Criminal Minds Mistery: Why Prentiss Succeeded Where Elle Failed
Fans wonder why Prentiss immediately became part of the BAU family.
The CBS crime procedural about talented FBI specialists travelling around the US solving the most gruesome crimes imaginable has been a major hit since 2005, and the excellent cast helped ensure the long-term success of Criminal Minds.
Fans have always appreciated the great chemistry between the actors, but the show actually lacked it in the very beginning – the first two seasons were just the beginning and some of the characters just lacked the charisma to delight fans.
Many people have already forgotten that Elle Greenaway, played by Lola Glaudini, was one of the main characters of the series for the first two seasons, but her presence on the show really bothered fans at the time.
People constantly complained that Elle lacked charisma and chemistry with the other characters, making her seem more like an uninteresting colleague than a member of the BAU family.
So why did Emily Prentiss, played by Paget Brewster, who replaced Elle in season two, quickly become a beloved character?
First of all, fans argue that Brewster is simply a better actress than Glaudini, as Prentiss had already appeared on stage as a well-developed and original character, and all her later developments simply deepened her story arc rather than creating it.
The screenwriters also helped her by giving Prentiss many interesting storylines from her appearance in the series, whereas Elle's subplots were sparse and completely uninspiring.
Secondly, Prentiss fitted in well with the team, quickly showing her great chemistry with the other profilers, becoming an original and interesting protagonist.
However, Elle's uninteresting storylines are also to blame for the fact that she appeared in the series from the beginning, as the Criminal Minds was still developing, and if Elle had stayed in the series longer, all her problematic storylines would definitely have been fixed.
All in all, it seems that Prentiss is just lucky that she came to replace Elle – if it had been a different, much stronger character, fans would probably have hated the new addition.