Criminal Minds season 13: Kirsten Vangsness, A.J. Cook’s future unclear
According to a report from Deadline, the two actresses are seeking pay parity with their longtime co-stars Joe Mantegna and Matthew Gray Gubler, who are now officially signed for season 13 alongside the remainder of the series regulars in Aisha Tyler, Paget Brewster, Adam Rodriguez, and Damon Gupton. This is something that the two women first fought for years ago, and this time they may not be willing to sign until the terms are reached.
Negotiations with this show are trickier than many others given that there are so many players involved, whether it be ABC Studios, CBS the studio, and then also CBS the network. Also, the show’s ratings are down year-to-year, and with that there may be less money to go around. On the flip side, the departure of Thomas Gibson may lower the overall budget, freeing more room for the other co-stars.
As for the subject of pay parity, in this case it’s certainly merited. All of the actors are equal in importance to the show’s success, and they’ve all been on the show long enough that they should be considered at the same level. As a matter of fact, the studios should be even more willing to acquiesce to Vangsness and Cook given that they’re not apparently seeking even more money to compensate for the seasons in which they were underpaid in comparison to their male co-stars. This was a stance that Emmy Rossum reportedly took before signing on to do another season of Shameless; while terms of the deal were not disclosed, this was something that was in many reports leading up to the signing of the dotted line.
For now, the good news is that time is on everyone’s side given that production is still a month and a half away at least. Still, this is not something to be put off until the last minute and you don’t want to see an NCIS – Cote de Pablo situation where negotiations fall through and producers / writers, who have nothing to do with the deal, are left to scramble to change things up after having scripts prepared in advance.
What do you think: Should CBS and the studios fight to get a deal done? Share below!
Meanwhile, head over here in the event you do want to score some additional news now regarding Criminal Minds and the future. (Photo: CBS.)