“Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” creator Erica Messer praised the spinoff’s star, Gary Sinise, during a TCA panel on Tuesday.
“I remember saying to [Mark Gordon] early on, ‘I see this international team and Gary Sinise is the leader,’” Messer said. “And he said, ‘What if Gary can’t do it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I just think Gary Sinise is the leader.’ But Gary is a hero onscreen and off and it made sense.”
The show follows a team of FBI agents who travel internationally to help American citizens who have run into trouble abroad.
Veteran “Criminal Minds” producer Gordon, who serves as executive producer on this show, also talked about the failed spinoff “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.” “One of the things that did not help us was we were trying too hard be different,” he said. “Sometimes the desire to, frankly, have an opportunity to create more is not always the best way to create a great show.”
Series co-star Tyler James Williams, who recently appeared as Noah on “The Walking Dead,” also revealed his own paranoia when traveling.
“I’m always mildly paranoid about getting kidnapped,” Williams said. “I think I’m really kidnappable. You wouldn’t get much for me, but if you just wanted to take somebody, that’d be me.”
“Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” will premiere on March 16 at 10 p.m./9c on CBS.