Criminal Minds: Why Mandy Patinkin's Jason Gideon Left After Season 2

The following article includes discussion of sexual assault and suicide.

Mandy Patinkin didn't quite know what he was getting into when he signed on to play Jason Gideon in "Criminal Minds," a show that he abruptly departed after just two seasons. 

A high-ranking member of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, Gideon is tasked with surveying and confronting violent criminals. The character frequently finds himself investigating serial killers, as well as crimes involving grim subject material like sexual violence and suicide. Reeling from the emotional toll of past cases and the murder of his girlfriend, Sarah Jacobs (Moira Squier), Gideon suddenly retires at the beginning of "Criminal Minds" Season 3. When Patinkin left the series in 2007, he only cited creative differences as the reason for his decision, though he finally opened up about the matter in more detail during a 2012 interview with New York Magazine.

Patinkin revealed that he regretted starring in a show like "Criminal Minds," adding that he'd originally been unaware of the show's disturbing content. "The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do 'Criminal Minds' in the first place," he said. "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 didn't think I would get to work in television again."

Given the unexpected nature of Mandy Patinkin's exit from "Criminal Minds," it's not surprising that he never returned to guest-star on the CBS police procedural. Even so, the first two episodes of Season 3 weren't the last viewers would hear of Jason Gideon. Throughout subsequent seasons of "Criminal Minds," characters occasionally bring him up in conversation. Meanwhile, several flashback scenes feature previously filmed footage of Patinkin. 

After parting ways with "Criminal Minds," Patinkin never addressed the possibility of coming back, and the show officially concluded Gideon's arc in Season 10, in which the character is murdered off screen. Patinkin's choice to quit the series is broadly considered among the most shocking "Criminal Minds" actor departures. 

The repeated over-the-top violence against women in "Criminal Minds" didn't just catch Patinkin's attention. Commonly criticized for its portrayal of female victims and graphic depictions of torture, "Criminal Minds" earned a reputation for taking things too far. Still, while this approach ended Patinkin's tenure as Gideon in Season 3, the skilled criminal profiler remains a critical part of the early days of "Criminal Minds."