Mandy Patinkin left Criminal Minds during season three due to the violence of the show, only to join Homeland in 2011 as a title character for the series.
Mandy Patinkin was part of the first three seasons of the hit crime procedural drama series, Criminal Minds as Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon.
He was part of the original core seven members of the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU), before the changes that would occur in the years that followed.
After three seasons of being the empathic mentor and heart of the show, Patinkin decided to leave due to “creative differences.” However, the creative differences that led to his decision were considered hypocritical when he joined Homeland in 2011.
Who is Mandy Patinkin?
Born Mandel Bruce Patinkin, Mandy Patinkin is a 69-year-old thespian and musician with roots in musical theatre. He has been working in the industry since 1978, starting off in small television productions.
While he went on to act in other roles for both the theatre and television, one of his first memorable roles was as Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon on Criminal Minds.
He was part of the original core-seven members of the FBI’s BAU when it premiered in 2005. He decided to leave the show under a dark cloud in 2007, which has followed him to this day.
Why did Mandy Patinkin decide to leave Criminal Minds?
Mandy Patinkin’s character, Jason Gideon was introduced on Criminal Minds during the pilot episode in 2005 titled Extreme Aggressor.
When Gideon was introduced, he had just returned from a six-month medical leave after he experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The PTSD was triggered by Gideon witnessing the killing of six agents under his supervision while they were profiling a bomber. Gideon bore the burden of the loss as he believed that it was his fault.
His empathic nature onscreen is one of the reasons that he is still remembered to this day, despite his early departure during season three.
Moreover, it seems that Gideon was not the only empath, as Patinkin’s decision to leave the show was also allegedly influenced by the violence and misogyny that is depicted on the series, which resulted in his character leaving the FBI’s BAU behind.
Criminal Minds’ official statement on Mandy Patinkin’s departure
At the time of Mandy Patinkin’s departure from Criminal Minds in 2007, fans were taken aback by his abrupt exit. In response to his departure, the series released a statement citing “creative differences” as the reason Patinkin decided to leave the show.
However, the series did wish him well in his future endeavours, suggesting that there was no animosity.
Nevertheless, the vague and standard statement left room for speculation, especially as Patinkin would take years to reveal his reason for leaving Criminal Minds.
Mandy Patinkin reveals real reason for Criminal Minds’ exit
During a 2012 interview with Deadline, almost six years after he left Criminal Minds, Mandy Patinkin revealed how being part of the crime procedural drama was his biggest public mistake by stating:
“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.”
Mandy Patinkin, a hypocrite?
In 2011, Mandy Patinkin premiered as part of the main cast of espionage thriller drama series, Homeland, as Saul Berenson.
By the time he revealed his reason for leaving Criminal Minds, Homeland was in its second season, which resulted in his reason being called hypocritical, considering the alleged excessive violence which was on the series.
Since Patinkin claimed that he was worried about the effect that Criminal Minds had on the psyche of its viewers, it was considered ironic that he described Homeland as “the antidote.”
Moreover, he added that he believes that as opposed to Criminal Minds, “It asks why there’s a need for violence in the first place.”
Conclusion
For the first three seasons of the CBS hit crime procedural drama series, Criminal Minds, Mandy Patinkin was part of the original core-seven main characters and members of FBI’s BAU.
When he left in 2007, during season three, his reasons for leaving were cited as “creative differences.”
In 2012, Patinkin would eventually reveal why he left Criminal Minds, after joining the cast of Homeland.
He cited the violence and the misogyny portrayed weekly on the show as his reason for leaving, which resulted in the end of Jason Gideon’s journey.