I Don’t Know - aka the perpetual post

(Exec Producer Ed Bernero and Shemar Moore)
By now, I’m sure most of you know about the situation with the Criminal Minds writers. According to a blog called TheTwoCents, five CM writers will not be returning for season five. I think that’s an incredible number - staggering really. Some of the writers cite personal reasons and the wish to move on to different projects, while others say that the economy has forced CBS to make some painful budget cuts. The writers are: Holly Harold, Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Deb Fisher, and Andrew Wilder.
I received an email from a reader, who wrote:
I am having a hard time understanding why a show in the top 10 nearly every week is losing writers. Who are they going to get to create a whole season of stories?
I don’t know. Another question: is the economy the only thing behind this seemingly sudden upheaval? I don’t know. I know that CM preforms strongly every week, even pulling in great numbers in second place behind American Idol. I don’t know if the economy has effected other shows - though Jay Leno is making the move from late night to prime time in an effort to save millions of dollars for NBC. Cable channels seem to be doing well, as more people stay home during tough times. At home, they watch TV, so they’re not giving up cable and DSL yet. So I don’t know. The economy has forced several CBS affiliates to cut positions, but I don’t know about the big boys. There are a lot of “I don’t knows,” and I’m sorry I can’t offer an answer. I wish I knew, but I do think the terrible economy is to blame. It has hit some areas very hard, and I think it’s caught up to TV. It is terrible that so many writers had to go - though again, five just seems like a huge number to me. I’m sure they’ll pull together a great season five - there has been absolutely no hint of rumor of CM being canceled, so I think they’ll just have to dig in and make it work with fewer people.
Again, I apologize for the lack of information. There is so little out there on it or on CBS’s struggles with budgetary issues. As soon as something concrete comes up, I’ll let you know.
Update: As it happens, Yahoo has a video on Hollywood cutting budgets, even those of huge stars like Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, and Scarlet Johansson. You can check that out here.
One more update: I just wanted to talk a little bit about the possibility of actors being let go. This has not been mentioned in any news report, nor is CBS saying that. I think that if worst came to worst, they would not hire high profile guest stars like they have in the past. They would cut down on extras. I don’t think that they will let go one of the stars of the show. There are so many cuts to make before that would even become a consideration. They can forgo yearly raises, cut back on some production costs and/or salaries; there are ways to do this without changing the fundamental structure of the show. Losing five writers is very sad and a very big deal. While it doesn’t exactly bode well, it does indicate that the show is making tough decisions so it can remain on air. I don’t think this is a case of CBS/ABC studios being the big meanies. I think that they’re doing what they can to provide quality content cost effectively. Our economic situation is in many ways unprecedented. It’s terrible, and my heart goes out to the writers. I really do feel so sad at this. But - I don’t think we need to worry about losing any actors. Until we hear something definitively, I’m going to assume it’s business as usual for the BAU. They’ll make do with a smaller bullpen of writers and continue to do the best job on TV.
Yet another update: Last month, I wrote a post on two CBS procedurals that may be in danger of cancellation. These were Cold Case and Without a Trace. The ratings didn’t support the amount of money it takes to produce these shows. They’re working on cost cutting measures, but these shows may be canceled. I haven’t heard a word about CM being canceled, nor an actor being let go. Recently, I was given the advice to stay away from reporting rumors, and I am heeding that. I haven’t read any news reports that indicate that an actor will be let go, and believe me, I’ve searched high and low for them so I can report them to you. And I’ll continue to look. In the meantime, we have a new episode to look forward to on Wednesday and some excellent guest stars coming up. I’m going to try to enjoy them and wait to react to cast changes if and when they occur.


Tonight’s episode is “Masterpiece.” Jason Alexander (from Seinfeld) guest stars as a serial killer. He confesses to killing seven people and says more will die, so the team has to both interrogate him and search for the victims while he plays this little game.



E! had this on their website - which also has great news/spoilers on a bunch of shows. Check it out
I have a lot of respect for AJ Cook because not only did she just have a baby, she looks incredible, AND she’s back on TV. With her sassy new ‘do, she looks great. What I like about her so much is that she isn’t an unhealthy person. She looks wonderful, and she’s losing her baby weight in a healthy, safe way. In an interview with Health Magazine, she says:

Kristen Vangsness may play a savvy audio/visual tech girl on CBS’ “Criminal Minds,” but she sure isn’t as wise when it comes to her red carpet fashion choices. At the same event as Hal Sparks, Kristen appeared as if she were channeling her inner Madonna (circa 1980s) with those gloves slash inner dominatrix with that corset belt slash inner June Cleaver with that puffy dress. This, in the end, equaled an outer disaster. Which we, unfortunately, had to witness.
Criminal Minds is up against some tough competition on Wednesday nights: American Idol pulled in 25.6 million viewers according to the Nielsen ratings. CM was second with 14 million viewers, up from last week by over half a million viewers. Lost was third with 8.8, and Scrubs had 5.3 million viewers. Against AI, I think CM does an outstanding job, and when AI ends, I think the numbers will be even better. 
Do you want to know a secret? Shhh…I used to work nights at a store and during slow times, I read the trashy celebrity magazines. Will Brad leave Jen? Is Britney Spears pregnant? (this gives you an idea of the time period anyway). So, I came across this article from Star Magazine - I wasn’t reading it, I swear. But it was about Thomas Gibson, so I took a look. I love him, I love Hotch. I would marry either one of them. Anyway, here’s what the article says:
April 29 brings “The Big Wheel,” guest starring Alex O’Laughlin, formerly of Moonlight:
Dr. Spenser Reid. I think this is because we would all love to take him home and take care of him, like a lovable puppy. Well, at least I do. Prentiss was close behind in second place. While Matthew Gray Gubler is always dressed fabulously in real life, his fictional counterpart might need some work. But then again, he wouldn’t be him if he looked different, would he? Like Garcia. If she dressed in dark FBIish suits, she’d be far less Garcia-ish. Maybe, though, we could move away from the cardigan sweaters Spenser wears. Please. You can still be dorky and quirky without a cardigan.
CM offering is “House on Fire.” The team has to track down an arsonist who is terrorizing a small town. Now, the past two weeks I’ve been doing live blogging, which is sort of like a chat. And I was thrilled when someone came on to chat! And last week, thrilled again. Until after the show ended, and I realized that I missed THREE PEOPLE! I have to approve the comments, which appear on the side of the screen. Once I approve you, your comments move to my main screen. So I put my focus on that main screen, neglecting the side. So I missed some people, which made me feel awful! One poor reader was trying to ask a question and I totally ignored it. Unintentionally, of course, but I still felt bad. It’s totally my fault. 