Maybe PBS was right, after all.

CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler's being her usual discreet self this morning, but her response to questions about Mandy Patinkin's departure from "Criminal Minds" hints that there's more to this situation than Patinkin's inability to commit, or the "creative differences" he cited in his own statement this week.

Or perhaps not.

How would you take this?

"Mandy came to us, came to me, and asked to be released from the show, and we were able to accommodate that request on his part. Right now, it's a personal issue,and I think the show is accommodating his needs," Tassler said.

"In the legacy of 'ER' and 'Law & Order,' the show will go on," she added. "I can only hope in the very near future that Mandy himself will be able to answer those questions."

While it's true that Patinkin's walked away from another CBS hit show in his past -- remember "Chicago Hope"? -- it's also true that the actor was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March 2004 and underwent surgery.

So maybe we shouldn't rush to judgment.

But then, what about the "creative differences"?

"I think 'creative differences' is a euphemism for personal issues," Tassler said.