New Criminal Mind – Joe Mantegna

I wrote quite awhile back about Mandy Patinkin leaving “Criminal Minds”. TV Guide announced a couple of days ago that replacing Mandy will be Joe Mantegna.

Joe had previously played a chief of police in a little town called Arcadia, on a show called “Joan of Arcadia”. My wife and I loved that show, and liked Joe’s character in it.

In the weeks since Patinkin’s defection from the hit CBS series, such big names as Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel and Doris Roberts [wink-wink] were tossed around as possible subs. At this point, with Minds being several episodes into production on the new season, Mantegna is not likely to first appear until November sweeps.

Michael Keaton may have been good. I’m a huge Keaton fan. I actually quasi-met him as he was jogging along Highway 1 in Malibu back in 1993. Harvey Keitel would have been too much I think, and I don’t think I would have liked Geena Davis either.

I’m sure he’ll do a good job of filling the shoes left by Patinkin. I’ll have to admit though, the shoes seem a little less big given the stories behind the challenges of dealing with Patinkin on set and his departure from “Criminal Minds”.

If you like “Criminal Minds” you can get all your fill of information at the Criminal Minds Fanatic blog. (Hmmm… who used “fanatic” first?)

• Source: Criminal Minds Trades Inigo Montoya for Joe Mantegna
• Photo Source: And Thou Shalt Honor