Can Criminal Minds Survive Without Mandy Patinkin?

CBS's team of hotshot profilers will have to do without the legendary Jason Gideon next season. The actor who played the character on the show Criminal Minds didn't show up for work and will no longer be in the cast.

Although Mr. Patinkin issued a statement saying that creative differences were behind is departure, questions still swirl as to why he left. Some other questions fans might have is how the show will handle his absence and whether the show can survive without him.

It would seem that executive producer Ed Bernero has his doubts. In The New York Times, he speaks of Patinkin's fanbase and says the show was written around Jason Gideon. Comments from some fans on message boards and blogs seem to give credence to these fears. However the show has more going for it than just one actor.

While it's true that Mandy Patinkin is the most well known actor on the show, the rest of the cast are strong actors. Two of them also could probably claim their own fanbase. Thomas Gibson, who plays Hotch, worked with Patinkin on the show Chicago Hope, than played Greg on the sitcom Dharma and Greg. Shemar Moore (Morgan) was a long time cast member of the daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless. The other actors are best known for Criminal Minds, but they are important to the show.