The BAU has reopened for business! TVLine has confirmed that Paramount+ has ordered a 10-episode order for the Criminal Minds reboot. Following the streamer’s announcement that a few cast members were in talks to return just a few months ago, this revelation comes as no surprise. Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), a series regular on Criminal Minds, hinted at the show’s comeback on Twitter as well.
An elite crew of FBI profilers known as the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) traversed the country in search of and apprehended serial murderers. Unsubs featured prominently during the show’s run, including George Foyet/The Reaper (C. Thomas Howell), Mr Scratch (Bodhi Elfman), Cat Adams (Aubrey Plaza), and a slew of others.
While the BAU members’ personal lives were also explored, there was no shortage of memorable and compelling (albeit stressful) tales in the programme, which was a major plus. The resurrection was first revealed in 2021, however, it was still in the very early phases of development at the time of its announcement. Following this, series star Paget Brewster, who had been cast in the role of Emily Prentiss, said on Twitter that she thought the resurrection had little chance of succeeding. Then, with the conclusion of contract discussions in February of this year, there was newfound optimism.
The revival’s narrative and how the group will reassemble are yet unknown. In spite of this, six of the cast members have been confirmed to return. In addition to Mantegna, Brewster, and Kirsten Vangsness (as Penelope Garcia), returning actors Adam Rodriguez (as Luke Alvez), Aisha Tyler (as Doctor Tara Lewis), and A.J. Cook (as Jennifer Jareau, a.k.a. JJ) will also be seen. Erica Messer, who serves as showrunner and executive producer, is also on board. However, Matthew Gray Gubler (Dr Spencer Reid) and Daniel Henney (Matt Simmons) will not be returning for the revival. Since its debut on CBS in 2005, Criminal Minds has enjoyed a long and fruitful career. More than 300 episodes have been shown during the course of the show’s 15 seasons.
While it did have a rotating cast of regulars, most of them left the show early in their runs, including Mandy Patinkin (Jason Gideon), who left in Season 3, Thomas Gibson (Aaron Hotchner), who left in Season 11, and Shemar Moore (Derek Morgan), who left in Season 11, but returned as a guest star in a few later episodes, as well as Brewster (Jason Gideon), who joined in Season 2, left in Season 7, and returned as During Season 11, Tyler was introduced, followed by Rodriguez and Henney, in Seasons 12 and 13. Henney also appeared in the short-lived spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. On Hulu and Paramount+, you can now watch every season of Criminal Minds.