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Gary Sinise Hopes ‘Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders’ Will Move Past Crime Drama Clichés

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 21:15 PST, Apr 24, 2016

Gary Sinise, the new lead in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders jumped at the chance when offered the part in the team. He loves to play good old-fashioned roles, but does have one hope: that it moves away from the crime drama clichés.

His request is that as a law enforcement officer, he does not have demons of his own to deal with. This was something his CSI:NY role had, after being widowed during the September 11 attacks. He wants to play a role now where he only deals with the demons and darkness on the other side—the side he is already fighting against.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, Sinise said that the Criminal Mind: Beyond Borders villains are already dark enough. This spinoff of Criminal Minds takes on some of the darker story lines seen on TV, and it can lead to gory TV. It makes sense to keep the darkness to the bad guys and a light within the federal agency.

On this second Criminal Minds spinoff (the first Suspect Behavior was cancelled after just 13 episodes), Sinise plays married Special Agent Jack Garrett, who leads the FBI’s International Response Team (RTI). Sinise says that the show is very much “good versus evil,” and growing up in the generation he did (he is 61), he likes that. He grew up when TV was black and white with the good and evil. There were no gray elements, which are seen in many of today’s shows.

The only way he would take on the role was if he had a family within the series. His character has a wife who is very much alive, and he is a family man. It was important to be able to show the lightness in his character, rather than fighting with demons of his own and demons on the job. He liked to be able to show that people do have demons, but that a veteran FBI agent can also have a successful marriage and be a loving dad.

Criminal Minds started to show that, but the marriage between Aaron Hotchner and his wife Haley failed because of the job. Sinise hints that he does not want to see that happen with Beyond Borders. He does not want to deal with the current cliché of the cop “on his fourth marriage” and unable to sleep.

It may also be refreshing for the viewers, who may see that family life and a successful career are possible. Criminal Minds fans were forced to say goodbye to SSA Derek Morgan, who chose his family over the BAU; suggesting people cannot have both. Other shows have also hinted that sometimes the career or family have to come first and the other will suffer. Gibbs’ family in NCIS were killed and he has never moved on from that, while Tony DiNozzo has regularly given up love for his work.

Sinise says there are plenty of successful law enforcement officers who have successful careers and family lives they are proud of having. It is time that TV shows some of that, and he has made it clear that he wants to be part of that. He has played the cop with the darkness, and now he wants to play the opposite on Beyond Borders.

There is still now announcement for the renewal of either Criminal Minds or its spinoff show. It is possible that CBS is waiting to see how the spinoff does with the ratings before making a decision for either show right now. Only time will tell if getting rid of the clichés helps Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders succeed.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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