Following the news that “Criminal Minds: Evolution” has been canceled at Paramount+, stars A.J. Cook, Paget Brewster, Kirsten Vangsness and RJ Hatanaka looked back on the crime drama’s 20-season run. News first broke on Friday that the long-running procedural would end with its 20th season.
Cook, who has played Jennifer “JJ” Jareau since “Criminal Minds” debuted in 2005, marked the end of the installment with a Halloween photo of herself dressed up, featuring a tombstone for JJ. She captioned the image, “Rest in peace JJ (for now) #criminalminds #halloween #stillprocessing.” Jareau was the BAU’s media and police liaison before becoming a profiler in later seasons.
Brewster, who has played FBI supervisory special agent Emily Prentiss since Season 2, shared a black-and-white photo with the text “Free Agent.” Hatanaka, who played FBI agent Tyler Green and joined the show in Season 16, shared a photo of the cast with the caption, “Just the finest group of people.”
Vangsness, who has portrayed technical analyst Penelope Garcia since Season 1, said in an Instagram video that social media is “sort of like getting to do your own press conference.” She noted that the show is being canceled but that the announcement says it is ending “for now.” Referencing the show’s 20-season run, she compared the moment to the bittersweet scene in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” when Charlie receives the chocolate. “But I love my job, and my boss Erica Messer says there are so many more stories to tell,” Vangsness said. “So if we get to keep telling them somewhere, that would be amazing. I know all of us feel the same way.” In the video caption, she expressed appreciation for her time on the job and tagged her co-stars.
“Evolution” picks up after the events of the original “Criminal Minds.” It was originally revived for Season 16 in 2022 and continued the show after it was renewed for a fifteenth and final season at CBS in January 2019. Season 19 aired between May and July earlier this year, and Season 20 will air in 2027. The series also stars Joe Mantegna, Aisha Tyler and Adam Rodriguez.
Sources: Variety.