Source:
NBC, Variety, Zap2it
Posted on: Tue, Jul 17, 2007 12:33:57
Written By: Michael Dance
MichaelDance@TheCinemaSource.com
On the small screen, a handful of high-profile casting changes have hit some big shows.
First of all, Criminal Minds star Mandy Patinkin has left the show, and will appear in only one episode in the upcoming third season to explain his character's future absence. Patinkin's reps released a statement saying the departure was due to creative differences, and "he looks forward to continuing to work with the Disney and CBS companies in other capacities in the future." (We all know he really left, though, because his name is Inigo Montoya, they killed his father, so...prepare to die.)
Unfortunately, according to the show's exec producer, Patinkin handled the situation less than smoothly: by not showing up to work the first day. Criminal Minds has enjoyed ever-rising ratings over the past two seasons and even beat rival Lost's numbers a few times during the whole Lost beginning-of-season-three-backlash period. With its star gone, it will be interesting to see how it holds up.
Meanwhile...over at NBC, Mr. Foot in his Mouth, a.k.a. Isaiah Washington, has landed a role for at least five episodes on the upcoming sci-fi drama Bionic Woman. Washington was fired from Grey's Anatomy thanks largely due to his inability to stop referring to co-star T.R. Knight as a "faggot."
It's a risky move for NBC to cast such a polarizing figure in the new show they're probably the most hopeful about. Over the past few weeks, since his firing, Washington has been all too happy to desperately attempt to keep the limelight on himself, first by publicly blaming Knight for exploiting Washington's use of the anti-gay slur, then by blaming other co-star Patrick Dempsey for provoking him into saying it, then saying he was fired from Grey's because he's black. Grey's, by the way, was created and is run by African-American woman Shonda Rhimes. |
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