Save the Ladies of Criminal Minds: AJ Cook and Paget Brewster to be cut from Criminal Minds

So word reached me earlier today that Criminal Minds is planning to cut its female cast. They plan to cut AJ Cook's character Jennifer "JJ" Jareau and drastically reduce Paget Brewster's role as Emily Prentiss. In return, they will add a new female cast member. Because, you know, one woman on a crime show is just as good as another, even if the existing women have been on the show for years and have fanbases all their own. CBS is claiming that the cut is happening due to "creative" reasons rather than financial ones. To that, I have a few responses:

1. If your creative team cannot effectively come up with interesting storylines for two female FBI field agents, then that's a story failing, not an actor problem. (I seriously doubt that this is the case, by the way, as the CriMi writers are uniformly awesome.)
   
2. CBS is planning a big Criminal Minds spin-off for next season, featuring an Oscar-winner in the lead. I don't think any of us are dumb enough to think that that won't be extremely expensive.
3. If you're looking to make cuts, cutting characters from a show with an active, emotionally invested fan base is a really dumb way to go about it.
   

Criminal Minds is one of the only crime shows on TV with strong, interesting female characters. It's worth noting that JJ and Prentiss are two of a very small number of female crime show leads who have never been kidnapped, tortured, raped, or been otherwise victimized at any point since they joined the show. I think that counts for something. Aside from that, JJ and Prentiss are interesting, well-rounded, yet consistently competent and strong. They're worth keeping.

So I ask you to please get involved in the campaign to save them. Here's what you can do:

• Sign the online petition to save AJ Cook and Paget Brewster's Criminal Minds characters
• Check out the Save the CM Ladies Blog. Much of what I'm listing is basically a rephrasing of their "How to Help" section for people who don't feel like clicking the link.
• Contact CBS via their feedback form.
• Email these people: cender@cbs.com, phil.gonzales@cbs.com, sue.lamphear@cbs.com, tiffany.smith@cbs.com
• Print and send one of the postcards that have been created for this purpose. Here's one. Here's the one I'm sending. Right click on the image and select "view image," then print.
  
• If you're phone-minded, call Nina Tessler at 818-655-1400. I'm told you may have to insist on leaving her a message, or the secretary will try to transfer you to another department.
  
• Join Twitter, then follow the movement at #SaveTheCMLadies. You can also follow SaveTheCMLadies for continuing updates.
• Now that you're on Twitter, join in! Flash tweet TONIGHT at 6pm PST / 9pm EST. Add the #SaveTheCMLadies tag to your posts during Criminal Minds' TV time slot. You can also add #WeSupportAJandPaget.
  

Fan movements are the best movements, people! Please get to work for our Criminal Minds Ladies, AJ and Paget! I'll try to post updates as they come to me on this issue. If you know anything before I do, go ahead and comment here, contact me on Twitter, or email me (ohmissjulie at gmail dot com). Now get moving!