“Criminal Minds” has survived more than 20 years, the departure of several stars and even a previous cancellation, but the franchise may finally be ending for good. On October 30, we learned that the revival series, “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” was canceled, ending the series with season 5, or season 20 if you combine the revival seasons with the original series. The main stars of the detective series had varying reactions to the news.
Paget Brewster, who plays BAU section leader Emily Prentiss, posted a simple black and white photo of herself on Instagram with the text “free agent” overlaid. For Halloween, AJ Cook dressed up as a zombie, holding a tombstone with her character’s name, Jennifer Jareau. Cook captioned a post of this outfit, “Rest in peace JJ (for now).” RJ Hatanaka, who joined the cast when it returned for “Criminal Minds: Evolution” in 2022, shared an image of the series’ main cast, praising them as “simply the best group of people.”
But Kirsten Vangsness, who appeared in the most episodes of any cast member, had a longer reaction to the news, sharing a Deadline article about the cancellation. “It says right there, ‘this ends for now,'” Vangsness said in his video, pointing to the item. She continued, “My boss, Erica Messer, says there are so many more stories to tell. So if we can continue to tell them somewhere, that would be amazing. I know we all feel the same way.” It is possible that the “Criminal Minds” series will continue in another spin-off.
The Criminal Minds team seems to have been caught off guard
The first time “Criminal Minds” was canceled, CBS gave the creative team an extra season to wrap up storylines and give fans the ending they deserve. It’s unclear whether Paramount+ gave the same warning to the “Criminal Minds: Evolution” team this time. Apparently, production on season 20 had already wrapped before news of the cancellation became public last week.
In a statement regarding the cancellation (via Deadline), “Criminal Minds” showrunner Erica Messer said she was “suddenly sailing toward the end of this chapter,” which could imply that she wasn’t expecting the ending when the final season was made. If Paramount+ gives the green light, the team could reshoot some scenes between now and the 2027 release to create a new ending. Messer added in his statement, “We can’t wait to share season 20 with everyone and celebrate the legacy of this special show that we all built together.”
Paramount appears to be making great strides ahead of its merger with Warner Bros., but it would be strange if the company abandoned the “Criminal Minds” franchise. It’s an undeniable success in terms of outfit. Even in its 19th season, the series has re-entered the Nielsen rankings of the 10 most watched streaming series. But with fan favorites like Matthew Gray Gubler already out, a cancellation could give the show’s fans, cast and crew a chance to move on to something new.
Gn entert
