“I thought it was something very different”: Mandy Patinkin reveals he regretted starring in Criminal Minds

One of Mandy Patinkin’s most well-known roles is that of Jason Gideon on Criminal Minds. At last, he has opened up about his feelings toward the show. As the show approaches its 20th anniversary in 2025, Patinkin reflects on the role and describes it as one of his more regrettable decisions in his professional life. During an interview with New York Magazine in 2012, Patinkin said:

“The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do Criminal Minds in the first place, “

Jeff Davis was the creator and producer of the show. The focus of the show is a group of knowledgeable criminal profilers who research the nation’s worst offenders. These experts attempt to predict the next move and determine ways to apprehend the offenders. The program aired for fifteen years, beginning in 2005 and ending in 2020. Eventually, the program was renewed as Criminal Minds: Evolution in 2022.

What role did Mandy Patinkin play in Criminal Minds and why did he leave?

The show’s initial lead, Mandy Patinkin, portrayed FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit chief Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon. Patinkin quit after two seasons of the program.

Mandy Patinkin’s character Jason Gideon departed from the BAU in the second episode of season 3, titled “In Name and Blood.” As depicted in his last scene, Gideon, unable to find happiness at work at the BAU, drives off in search of it elsewhere.

Patinkin did not depart from the show alone. At the beginning of season 2, Lola Glaudini, who portrayed Ellie Greenaway, also left the show.

Years later, Erica Messer and the other writers chose to end the life of Mandy Patinkin’s character on the show. They stated that the official reason was “creative differences,” but later the actor spoke up, saying he did not like the dark themes that the show followed.

In the same interview with The New York Magazine, he stated:

” 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. After that, I didnt think I would get to work in television again.”

Mandy Patinkin signed Homeland after Criminal Minds

Mandy Patinkin took a break from television in 2011, although he later made a comeback in the show Homeland on Showtime. He portrayed CIA agent Saul Berenson, who served as Carrie Mathison’s mentor in the show starring Claire Danes. Patinkin was drawn to Homeland by the show’s distinct storytelling, which he thought set it apart from other programs like Criminal Minds, which sometimes concentrated on pointless violence.

Patinkin also shared with New York Magazine that his role in Homeland was an antidote for his previous show:

“A show like Homeland is the antidote. It asks why there’s a need for violence in the first place.”