Why Agent Todd's Criminal Minds Run Was So Brief

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Here's why Agent Jordan Todd had such a brief run on Criminal Minds. CBS' Criminal Minds ran for fifteen seasons and followed a team of FBI agents who chase after serial killers. Naturally, this means the series often involved dark or harrowing material, and some episodes could be particularly disturbing. It helped that Criminal Minds assembled a likable cast of characters, who helped keep it grounded during even the bleakest episodes.

Early seasons of Criminal Minds were fronted by Mandy Patinkin — who famously departed after two seasons — as Gideon, but its key players like Shemar Moore's Morgan or Matthew Gray Gubler's Reid were already in place from the beginning. Kirsten Vangsness' Garcia was originally only supposed to appear in one episode before becoming one of the longest-running characters onCriminal Minds. The show has also had an embarrassment of riches when it came to guest stars, with the likes of Mark Hamill, Tim Curry, Aubrey Plaza and many more appearing over the years.

Related: How Criminal Minds Reid & Morgan Elevator Scene Became A Fan Favorite

For a show that ran for fifteen years, it makes sense that when some cast members left, new characters came in to fill the gap. That doesn't mean they all stuck around for long though; Jennifer Love Hewitt's Kate Callahan joined Criminal Minds during season 10 following the exit of Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn), only to leave during the finale. An even shorter-lived team member was Jordan Todd (Meta Golding), who came on to replace JJ (A.J. Cook) when she was on maternity leave during season 4. Todd left after eight episodes, and while taking JJ's place was always supposed to be temporary, she had a hard time adjusting to the cases the BAU worked.

Todd was