CBS Drops Two Female Cast Members from "Criminal Minds": Fans Freak Out

First of all, you should know that "Criminal Minds" is my current favorite TV show. It's actually a pretty terrible program, if I'm being totally honest. But I still watch it and love it.

Thousands of fans around the globe are infatuated with the show too, but I'm not sure theirs is such an ironic appreciation.

So when CBS announced earlier this week that it was dropping female cast member AJ Cook from the show and seriously reducing the role of another female cast member, Paget Brewster, hardcore "Criminal Minds" fans lost their cool.

The "Criminal Minds" fan Twitter lit up and a petition that's now been signed by over 30,000 started circulating the web, reports Jezebel.com.

The fans are furious that two of their favorite characters are about to be ushered off the show, but more than that, they're upset that the roles being impacted are those of two strong women.

Deadline Hollywood reports, however, that a source close to CBS revealed yesterday that more women will be added to the roster to replace those lost. But Jezebel.com suggests that just means that CBS thinks women are interchangeable.

What do you think? Does removing two of strong women from one of their hit shows mean the CBS thinks women are expendable and replaceable? CBS says the decision was a creative one, not a financial one, Jezebel says.

So why is removing two fan favorite female characters a "creative decision?"

I, for one, don't care about the politics behind the show quite enough to feel one way or the other - actors get cut from TV shows all the time. But I do think that CBS should listen to their fans, especially if the decision isn't a financial one.

More importantly, do we need more strong women on TV? YES! Of course we do. The ladies of "The View" can't do it on their own.