's doing the show to draw attention to the cause.

Mandy will not be playing himself, which might have been way too much like a public service announcement -- "Hi, I'm Mandy Patinkin and I've had a corneal implant." He'll be a character who comes to Three Rivers looking for a transplant.

[Catch up with clips and episodes of Criminal Minds and Three Rivers at SlashControl.]