Joe Mantegna has joined the cast of Criminal Minds, just weeks after Mandy Patinkin quit the TV drama. Patinkin left Criminal Minds after not showing up for a script read-through when he realised his case-cracking character, Jason Gideon, was being written out of the show.

To fill the void left by Patinkin, producers have now hired veteran star Mantegna, who has appeared in movies including The Godfather: Part III and the TV series Joan of Arcadia, to play a new detective character.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)