Clip It: Each day, Jon Davis looks at the world of trailers, featurettes and clips and puts it all in perspective.
When I was a kid, I got really into the Nintendo video game, Kung Fu. I used the kick button exclusively. I kicked the bad guys. I kicked the level bosses. I kicked and kicked until I won. Maybe Thomas Gibson did, too. and maybe he never outgrew Kung-Fu because he was fired last week from the CBS procedural Criminal Minds for kicking someone.
I know what you are thinking. What's the big deal? Who hasn't been kicked, even if by accident? But trust me, it's not good to be on a set where this is happening. It might seem fine as long as it's not you, but once a 54-year-old actor comes at you with his outstretched foot, it doesn't seem like a good time anymore.
I've never seen Criminal Minds, but Thomas Gibson's been on the show for eleven seasons. That's a lot of seasons for viewers to get to know one guy. People have grown up on him. And now his character looks like he's going to be unceremoniously booted (heh) off the show somewhere in the middle of the second episode of the new season.
How are they going to explain that? One minute he's solving a gruesome case, and the next minute he's gone missing? Will they make him the victim of another murder? Or should they replace the actor but not the character? Certainly it worked for the show Bewitched. No one even noticed when the producers changed out the husband on that show. Why can't it work here? How many people have played James Bond? Batman? War Machine? Why can't someone else play – hold on while I check IMDB – FBI Agent Aaron Hotchner (that doesn't exactly roll of the tongue). Let's not let the character suffer because the man who played him has the knee reflexes of a champion. Agreed? Rumor has it that this is the new leader of the Criminal Minds investigative team:
Thank you for hearing me out. Now kick back and enjoy the rest of your day.