10 Actors Who HATED Making TV Shows
5. Mandy Patinkin - Criminal Minds
Police procedural series Criminal Minds was originally led by the terrific Mandy Patinkin in the role of FBI profiler Jason Gideon, but despite receiving wide acclaim for his performance, Patinkin quit the show at the end of its second season.
Patinkin no-showed a table read for season three, ultimately deciding to leave due to "creative differences," though agreed to film an additional scene which wrote his character out.
As for why Patinkin left? Years later, he revealed that the violent nature of the show troubled him deeply - something he didn't appreciate the gravity of when he signed on to star. Patinkin even called it "destructive to [his] soul and personality," and said that joining the show was his "biggest public mistake."
Patinkin assumed that quitting a hit show suddenly would've prevented him from getting juicy TV roles ever again, but a few years later he won the career-reviving part of Saul Berenson on espionage series Homeland, which ultimately netted him four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor.