Pop culture Q&A

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. Why in the world did “Criminal Minds” get rid of the JJ character (agent Jennifer Jareau)? How did they write her off the show?

I have heard they want to get rid of the Agent Emily Prentiss character, too.

What is up? I love the show!

A. According to published reports, the show wanted to refresh the series by making some creative changes, including the departure of Jareau, played by A.J. Cook.

Paget Brewster signed for this season, but is not expected to be in every episode, and she has said this will be her last season.

That move along with Cook’s departure sure feels like a financial decision and “Criminal Minds” is not alone among prime-time dramas in trimming cast (and budget) of late.

Cook was brought back in the current season in order to let Jareau say a proper goodbye.

Here’s how CBS summed that up:

“JJ can no longer ignore the repeated job offers from the Department of Defense, and Director Strauss tells her she has no other choice but to leave the BAU and take the job to liaise for the DOD. Hotch does his best to try and stop it and keep JJ but ultimately, the team has to say goodbye to one of their own.”

Q. I want to know if you’ve heard of an official release of the TV show “Crazy Like a Fox.” I used to watch it in the late ’70s or early ’80s.

A. The series originally aired from 1984 to 1986.

It starred Jack Warden as a not- always-scrupulous private eye with a lawyer son played by John Rubenstein.

As far as I know, there is no authorized release on video.

Q. I am a big fan of “24.” Do they plan to make a movie?

A. Back in February, before “24” had completed its eighth and final season, the Fox studio gave the go-ahead to work on a big-screen version.

Star Kiefer Sutherland reportedly said in April that a script had been completed.

As for when it will be in theaters (assuming it gets made), I do not know.

Q. When and why was “As the World Turns” taken off the air? It just started to get better. It has been on TV for 54 years.

A. The CBS soap opera had its last telecast Sept. 17.

Its audience had been decreasing, which makes it less attractive to advertisers, and the Los Angeles Times noted that it drew half as many viewers as another CBS serial, “The Young and the Restless.”

Daytime soaps have been a troubled genre of late; CBS also dropped long-running “Guiding Light” and has replaced the two soaps with “Let’s Make a Deal” and “The Talk.”

Q. How come they never give Betty White credit for “Life With Elizabeth,” a TV show she had back in the ’60s or ’70s.

We used to watch it every week.

Also, why don’t they put it on for a rerun? It was so funny.

A. I’m not sure who “they” are.

I have seen it mentioned in numerous White biographies, and White discusses “Life With Elizabeth” in her recently reissued, 1995 memoir, “Here We Go Again: My Life in Television.”

It began as a live, local TV show in Los Angeles.

It then changed to a filmed format for national syndication, where it had its first run from 1953 to 1955. (White, by the way, liked it better as a live show.)

Half-hour episodes consisted of several segments, and were later cut into smaller pieces for local stations to use in 15-minute time slots.

I don’t know of anyone rerunning it, but you can find some telecasts on DVD.