Forest Witaker to headline 'Criminal Minds' Spin-Off

[WyldeMan45]

My first thought is what the ****? And my second thought is what the ****? So they apparently thought that Fishburne worked out on CSI so well, let's get ol' Forest Whitaker for crime tv too? Morons! Isn't the "incredibly gifted leader who's been out of action for years" spin EXACTLY how they introduced Joe Mantegna when Mandy Patinkin left?


Oscar winner Forest Whitaker is nearing a deal to headline CBS’ in-the-works spin-off of Criminal Minds, sources confirm to me semi-exclusively.

Whitaker would play Cooper, the new team’s fiercely loyal and intensely private leader. A former star profiler in the BAU, Coop’s been off the grid for the last eight years — leaving only a trail of rumors in his wake.

Minds 2.0 will follow the NCIS/NCIS: LA model in that the new team will be introduced in an episode of Minds this spring before being launched into their own show next fall. Seasoned industry professionals like myself refer to it as a “planted” spin-off.

This is Whitaker’s first regular TV gig since his mesmerizing turn as Michael Chiklis’ arch-nemesis, Jon Kavanaugh, on The Shield.