In the News: Criminal Minds slashes female cast for next season

[mhalachai]

yeah, so, this happened:

Criminal Minds Cuts A.J. Cook, Will Add New Cast Member, Source Says.

The producers essentially fired AJ Cook (JJ) and are trying to cut Paget Brewster to a limited number of shows. All the male actors are coming back.

Oh no they didn't.

There are a bunch of reactions from fans and even the actors on Twitter (ajcookofficial, Pagetpaget, JoeMantegna, Vangsness, Gibsonthomas) but the reason I broke my LJ radio silence (which I have been maintaining because of a severe case of creative block) is because I'd like to share the following:

An open letter to the Producers of Criminal Minds

Sirs,

In a show that features, at its very core, extreme and sadistic violence against women at nearly every turn, it is vital to the balance of Criminal Minds to have strong female characters. For five years, Jennifer Jareau has given Criminal Minds a strong centering influence, a level of humanity, that consistently provides a balance against the violence in the show. It has been recognized more than once on the show that JJ is the first one to filter all cases and all the violence sent the BAU, and she works as a grounding point to the team by virtue of her character and actions. What AJ Cook has built with a character that could have been little more than a puff piece is astonishing, and I urge you to reconsider your decision to not bring her back for the next season of Criminal Minds.

Emily Prentiss portrays a strong, capable female character who is action-oriented, pragmatic, and also capable of a level of empathy with female crime victims that cannot be realistically taken on by any of the male characters in the show. Paget Brewster has taken a character that, in other hands (and even 10 years ago) could have been a shrill caricature, a woman trying to get in the "boys club", with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove, and made Prentiss into an incredibly strong character who adds tremendous value to the show. Sadly, characters like Prentiss are thin on the ground even in 2010, and to lose her presence on the show would be a step backwards for Criminal Minds and CBS.

It is my opinion that the background and history that both Emily Prentiss and Jennifer Jareau have built on the show, and the incredible acting that Paget Brewster and AJ Cook have brought to the ensemble over the years, are invaluable to the success of the show. The loss of JJ, and the reduction of Prentiss's role on the show, will hurt the show beyond what may be sustainable on the long-term, in terms of both gaining new fans and keeping existing ones.

It is also being reported that there are decisions to bring in a new female character to the show. By all means, please bring in new characters to complement the existing cast. The hallmark of a great show is the ability to add and grow. But please don't think that the fan base will be willing to accept the firing of AJ Cook, and the demotion of Paget Brewster. A show as consistently violent as Criminal Minds requires a certain level of trust from its audience, a trust that has built up over the last five years by the entire ensemble of characters, of which JJ and Prentiss (and Ms. Cook and Ms. Brewster) are a vital and irreplaceable part.

Sincerely,

[my name]

I'm going to polish this up over the next few days and then ship it snail-mail off to CBS. But the core of my message can be summed up as:

In a show that features extreme violence against women at every turn, you need strong female characters to play the hero, to show/tell that not all women are victims, that sometimes we can be the strong ones.

So yeah, those are my thoughts on this mess. If you're a Criminal Minds fan and would like to send a message to CBS, please do so (in snail mail format - harder to ignore). Or else you can sign the online petition, or pass around the message. (Sending a message of support to AJ and Paget would not be amiss, either).

---

And if you're not a Criminal Minds fan and you made it this far down... how are things going with you?

Comments

[jaydeyn-sitari.livejournal.com]

That is a really great letter. Have signed and sent stuff elsewhere too. I'm just... ANGRY. D:<

Otherwise, I'm really not enjoying unemployment after graduating, but everything else in my life is going well! I hope that the creative block can get kicked through at some point - I do miss reading your stuff!

Besides ANGRYNESS, how are things with you?

:)
Jaydeyn

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hey, I miss *writing* my stuff. It's been a strange few months... I got a great promotion at work and moved into a better place, so RL is pretty neat at this point.

It's just this creative block that I'm wrestling with. I haven't written anything in months. I wish there was a way to get over this. I miss it.... But now that the move is done, I will be trying to get back to the writing. It's just too bad that it started with thus subject.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

This is the first I've heard of it (I didn't think I'd have to monitor Criminal Minds casting news between seasons - it's a strong, solid ensemble cast ffs), and I'm still too shocked to be very coherent. That letter is excellent, though. And there's over 17,200 signatures on that petition right now, with thirty more in the minute or so between me signing and going back to check the number. Yay fandom?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yeah, of all the shows I thought would be safe from cuts, it was Criminal Minds. As so many people have been saying, if it's not broken... Well, at least it wasn't broken before they started this whole mess.

