“Criminal Minds” star Paget Brewster slammed ScreenRant staffer Sheerin Scott about X on Saturday afternoon for a storyline that bemoaned the changes Paramount Plus has brought to the long-running procedural drama.
“Hello, critic Shirin Scott,” Brewster wrote in the now-deleted post. “You’re young. You don’t know that a bad photo or a bad review can cost 350 jobs. Sell your vintage stuff. Work at a shelter. Do something better than what you’re doing right now because it sucks.”
Movie and TV critics were quick to respond with a rebuttal. In a response to Brewster, The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic David Rooney wrote, “This is a very bad take. An actor on a long-running show criticizing a respectful young critic in a context where she clearly knows the material says far more about your thin skin than it does about her professionalism. ‘Working in a Shelter’ Really?!”
ScreenRant senior writer Andy Beebacht also defended Scott, writing, “This is a terrible thing to do on your part, and it’s truly tragic to see you cut down a young female journalist who you literally said ‘sucks’ and shouldn’t be in the field she’s in. I stand by my colleague and you owe her an apology.”
Brewster issued an apology for the post on Sunday. She posted to X: “Hey everyone, I was mean to Sheerin Scott last night and I so regret it. I’m ashamed that I insulted a working person. I’m so sorry, Sheerin. And I’m sorry to those who follow me who saw me act like that. After all, I sucked last night.”
“Criminal Minds” premiered its 15th and final season on CBS in 2020, before returning in 2022 on Paramount+ under the title “Criminal Minds: Evolution.” Scott’s article discussed the changes that “Criminal Minds” underwent when it moved from linear to streaming.
“From small details like TV-MA’s ratings changes to the occasional heated diatribes from David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) and Emily Prentice (Paget Brewster) to new main cast members like Tyler Green (Ryan-James Hatanaka), there’s no question that Criminal Minds: Evolution has its own unique identity,” Scott wrote in the story. “While many of the sequel’s changes have been warmly received, and Criminal Minds undoubtedly still functions as a compelling crime drama, there are just as many tweaks that feel like downgrades, including a new 10-episode season structure. While it makes sense in theory, the shortened seasons unfortunately work against Criminal Minds’ greatest strengths.”
