Forest Whitaker, meet your new boss.
West Wing Emmy winner Richard Schiff is joining CBS’ Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior in the role of FBI director Jack Fickler, sources confirm to me exclusively.
Schiff—who most recently starred on the ill-fated Fox drama Past Life—will debut in the first episode of the spin-off, which is slated to launch at midseason.
CM: SB stars Whitaker as the head of an elite team of agents within the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. The cast also includes Janeane Garofalo, Matt Ryan, Michael Kelly, Beau Garrett, and Minds mainstay Kirsten Vangsness.
Showing posts with label Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. Show all posts
Thursday, August 5, 2010
'Criminal Minds' spin-off adds former 'West Wing'-er Richard Schiff
Monday, July 19, 2010
It's Official: Double 'Criminal Minds' Duty For Kirsten Vangsness Next Season
LOS ANGELES - July 19, 2010 — Kirsten Vangsness, who stars as Penelope Garcia in the CBS drama CRIMINAL MINDS, will also join the midseason series CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR as a series regular. Garcia, a computer wizard who helps research cases, will play the same role and support the "Suspect Behavior" BAU team headed up by Special Agent Sam Cooper, played by Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker.
"In reality, the real BAU teams share analysts, so it made sense for us to combine the positions on TV," explained CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR Executive Producer Chris Mundy. "On a personal note, Kirsten is amazing, both personally and professionally. Her talent will make our new series that much better both on screen and behind the scenes."
"I'm super excited to be invited onto the series," said Vangsness. "The cast is astounding and I love playing this character."
CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR will star Forest Whitaker, Janeane Garofolo, Matt Ryan, Michael Kelly and Beau Garrett. CRIMINAL MINDS and CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR are produced by ABC Television Studios in association with CBS Television Studios. The executive producers are Chris Mundy, Edward Allen Bernero, Mark Gordon and Deborah Spera.
Friday, July 16, 2010
'Criminal Minds' Co-Star Kirsten Vangsness To Reprise Her Role On 'Minds' Spinoff?
Quirky FBI computer technician Penelope Garcia may be pulling a double duty this coming season. I hear that CBS has approached Criminal Minds co-star Kirsten Vangsness to also appear on the upcoming Criminal Minds spinoff, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, on a regular or recurring basis. The network is already employing such cross-pollinating on NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles. Rocky Carroll, regular on the original series, also recurs on the spinoff, playing the same character, NCIS director Leon Vance.
With her multi-colored hair, sassy attitude and street smarts, Garcia is one of the standout characters on Criminal Minds with devoted following. The network no doubt hopes her popularity among Criminal Minds fans would give a boost to the new series, slated to launch in midseason. Because of the mostly stationary setup – her character spends most of her time behind her computer desk - I hear Vangsness usually works one day a week on the mothership series and could fit in filming scenes for the spinoff too. Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior stars Forest Whitaker as Cooper, a former star profiler in the Behavioral Analysis Unit who now runs a team that exists outside of FBI bureaucracy. Janeane Garofalo recently joined the cast of the series as a new female lead, a highly competent FBI agent on Cooper's team.
Criminal Minds made headlines last month with the network's decision not to pick up series regular A.J. Cook, who will wrap up her character's storyline in two episodes this fall. The original series is planning to add a new female character sometime next season.