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

I don't watch CM but your letter has made me decide to do so. Your points are well thought through and make a lot of sense.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

CM is a great ensemble show, especially after they started to expand the role of the cast beyond a Mandy Patikin vehicle (done early in the first season). What I've always liked about it is that the show treats the victims of crime and the survivors with respect.

I recommend watching the show if you like ensemble casts. They've all grown so much over the last five years. I just really hope they changed their minds about this firing debacle :(

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

This is horrible!!! I'm seriously p***ed off :(

But I'm glad to see you're still around, been missing you (yes, it's not just about PoTS! :D)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

It's nuts, this decision. How could anyone think this was a good idea?

I've been lurking a bit on the LJ, keeping an eye on things. can't leave this place, it seems....

[sorceress-death.livejournal.com]

omg, love the icon. ^^

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

It's me, isn't it :D

[snippy]

Yeah, I'm angry. As I wrote in a comment elseNet, if there are so few women in the Criminal Minds world, perhaps there ought to be that few in the audience, too. And can we just say, Bechdel Test?

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

Sadly, these guys do not want women as a demographic watching their show: if they do replace these two women with another female character, she will be more girl than woman, in order to attract the coveted Young Male Demographic that they're going for.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Bechdel Test
the only non-work related conversations I can recall JJ and Garcia having in recent months have been about Henry (the baby), but I don't think that counts... although when there's only Garcia and 0.47 of Emily, that cuts down on any conversation between women on the show.

I really have no idea what on earth those producers could have been thinking.

[snippy]

It just grinds my *ss to get this peak into their heads and notice that women aren't important. I mean, I know that's a true generalization, but must they reveal it so prominently?

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

Perhaps unsurprisingly, despite the fact that I have friends who tried to get me into the show, I was turned off by what looked like the show's presentation of violence against frightened, powerless women as entertainment. So I never got into it, and I'm unsurprised that TPTB are doing this.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

It's not everyone's cup of tea, but Criminal Minds is pretty consistent in giving victims agency (and generally those who fight back, live). This isn't a decision by the showrunner, it's the network executives.

[mayireadtoday.livejournal.com]

Nicely written.

[emony2.livejournal.com]

I only found out about this yesterday - and signed the petition minutes later.

That's a fantastically well written letter and I totally agree with it.

Life isn't fantastic - I'm hiding in fic and not saying much. You?

[ladybug-rjc.livejournal.com]

I'm not a Criminal Minds fan but I made it through your whole message because I'm always interested when networks do stupid things to show that work well for them, and how the fan base reacts also. Also, if mattered so passionately to you, it was worth listening to the argument, at least to see if I could be spurred to help the cause (or pass any notes for making it better). Also, I was just curious. Good luck with the upcoming crusade to tell CBS they are stupid fucks.

Also, things go well :) thanks for asking :P

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I think the best call to action, in any fandom, is to support the call for strong characters of all sorts, male and female, and to push the networks for situations that are reflective of modern life. And in 2010, there are strong women out there serving alongside men in law enforcement, the military, in education and in corporations. Yeah, life ain't perfect, but in some ways we're light years ahead of what's reflected on some tv shows.

I'm glad you're good! *sends happy June thoughts*

[ladybug-rjc.livejournal.com]

June has been good. Just got back from a trip to Germany. Unfortunately, that means catching up on television this weekend.

Love the icon. Out of curiosity, have you caught any of the new Who? We make a whole day of it ("WhoDay") and have fun watching it as a group.

[azraelz-angel.livejournal.com]

Wow. This really... I think your letter is amazing. Thank you for the link to the Twitters...the stars seem just as stunned as we are. Wow. I just, it really hurts me because I love Criminal Minds and I just can't imagine Criminal Minds without JJ & Emily.

[sorceress-death.livejournal.com]

Yay, it was only a writing block! Not ya know, anything wrong. That would have been bad.

Work and all goes good for you?

[beatrice_otter]

I've written my letter, but I'm not sure who to send it to. I was figuring, a copy to every person listed as a producer/exec producer through 2010 on IMDB, c/o the main CBS mailing address?